Hermès fêted the opening of its first-ever men’s store–dubbed “Hermès Man on Madison”–at 691 Madison Avenue on Tuesday that drew such celebrity fans as Katie Holmes, Martha Stewart, Mad Men’s John Slattery and Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon. It was an amazingly executed soiree! Guests were ushered in by greeters clad in black topcoats with Hermès orange scarves, and after a glass (or two) of Champagne and caviar canapés, I headed to the nearby Park Avenue Armory for the afterparty.
That’s when my jaw dropped.
I’ve been to my fair share of extravaganzas in my career–Fendi’s Great Wall fashion show in Beijing, Ferragamo’s 85th anniversary bash in Shanghai and Valentino’s 45th anniversary couture show/swan song in Rome–and this one easily ranked up there as one of the best. Ever. To echo the night’s masculine theme, 1,000 guests were greeted by an art installation of an LED horse (a nod to the brand’s heritage) that featured thousands of fiber optic lights aglow in Hermès orange, natch, custom made by the Japanese artist Makoto Tojiki, as they arrived. From there, I had the choice to enter one of four rooms: the travel room; the library; the game room and a jazz club. I nearly died.
The library boasted one wall of floor-to-ceiling factory windows and another featuring floor-to-ceiling library shelves stocked with 8,000 hand-dyed books designed as a dramatic installation. I had my caricature done by illustrator Caitlin McGauley while noshing on chilled lobster tails, Wagyu beef, baby Colorado lamb chops, Iberico ham and foie gras brûlé. Even the napkins were made from genuine linen! Next door was the game room, where I played a round of air hockey with a friend, but there was everything from vintage pinball machines to pool and ping pong tables. The travel room featured a feast of global cuisine: dim sum (China); tacos (Mexico); Indian Chat (India) and crepes (France), along with a Turkish coffee bar. It was almost too much. Then I entered the last room, aka the jazz club. I was ushered to a table and a waiter brought over Champagne and oysters for me to enjoy while a trio of performers entertained: jazz pianist Barry Harris; French music group Venus Gets Even and New York local young rock band Locksley.
I almost forgot that New York City was getting a snowstorm that eventually dumped a foot of snow I was dancing so hard! My friend, the incredibly talented DJ Coleman, spun a late-night rager that had everyone reliving their Studio 54 days. What a way to usher in the start of New York Fashion Week!
