Remembering Zelda Kaplan
Zelda Kaplan, 95, collapsed and passed away at the beginning of Joanna Mastroianni’s NYFW show Wednesday afternoon at Lincoln Center (pictured sitting in the front row above). Mastroianni was one of Zelda’s favorite designers. She collapsed onto Ruth Finley’s lap, the woman who created the Fashion Calendar, who was sitting next to Zelda. The show was not interrupted as two men carried Zelda out of the Studio.
She was the subject of a documentary called Her Name is Zelda, which describes her evolution from a “typical suburban housewife to a beloved and eccentric creature of New York nightlife.” Zelda had been married 3 times. She was known for collecting textiles and beads from Africa to create original outfits for herself.
The Cut put together a collection of quotes from Zelda.
“I spent half my life relaxing and the other half crusading — I was a successful ballroom dancer and women’s golf pro in Miami Beach in my 20s, a doctor’s wife in New York in my 30s — and in my 60s and 70s I spent my time largely in Africa and Southeast Asia campaigning directly with local tribal government leaders for women’s and children’s rights.” [NYM]
She was known for not starting her days until after 2pm and heading out close to midnight going from one club to the next.
On a typical Wednesday night (in 2003):
“Cobalt, then Cielo. Maybe to an Israeli film about clitoridectomies first.” [NYM]
She never had to wait in line and never had issues at the door of nightclubs.
On Amy Sacco, nightlife maven and former owner of Bungalow 8:
“Amy lets me in even when there’s a private party … She’s such a nice girl.” [NYT]
After Zelda’s late nights, she would stop by a diner for some late night food before going to bed.
On her bedtime:
“Anytime between midnight and 7 a.m.” [NYM]
On keeping up her energy:
“I think one of the things that keeps me healthy is that I’m not introspective at all … The secret is being interested in things outside of oneself.” [NYM]
On aging:
”I want to be an example for young people so they aren’t afraid of growing old and a lesson to old people that you can be productive. You don’t have to sit around and wait for death.” [NYT]
“I’m a curious person. I want to keep learning until it’s over. And when it’s over, it’s over.” [NYT]
I remember seeing Zelda at NYFW shows but wish I’d had a chance to meet her. She had such an uplifting attitude about life and did not let her age prevent her from living life to the fullest. Rest in peace, Zelda.
New York Fashion Week After Parties
I’ve put together a list of some NYFW parties, but I will continue to update the list during fashion week (which begins tomorrow). Your best bet is to go to Le Baron, Red Egg, Boom Boom Room, and Electric Room as I’m sure they will be hosting after parties most nights of the week. Acme and Super Linda will be hosting NYFW dinners throughout the week. Acme is hosting private events Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday (M.A.C. event).
Wednesday:
Tonight we kick off NYFW eve with Allison Parris’ party at 1oak. Open bar 11-12. If you still want to get your name on the list, you can try to email FW12Launch@allisonparris.com. I went to her presentation+party last year; the party was very low key. With this season’s location, it may be a bit better, but 1oak never gets good until about 2am, so I’d recommend showing up late. However, if you want to talk to Allison about her new collection, get there at 11.
Interview Mag Party at New Museum.
Vice Magazine party (dog themed fashion show) at Westway.
Not really fashion related, but Wilmer Valderrama will be celebrating his birthday at Avenue tonight.
Thursday:
The Citizens Band (with Karen Elson and Sarah Sophie Flicker) is throwing a burlesque performance in Erickson Beamon’s Deca-Dance presentation at Milk Studios. After the show, Lissy Trullie, Cleo Le-Tan (designer Olympia Le-Tan’s sister), Venus XX, and Wu-Tang Clan are each doing a set for the MADE and Lexus Launch Event (10 pm).
The Kills’ Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince (a.k.a. Mr. Moss) will be performing at the Boom Boom Room.
Richard Chai’s after party at Red Egg.
Oster Media presents Leila Shams with performance by Eve at Westway.
Emily Gellis’ after party at WIP.
Q Management Party at SL (early evening event at 9pm).
Douglas Hannant’s PINK Collection after party at Stash (also at 9pm).
Joseph Abboud’s after party with Theophilus London at The Vault.
Friday:
The Ting Tings and Santigold will be putting on a show at The Box for a Glamour party.
Rebecca Minkoff’s after party with Theophilus London DJing at Darby Downstairs (9pm).
Yigal Azrouel’s after party with Chrissie Miller (Sophomore designer) DJing at Gramercy Park Hotel.
Victor de Souza’s after party with performance by Biet Simkin at The Bowery Hotel.
