pyts
by
PETER DAVIS
Arty Parties W
alking down the stairs of the Whitney Museum to their annual Studio Party is like entering a loud, crowded disco, replete with music by DJ Questlove, models Jessica Stam, Lizzy Jagger and Chanel Iman (obsessed with her tattoo of a clothes hanger on the back of her neck), celebs Claire Danes and John Legend and famous artists Tom Sachs and Aurel Schmidt. “It’s the best of downtown getting down uptown,” observes Valerie Boster, one of the committee chairs. “Artists, hipsters, socials, editors: all at a museum on the
Upper East Side. Can you imagine?” Akris, a co-sponsor with AOL, dresses many of the girls, including Lisa Anastos, Annie Churchill, Dalia Oberlander, Genevieve Bahrenburg, Lydia Fenet and Annelise Peterson. Also in the crowd: Jenna Lyons, Yigal Azrouël, Charlotte Ronson, Sean Avery, Minnie Mortimer, Amanda Hearst and Stacey Bendet. Afterwards, die-hard partiers head down to The Bunker Club, a new subterranean boîte just blocks from the Boom Boom Room in the Meatpacking District. The look is bare cement and rocker-chic—the opposite of the swank club on the 18th
floor of the Standard Hotel. Martin Dawson, wearing Ray-Ban shades announces, “Hotel bars are so last year.” It’s the arty party season and Artwalk, co-chaired by Alec Baldwin, Richard Gere and Carey Lowell, is where the chicoisie arrive to see great art and be seen. The night honors artist James Rosenquist and philanthropists Al and Gail Engelberg, and benefits the Coalition for the Homeless. At the end of the huge space, showcasing a silent auction and later a live auction, is a roped off area. “The Fendi V.I.P. lounge is great,” enthuses co-chair Bettina Prentice, who is inside the velvet
John Legend
Cory Kennedy and Norman Reedus
Amanda Hearst
Alexa Win ner
Ch an el Im an Bec ka Dia mo nd
Claire Danes
Dani Stahl and J Errico
©PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM
Are museums the new discos?