Last Week’s Party: Vanessa Bruno, Yigal Azrouël, Bulgari

Celebrity favorite Alexis Bittar hosted the first annual NewNowNext Fashion Honors on Tuesday, February 5 at The Box. The events purpose was to honor the most promising, freshman designers in menswear, womenswear, and accessories as well as a talented up-and-coming male and female models. At the event, Lady Gaga darling Chris Habana took honors in the accessories section for his eponymous line ChrisHabana. While Ann Yee‘s ready-to-wear line took the womenswear category. Former circus performer turned menswear designer Jonny Cota was recognized for his line Skingraft, which counts celebs like Chace Crawford and P.Diddy among its fan. Fitness model Jelena Abbou who recently became the new face of MAC Cosmetics was also honored along with male model Kolt Blaze who has been featured in WWD, Nylon and V magazine.

Vanessa Bruno

Thursday, February 7 marked the opening of Vanessa Bruno‘s fashion week pop-up. Housed in a spacious two-story loft space, the pop-up doubled as a showroom for the brand’s spring and summer season collections. Part of a first step in the designer’s effort to open a permanent store in the U.S., the space is decorated by images of the Mark Borthwick photographed spring/summer 2013 collection. Guests mingled as they sipped champagne and perused the newest collection. Bruno invited a number of her favorite Parisian companies, including French independent film company MK2, to share the two-story space with her. As a result, guests got the chance to view an assortment of items from Diptyque, a French fragrance and candle company, as well as scan Bernard Chauveau editions. For guests craving something a little sweeter, Laduree‘s cart, piled high with macaroons, provided the perfect complement for the champagne. The pop up will be open through February 26.

Yigal Azrouël

Friday night, February 8, the designer Yigal Azrouël‘s Fall/Winter 2013–2014 collection after party was held at Tribeca Grand Hotel. In the basement bar crisply dressed bartenders served up complementary beverages throughout the night. Fashion fanatic DJ Mike Nouveau spun a diverse range of tunes spanning from house to hip-hop, reggae and top 40 hits, while partygoers blew off the stress of fashion week on the dance floor. The impending Nemo blizzard did nothing to keep determined partiers from having a good time — guests still braved the frigid winter weather in their most fashionable duds.

Bulgari’s Serpenti Exhibition and Retrospective

Six inches of snow and brick cold temperatures were hardly a deterrent for the many guests who flocked to Bulgari‘s fifth avenue flagship to celebrate the launch of the Marion Fasel-curated Serpenti exhibition and retrospective. Hosted by Nicola Bulgari and Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey, the event, which coincided with the Chinese New Year, began with a private dinner. In attendance were silver screen stars Julianne Moore, Olivia Wilde, and Uma Thurman who all wore pieces from the Serpenti collection as they brought in the year of the snake. After dinner guests sipped refreshments while DJ Mia Moretti provided a mix of lively upbeat dance tunes. Other attendees including Analeigh Tipton, Erin Fetherson, Daisy Olarte de Kanavos, Atlanta de Cadenet, Giovanna Battaglia, and Miroslava Duma also turned out to show their support of the brand.

Altuzarra & MAC Private Dinner

Saturday, February 9th at the Rose Bar in Gramercy Park Hotel, Altuzarra and MAC Cosmetics came together to host a private dinner to celebrate designer Joseph Altuzarra’s fall/winter 2013-2014 ready-to-wear collection. The cozy bar hosted the designer and friends. Among the guests were Emilia Clarke, Derek Blasberg, and Elizabeth von Guttman who all enjoyed the low key evening. Also in attendance was Cory Michael Smith, John Demsey, Melanie Huynh, Alina Cho, Philip Crangi, Lily Kwong, Vanessa Traina, and Alexia Niedzielski.