Charlotte Ronson after party with Samantha Ronson DJing at 1oak.
Saturday:
Actress and singer Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) will be singing during Rachel Antonoff’s presentation at Drive In Studios.
Andre Saraiva’s Love Letters opening reception at Half Gallery (6-8pm), followed by an after party at the Standard Hotel.
Altuzarra’s after party at Red Egg.
Prabal Gurung’s after party at Electric Room.
Christian Siriano’s after party at Ph-D.
Lovecat magazine and The Kills party at Dream Downtown Gallery.
Herve Leger’s after party at Ajna.
Purple magazine party at Boom Boom Room.
Ruffian after party at Essex Street Market.
Nylon Mag party at Mondrian Soho (penthouse and Mr. H).
Alexander Wang is actually throwing a small party at Le Baron.
Sunday:
DVF dinner at 8pm at Indochine.
Katie Gallagher after party at the Soho Grand Hotel club room.
Daphne Guinness party at Catch.
Timo Weiland’s after party at Electric Room.
Joy Cioci’s after party at Double Seven.
Monday:
Scott Lipps’ party with Helena Christensen and LCD Soundsystem at Electric Room.
Phillip Lim’s after party at Red Egg.
Betsey Johnson’s after party at Stone Rose Lounge.
Rachel Roy’s after party with Theophilus London at Darby Downstairs.
Marc Jacobs after party with The Kills at Pierre Hotel.
Chris Benz’s after party at Standard East.
Tuesday:
Lovecat Magazine and True Religion party 9pm-midnight (RSVP: goodtimes@madefashionweek.com) with performance by Bebe Buell at Milk Rock and Roll Basement (449 W. 14th St., enter through loading dock).
Not exactly fashion week related, but this is always a good party: 5 year anniversary celebration with Alan Cummings hosting, Spank Rock performing, and Erykah Badu doing a DJ set at The Box.
Colette party at Le Baron.
The Rapture performing at Rose Bar.
Dita Von Teese performing at the Boom Boom Room.
Bebel Gilberto will perform at Lauren Remington-Platt and Christian Cota’s party at Standard East.
Rag & Bone party with performance by Band of Horses at Ph-D.
Miu Miu party at 2 Cleveland Pl.
Wednesday:
Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin will host the annual Viva Glam party for M.A.C. at a Stage 37.
Nicola Formichetti’s party at Red Egg (maybe Lady Gaga will stop by?).
Jeremy Scott after party at Le Bain.
Proenza Schouler after party at Le Baron.
Thursday:
Nur Khan’s party with Guns N’ Roses performing at Hiro; after party at Electric Room.
L’Wren Scott after party at Gramercy Park Hotel Terrace.
Super Bowl After Party Tonight
I got this email yesterday in addition to many other “official” super bowl parties for tonight. Steve Tisch gave the rights away to 1oak for the official Giants party tonight; he will be there along with the players. As for the special surprise performance, there is a very good chance that it will be Kanye West.
Steve Tisch has a dinner reservation at Abe & Arthur’s, so before heading over to 1oak, he may go downstairs to SL where Swizz Beatz will be DJing for another Giants party, and they will also have a surprise performance (they’ve had rappers like Lil’ Jon and Fabolous in the past). Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are hosting this party, so I expect them to be at SL after dinner until around 1 or 2am when they will most likely move to 1oak.
And in case you don’t want to celebrate with the Giants, Debbie Harry of Blondie will be performing at WIP tonight at midnight (the club opens at 10pm).
1oak nyc closed until Jan. 17
I received an email yesterday from 1oak saying that they will be closed for the next 2 weeks. They will reopen on Jan. 17 with a “new look,” including new lights and sound system. I wonder how much they will change the appearance of the club—personally, I wouldn’t change anything, but I’ll post photos if they change a lot when they reopen. I don’t appreciate that they are going to be closed for my birthday (they obviously should have checked with me before making this decision!), but until then, they recommend visiting Darby Downstairs, which is smaller but you can expect a similar crowd and the same DJs.
Dining in the Dark
Dans le noir has posted sample menus (http://newyork.danslenoir.com/old-menus.en.html)
The NYC restaurant, located at 246 W. 38th St., will open on December 29. They will have a gospel live music pre-theater brunch on weekends with prices ranging from $43 to $69 (depending on how many glasses of surprise wine you drink). There are 3 dinner seatings: pre-theater, 7-8pm, and 9:30-10:30pm, depending on the day of the week (first seating is $49 without drinks and the other seatings are $57). The first glass of wine is $7, the second is $8, and the third is $6 (brunch makes more sense with $8, $7, then $6). Maybe it’s a typo on the website though. The experience in the dark room lasts about 1 1/2 hours, and there is also a bar attached to the restaurant. There are 4 surprise menus to choose from: white (no restrictions), blue (only fish, no meat, gluten free), red (only meat), and green (vegetarian). Notice the items on the sample menus, such as crocodile on the fish menu.
