Alexander Wang did not have a fashion show lined up for the New York Fashion Week, but he sure didn’t let it pass by without making it to the headlines. He, along with model and celebrity guests such Kaia Gerber, A$AP Ferg and Ansel Elgort, lit the Big Apple with a party to remember, complete with cheongsams and traditional Chinese lanterns.
The designer could always be counted on to throw one hell of a rager, with images of the very worst hangovers to haunt attendees for a long time. For a time he swore off of it, as did other designers. But this time around, he thought that the NYFW needed a little spice, and many people agreed with him. All it took was a week of planning, which soon proved that the man really knew what he was doing.
The theme? It was “Big Trouble in Little China(town)”. With the party, which coincided with the NYFW, he wanted friends and guests to join in on the festivities of another occasion in February: the Chinese New Year. The designer invited his celebrity friends (and their friends) to get the party started at the Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room, but guests had more to look forward to than just the lavish venue.
Actually, there was a little more even before the event, as there were parties in his store in Soho as well as Barney. In the Alexander Wang boutique, Mission Chinese Food took care of the snacks. For the latter, attendees chomped on the designer’s very own burger from Freds, which also took inspiration from the designer’s Chinese-American background by having Chinese buns enclose Chinese five spice short rib and scallions. There were even exclusive Alexander Wang fortune cookies, and a custom pair of chopsticks.
The designer then transformed the Rainbow Room into a space befitting of a Chinese New Year celebration. Besides being filled with Chinese decorations, the room glowed red, a color often used in the culture because of its ties to good fortune. There was a dress code, of course, which still relates to Wang’s heritage. Either that, or a sleek urban ensemble the designer is best known for. As for the host, Wang decided to don on an all-black attire instead of going red for luck.
Besides some free booze, guests to the party were treated with performances from A$AP Ferg, City Girls, Tommy Genesis and Trina. It had esteemed personalities from the industry rub shoulders with one another, the likes of which include Tyler Mitchell, Binx Walton and Joan Smalls. Heaps and heaps of people wanted to get in, but the space just couldn’t hold everyone in. In the end, wasted people were everywhere, and Alexander Wang delivered in giving more than just a little spice to the fashion week.
Prior to the party, the designer already decided that he wanted to incorporate more of his heritage onto his sartorial creations. Since deciding to let go of the seasonal releases and instead holding his runway shows just twice, one in June and another in December, Alexander Wang has released Collection 1 and Collection 2 that both have reminders of his immigrant roots. The party is just one more sign that Wang desired more people to join him in celebrating his culture. We’ll probably see more of this a few months from now, which is when his first collection of the year will be due.
Image credits: Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Alex Wang, Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Alex Wang, Rebecca Smeyne for The New York Times
