Last night, BlackBook invited a few friends - and a Russian model or two - to celebrate the opening of iLounge at the NY Charles Hotel. It was a showing of neighborly love, as the slick new Flatiron locale sits right around the corner from our office.

Guests floated around the main floor of the sleek, newly-designed space sipping Russian Standard cocktails under bright blue LCD ceiling lights, as passersby peered in through the glass facade to see what the buzz was about. Models sporting those huge, furry Russian hats (natives might know them as Ushankas) chatted up revelers about the finer points of vodka, and struggled to be heard over the eclectic beats of DJ Dexter Love. Attempts to snag hats of our own were flatly denied. Our co-conspirators at The Blaq Group joined us to host VIP guests, who held court at private tables while knocking back cocktails and surveying the energetic crowd.

Check out the photo gallery courtesy of Zhanyi Jiang and JoonBug.com.