A Nightlife Legend Brings Her Scene to Brooklyn
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
New York nightlife icon Susanne Bartsch (famous for grand Thursdays at the Copacabana in the late ‘80s) crossed the bridge last night to throw her first-ever party in Brooklyn, and her first on a Saturday night.
“If I had any doubts — I went to the L train to do a photo shoot, and I saw so many people I really like, that inspire me, and that were going on the L,” Bartsch told the Cut. “I was just like, This feels good.”
The party drew members of Bartsch’s Manhattan coterie as well as the Brooklyn DIY drag scene to Verboten, on Williamsburg’s north side. The night included glowing LED headpieces, hand-painted mythological couture, and orange satin pumps turned shoulder-pads — plus a cameo from an ebullient Alexander Wang. Click ahead for more.
Alexander Wang Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Jessica Lapidos What brings you out tonight? "It’s my birthday. And I’ve been coming to Susanne Bartsch’s parties for the past year and I th...
Jessica Lapidos What brings you out tonight? "It’s my birthday. And I’ve been coming to Susanne Bartsch’s parties for the past year and I think they’re beautiful. I love how people dress up for them." How old are you? "26." How did you get dressed tonight? "Well, I wanted to look and feel like a cupcake, so I layered some tutus and then I took these big, oversize shirts ... I braided some fabric into my hair and I rolled it up like a turban. I wanted to wear a lot of color to celebrate my birthday."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Asher Levine Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Susanne Bartsch "I never though I would go to Brooklyn. And this woman said, Come to Brooklyn, I have a place that’s really cool. I walked i...
Susanne Bartsch "I never though I would go to Brooklyn. And this woman said, Come to Brooklyn, I have a place that’s really cool. I walked in here and it felt like GoodUnits in the Hudson Hotel. It just has this same gallery-club-warehouse [feel] — a mix of the three — and I’m going, Wow, this is really cool. I go with my gut."
Why didn’t you think you would come to Brooklyn?
"I don’t want to travel. But my son went to school in Brooklyn Heights at St. Ann’s, so I have been over, back and forth, to bring him to school, and it is really quick. It actually is fine." Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
One-Half Nelson and Erickatoure Aviance Did you get dressed together? One Half Nelson: "We always get dressed together." And what were ...
One-Half Nelson and Erickatoure Aviance Did you get dressed together? One Half Nelson: "We always get dressed together." And what were you thinking? "Zoobilee Zoo redux. A modern interpretation of Zoobilee Zoo. The headpiece I made, and the jacket is vintage. It’s about 35 years old. The corset, the skirt, I made, and then my shoes are brand new."
Erickatoure: "The color palette came first, and then she bought that thing. And there weren’t any more of them, so I got a unicorn. I made the headpiece, then added a corset, and then a skirt that I made." How long have you been coming to Susanne’s parties? "We’ve been working for Susanne for about five years and going to her parties since. This is where we belong." Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Ryan Burke How did you decide what to wear? "I got home and I did this in an hour and a half. I wanted green and pink — that’s all I knew.&q...
Ryan Burke How did you decide what to wear? "I got home and I did this in an hour and a half. I wanted green and pink — that’s all I knew." What is your mask made of? "It’s all plastic." How did you attach it? "Eyelash adhesive."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Brandon Olson "I dress by what I find. I found these panels, they were a store window display, they had thrown them out, and I liked them fo...
Brandon Olson "I dress by what I find. I found these panels, they were a store window display, they had thrown them out, and I liked them for my apartment. I hung them on the wall yesterday, and then I was trying to figure out what to wear and I said, Oh my god, they’d actually make a great dress! My neighbor was moving out, and she got out of all these books, and the Maria Callas dust jacket was gorgeous and I took it — the book was a little dull, but I was making the outfit and this reminded me of a very luxurious night at the opera. I took this wallpaper paste and an old hat, and I put some lace over the dust jacket to make it look more like fabric."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Ms. Fitz "I was kind of going for a rockabilly look. This was a shirt that my best friend, Vaughan Alexander, made. He makes all my costumes...