They have special pricing for New Year’s Eve. Students receive $5 off anytime with a valid ID. The above pricing is only for this month; prices will increase in January. There are Dans le noir restaurants in Paris, London, Barcelona, St. Petersburg, and Kiev.
Upscale Russian Karaoke in Midtown
Jelsamino, a Russian style karaoke lounge, is opening next month at the Dream Hotel (not to be confused with Dream Downtown). It is located at 210 W. 55th St. (Broadway/7th). The Ginza Group that has opened the Mari Vanna brand of Russian restaurants is behind this project. Instead of Korean karaoke places with private rooms and televisions, this bar will provide live music and professional backup singers for anyone who wants to sing karaoke in the lounge. They stress that it will be very upscale; there will also be a VIP area and a 150-seat restaurant that will serve Mediterranean food. The opening date for the bar is set for January, while the restaurant will open in March.
(Source: ny.eater.com)
NY DJ run over by a cab while sleeping in hotel room
New York D.J. Jonathan Toubin was in critical condition (now stable) after a taxi ran into his motel room yesterday morning and ran him over. A black-and-white Radio Cab had plowed through bamboo bushes and into the ground floor room that was occupied by Toubin who was in Portland, Oregon to DJ a show Thursday night at a Southeast Portland club. He was found stuck under the front of the car. The car couldn’t be backed out of the room because its back wheels were stuck on the remains of the wall. It took 4 men to lift the cab off Toubin who was semi-conscious and had been pinned under the front of the cab and against the room’s back wall. He was able to talk but completely covered in blood as he was carried into an ambulance. Apparently, the taxi driver, 52 year old Terry L. Uding, had come to the Jupiter Hotel to pick up a fare but was waved off when she arrived, so then she accelerated into the hotel room. She had low blood sugar at the scene and likely suffered a diabetic medical emergency. When police arrived on the scene, she was lying in the parking lot with a heavy comforter over her. She was taken to a local hospital and has been treated and released. Police are still investigating the crash.
Toubin is now in stable condition (as of 1am Friday morning) and is undergoing a 2nd surgery today.
Bouncer killed outside Bronx nightclub
Just before 6am this past Sunday morning, Terrance Drayton, a 26 year old bouncer at the Pit Lounge and father of two, was shot in the neck and killed by a patron who had been kicked out as a result of being involved in a fight inside the club. The gunman meant to shoot the other bouncer who had kicked him out but missed and hit Drayton instead. The club is located at 266 White Plains Rd. in the Soundview area of the Bronx and in a building owned by a retired NYPD detective, Elliot Parisi. Police are still searching for the gunman. Residents nearby say that they often hear fighting and gunshots around the club.
Updated: Popular Montauk operators take over LA and Miami spots
Ben Pundole and Ed Scheetz of King & Grove will reopen Hotel Clark (4th and Hill in downtown LA) as a new boutique hotel. Currently, they operate the popular Montauk spots Surf Lodge and Ruschmeyer’s. They will also revamp the Tides Hotel in South Beach (12th/Ocean). If you’re not aware of the Vegas scandal with Ed Scheetz in 2007, you should google it. The 40-something father of two found his 23 year old girlfriend, Michelle Hatchel, stiff and “different funny colors” in his Las Vegas apartment. During the day, prior to her death, she had called and texted friends to say she was scared and hiding in a closet after Scheetz’s ex-girlfriend showed up at the apartment. Scheetz was not accused of wrongdoing in the death of the woman even though her body held large quantities of cocaine and oxycodone. Scheetz settled a wrongful death suit with Hatchel’s father for a “substantial sum.” Scheetz escaped from Vegas and moved to NYC.
Below is the picture of the deck area at Surf Lodge.
Juliet Reopens
Juliet reopened last Friday after being closed the past 2 weeks while police investigated the recent shooting that occurred outside of the club. There have been no arrests yet.
The club is now open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner (has anyone ever eaten there?) and Thursday through Saturday normally. Their most popular nights were Sunday and Monday, so I’m curious to see if they will be able to stay open without those big nights. They may decide to start up the Sunday and Monday night parties in the future though. Juliet also promised to retrain the employees to try to make the club safer.
