For a brief moment this week, guests forgot about the shows. Inside the new Italian dining room Straker’s, the power players of NYFW took a break from the runway to toast Cindy Crawford and her September Porter cover. The guest list was proof of just how much high-wattage star power can still be corralled during the industry’s most oversubscribed week—if the offer is unmissable.
The Scene: Net-A-Porter got the keys to Straker’s before its public opening, turning the Grand Street dining room into a one-night-only members’ club for the city’s most fashionable denizens. The buzzy SoHo spot supplied the address, shepherding out plates from the kitchen and offering overflowing pours of festive bubbly from the bar as the night unfolded. Meanwhile, DJ Mia Moretti‘s set kept the room at a high-octane volume.
The Occasion: Cindy Crawford landing Porter‘s September cover was the stated cause, but the real subtext was Net-A-Porter flexing its ability to pull the industry’s most in-demand guests into one room, all without breaking a sweat.
The Crowd: Crawford held court, while attendees including athlete Serena Williams; actors Katie Holmes and Emmy Rossum; designers Willy Chavarria, Wes Gordon, Christopher John Rogers, Aurora James, and Joseph Altuzarra; stylist Kate Young; and tastemaker Nara Smith each pulled their own orbit, mobilizing for an impromptu industry summit that happened to have cocktails.
Food and Drink: Thomas Straker’s passed bites ran the room with caviar and potato galette, crab with courgette, red shrimp and foie gras tostadas, and beef sliders.
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