reviews

Idea of the Week: Have the After-Party Before the Show

Y3 models glide by on a moving runway.Photographs by FirstView


Here’s one way to keep people happy when your show starts one hour and 22 minutes late: Have the after-party first! As guests arrived at Y3 after the long, thirsty trek down Pier 40, they were greeted with trays of fresh fruit-and-vodka drinks, champagne, and a spectacular view of the New Jersey skyline.

Back in the VIP lounge, Usher, Sean Paul*, Rosario Dawson, Mena Suvari *, Jimmy Fallon, Samuel L. Jackson, Jade Jagger, Nina Clemente*, Milla Jovovich, and Kelis hung out.

After a leisurely hour or so — and after Yohji strolled in with a small Virgin Megastore bag — the celebs began filing into the enormous, industrial storage space where a long bank of silver bleachers was set up facing a shiny white runway and, beyond that, the aforementioned view.

After the show began, the next surprise: The models suddenly stopped walking but somehow kept moving. Yohji built moving walkways into the runway! All the while, in the dark river beyond the pier, three barges with a white tube-lights display (think Dan Flavin) were inching closer and closer. It was cool.

So were the clothes, although I was disappointed to see yet another Baggy Crotch (Three Is a Trend alert!). Even on a guy, it’s not okay. I particularly dug the lightweight nylon morning coat, the wrap skirts for men, and the succession of knit tubes that one group of models wore. They’d clearly been instructed to writhe artistically to demonstrate the paradox of confinement and movement.

After many of these extremely wearable, well-cut but perhaps not terribly exciting clothes came out, the lights went dark, making the three lighted barges pop out in high contrast. All the models came back out and froze on the runway. Then, suddenly, hundreds of lightbulbs above our heads began twinkling furiously. Dark river, lighted barges, twinkly lights, scrolling models: amazing.

(* These stars had cornrows. Not sure Mena Suvari should wear cornrows.)

Janet Ozzard

Idea of the Week: Have the After-Party Before the Show