Ms. Fitz "I was kind of going for a rockabilly look. This was a shirt that my best friend, Vaughan Alexander, made. He makes all my costumes. We do Project Runway once a week, and we go up to Harlem and we go to the thrift store around the corner from his house and we’re like, We have $10 to spend. And then he just fucking sews and cuts and makes these incredible garments out of nothing, and then we watch RuPaul’s and we smoke cigarettes and we drink beer and we make our costumes."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Lindsey Leonard and Ana Lieberman "I’m just looking to embody new levels of myself as a male and as a female. Tonight was a little bit more ...
Lindsey Leonard and Ana Lieberman "I’m just looking to embody new levels of myself as a male and as a female. Tonight was a little bit more about me being female, but I have this bulge down here. It was definitely about identity and being my full queen."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
DeSe Escobar "Well, this wig I’m wearing … she’s Miss Mango. She’s a tropical lady. She’s a lusty pinapple. I knew this party was going to b...
DeSe Escobar "Well, this wig I’m wearing … she’s Miss Mango. She’s a tropical lady. She’s a lusty pinapple. I knew this party was going to be like very crazy or theatrical, so I just wanted to wear a wig. I have long black hair but I really like color, so I just wear a lot of color because black just doesn’t stand out in the light. This is my first Susanne Bartsch party." What are your impressions? "It’s very mixed. There are a lot of communities in one club. There’s a mix of like city kids, kids from Brooklyn, and it looks like there are some bridge-and-tunnel kids out here, and then these like Lady Gaga-ish types of kids."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Michelle Joni What brings you out? "This is my family. My going out family. I just love these souls who come together. It's a mix of people ...
Michelle Joni What brings you out? "This is my family. My going out family. I just love these souls who come together. It's a mix of people from all different fearless qualities about them, and everyone here is just fearless. It's such a good energy. I love Susanne's parties. She throws the best parties in New York." How did you get dressed tonight? "Today is actually my sister Jessica's [slide 2] birthday and we are celebrating here. This afternoon I was like, So what should my inspiration tonight be? And she said, Me! I live with my sister and I said OK, great, I'm channeling Jessica. She wears extravagant things on her head with scarves down that wrap around and always a crown on her head and transformable pieces. I'm literally dressing from her closet. I feel very royal tonight. I am a queen."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Domonique Echeverria "I wanted to be very '70s. So I did big hair, very bold face, and something very body-conscious. Being a voluptuous gir...
Domonique Echeverria "I wanted to be very '70s. So I did big hair, very bold face, and something very body-conscious. Being a voluptuous girl, I always wear something very bombshell and tight — I just had this material hanging and I hadn’t used it before and it was space. I actually never wear pink, but I like space."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Gerard Garvey Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Celso Satori Labeija What were you thinking when you got dressed tonight? "I was thinking relaxed, very Dynasty, relaxed with a fierceness. ...
Celso Satori Labeija What were you thinking when you got dressed tonight? "I was thinking relaxed, very Dynasty, relaxed with a fierceness. I made this piece, which is a black-and-white striped knit." What makes a Susanne party different in Brooklyn? "Everyone is here. It means a whole new era is coming, the magic is back. It’s her first Saturday party. To do a party on a Saturday night means you can bring who you need to bring. The girls will come with you."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Nicky Ottav "Tonight I decided I wanted to do a goth look. Me and my partner always coordinate our outfits, and we bought black eyeliner and...
Nicky Ottav "Tonight I decided I wanted to do a goth look. Me and my partner always coordinate our outfits, and we bought black eyeliner and a new mascara and we were like, Let’s just be inspired by this new makeup ."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Kyle England How did you decide what you were going to wear? "I don’t know. It was just what I had in my room. I wasn’t really thinking too ...
