The Alexander Wang Party Last Night Was a Paean to Fast Food and Consumerism
Nestled into the midpoint of Fashion Week, the Alexander Wang party is reliably a safe space for fashion people to blow off steam and get a little messy. But this year rivaled even his 10th anniversary blowout for sheer scale. The confetti budget alone must have stretched into the high three figures tonight in celebration of the surprise collaboration he just dropped with Adidas. Announced via an enigmatic video during his show, the collection is for spring 2017, but a capsule of pieces was already available to shop at the party — including t-shirts with Wang’s NDA for the carefully guarded project printed on them. (He’s a rebel, even in the boardroom.)
Wangfest, as he called it, liquidated some of that cash into a balls-to-the-wall millennial Disneyland of fast food — with trucks from McDonald’s giving out McGriddles and fries and a 7-Eleven dispensing Slurpees, which many of the guests quickly rushed to top off with alcohol. After all, what better way to celebrate fashion with a looming expiration date than snacks with distant ones?
Models in airbrushed t-shirts rushed through a mini 7-Eleven convenience store where everyone was encouraged to raid the aisles: all the Fritos, Sweet Tarts, and Butterfingers your heart could desire. I walked in behind the model Marjan Jonkman, who stoically selected a pack of Stride gum — and only a pack of Stride gum. But most partygoers were filling up their bags with spoils. Pretty much everything on the menu fell into the category of “drunk food and/or hangover food,” including McDonald’s French fries proffered on silver trays. (“I gotta save my calories for alcohol,” said one woman, declining.)
I walked by my favorite acoustic singer-songwriter, Skrillex, who was standing by a car that attendees were being encouraged to tag. (Graffiti just doesn’t feel as fun when it’s sanctioned.) I asked him if he was a fan of McDonald’s and/or 7-Eleven. However, he may not have heard me correctly over the din, since he responded as follows: “I think it’s, like, occupational. You have to do it at some point.” I struggled to understand that, especially because he took a phone call during the middle of that sentence — surely it was something urgent — so who knows what was directed at me and what was meant for the person on the other line. Maybe he thought I was asking about athleisure collaborations?
A disheveled Wang quickly took the stage and saved us from further awkwardness. “This shit’s going till 3 Aaaaa Emmmm!” he screamed, adding that since it wouldn’t be a true festival without multiple headliners, he had hired nine, starting with Korean rapper CL, whose hairography was something to behold. Alex, one suggestion: If you do this again next year, please include Mickey D’s apple pies in the selection.