Kyle England How did you decide what you were going to wear? "I don’t know. It was just what I had in my room. I wasn’t really thinking too much." Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Chris of Hur "Whenever I put myself together I try to not to think too much about putting together a drag queen look. I try to put together ...
Chris of Hur "Whenever I put myself together I try to not to think too much about putting together a drag queen look. I try to put together what I feel.
"Typically what I'm feeling is old lady of the mountain. I feel very thousand-year-old woman who lives in the mountain, next to the trailer park. She likes her grilled cheese and her hot dogs but, at the same time, she knows how to make a fire." Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Molly Rhinestone "I wanted to do a Birth of Venus ball gown, and I hand-painted these Birth of Venus underwear. I’ve been really into ...
Molly Rhinestone "I wanted to do a Birth of Venus ball gown, and I hand-painted these Birth of Venus underwear. I’ve been really into a narrative with my looks and a lot of my stuff is based in mythology. I guess it’s like couture mythology." What are you carrying around? "This was originally a headpiece; now it’s my cell phone holder because it broke. It was a PlayDough castle for little kids and I spray-painted it gold."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Merrie Cherry What does it mean to have Susanne come to Brooklyn? "It’s a sign of things changing. A lot of the performers go out to Manhatt...
Merrie Cherry What does it mean to have Susanne come to Brooklyn? "It’s a sign of things changing. A lot of the performers go out to Manhattan to do our thing. It seemed like something we had to almost do, because Manhattan is the promised land. But to have people from Manhattan come here — It’s almost like, Whoa, we really are creating something. We really created something that’s desirable." What do you think of the crowd tonight? "It’s a rage. A major rage. I walked into it and I was kind of gagging on the people that I’ve never seen before. I feel like they’re not Brooklynites." Gagging in a good way? "Oh yeah. For sure."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Najva Sol and Pate Cap What were you thinking when you got dressed tonight? Najva Sol: "Little Bo Peep meets Grandma. Half this shit is thri...
Najva Sol and Pate Cap What were you thinking when you got dressed tonight? Najva Sol: "Little Bo Peep meets Grandma. Half this shit is thrifted, and I made the flower thing." What brings you out tonight? Pate: "To dance and feel weird." Have you been coming to these parties for a while? "No, I actually don’t go out very often."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Jordan Lee and Gage of the Boone What were you thinking about when you got dressed? Gage of the Boone: "I actually had a dream about it, and...
Jordan Lee and Gage of the Boone What were you thinking about when you got dressed? Gage of the Boone: "I actually had a dream about it, and it was about how to make it — just about sewing ruffles in a specific way and having holes in the fabric over it. I have been working on this for weeks, so I was kind of working on it in my sleep." Tell me about what you you’re wearing. "I have a lot of different layers on. One layer was a piece I had made for a performance a while ago and it was kind of about a different idea of the devil. And then I made a jacket that was all like spaceships. I am really into spaceships."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Pozsi Kolor "I’ve been coming to Susanne’s parties for like six or seven years. I’m usually thinking Royal Clown. Usually, like, Royal Stree...
Pozsi Kolor "I’ve been coming to Susanne’s parties for like six or seven years. I’m usually thinking Royal Clown. Usually, like, Royal Street Clown ... This is what I look like every day. I might be going even more harder than this."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
Antonio Blair, aka La'fem Ladosha, and Horrochata What brought you out? Antonio Blair: "I was asked to perform — my friend Gage asked me if ...
Antonio Blair, aka La'fem Ladosha, and Horrochata What brought you out? Antonio Blair: "I was asked to perform — my friend Gage asked me if I would be a part of the party, and I said absolutely." Have you been to a lot of Susanne’s parties before? "Of course. I don’t think you can be in this scene and not go to a Susanne party." What do you think of this crowd? "It’s really intense and it’s eclectic and it seems like it’s fun and it’s really different. I haven’t really seen anything like it. It’s like a real sweeping chaos."
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne
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