A Timeline Of The Most Popular Fashion Venues

Opening a venue in New York — and seeing it last — requires the right location, the right vibe, and, most importantly, the right people. That last criterion often includes the fashion crowd, whose mercurial tastes help determine if a place will be a flash in the sartorial pan or become a true fixture. Below, we’ve charted a course through the clubs, restaurants, and bars that define New York nightlife for the fashion set, from the rise of the clubstaurant in the ’80s to today’s most in-demand clubs and rooftops.

1980s: Indochine

The French-Vietnamese restaurant was quickly adopted by Warhol, Basquiat, and company upon its opening in 1984 due to its relaxed atmosphere and the discerning eye of restaurateur Jean-Marc Houmard, who’s still largely responsible for curating the art and fashion clientele. Fashion designer and Indochine regular Anna Sui has hosted runway shows at the restaurant, where, “on any given night, you will see who’s who of now, a blast from the past, and someone that just looks great,” she tells NYLON. CT Hedden — a longtime Indochine host who’s seen stars like Victoria Beckham and Tom Ford to its dimly lit leather booths — says the night he persuaded Susan Sarandon to join him for a drink after a runway show stands out as an example of the place’s magical spontaneity. “Little did I know, everyone else in the city had that same idea,” he says, “and the entire night turned into an unofficial NYFW afterparty. We stayed until 4 a.m.”

1990s: BBar

Beige, the see-and-be-seen fashion party of the ’90s, took place at the unassuming former gas station on Bowery and East Fourth Street formerly called Bowery Bar and Grill. BBar, as it was later known, was the place where Amanda Lepore, Sophia Lamar, and Jocelyn Wildenstein brushed shoulders with Boy George, Patti LaBelle, and Parker Posey until its demise in 2011. In 2015, Gucci attempted to reinstate the Beige days with a party, but only time will tell if the world is ready for a full-blown redux.

2000s: Mr Chow

Since its opening in 1979, the 57th Street location has set the scene for Mac parties and Frame dinners, but it also functions as a family- and business-friendly watering hole for the city’s most stylish. Jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher regularly takes editors for martinis in the dark glass-and-wood dining room. “Mr Chow is like my Cheers — everyone knows my order and my kids’ names,” Fisher tells NYLON. “I met Hailey Bieber there for the first time at dinner. The music is perfect, it’s always a scene, and there’s never a night without an actor, athlete, or someone from the fashion world dining there. It’s just the New York restaurant for me.”

2000s: The Rooftop at the Gramercy Park Hotel

The Gramercy Park Hotel was the East Side’s answer to the Chelsea Hotel. After its reopening in the late aughts, the fashion power players took to its rooftop, with pre-Fashion Week cocktails, movie-premiere afterparties, postrunway hangouts, and book launches attended by Rachel Zoe, Olivia Palermo, the Olsen twins, and Sarah Jessica Parker. While it’s still shuttered, there is talk of the hotel returning to its former glory just in time for its 100th anniversary in 2025.

2010s: Boom

In a very fashion-y move, The Boom Boom Room got swept up in the Ozempic craze and recently shortened its name. But don’t let the brevity fool you: It’s a venue with endless stories to tell. The VIP lounge with its infamous white couches has seen Madonna, FKA Twigs, Sam Smith — and essentially anyone of note who’s shuffled up the elevator of The Standard. Designers like Christopher John Rogers, Willy Chavarria, and Dion Lee have thrown afterparties there, with Lee bringing out Azealia Banks to spit bars atop the circular center bar in 2023. Madonna’s appearance at the 2021 Pride party even caused a melee at the door (I spotted a Saturday Night Live cast member desperately fighting for recognition) and even more chaos inside, with crowds so dense that guests gave up on trying to make it to the bathroom and relieved themselves in empty cups. You know a place is worthwhile when you won’t leave, even when you need to break the seal.

2010s: China Chalet

An unassuming Chinese restaurant up several flights of creaky stairs in the Financial District became a destination for the raunchiest kind of partying the city was so desperately in need of. Club Glam, started by DeSe Escobar, became a fixture at the institution, bringing together disparate crowds in the cigarette-smoke-filled joint. Then, Dame Pat McGrath hosted her Vogue Ball there in September 2017, and the city’s club kids turned it out for Hailey Bieber, Cardi B, Tinashe, Paloma Elsesser, and countless more. Publicist Clara Spahr tells NYLON she even spotted Pamela Anderson and Lepore dancing the night away like “old-school besties” — and Naomi Campbell pulling up at 2 a.m. “At a great fashion party,” she says, “the celebs are just as excited to be there as everyone else.”

Early 2020s: The Flower Shop

After opening in 2017, the all-day bistro that turns into a basement party/pub after hours became a go-to location for fashion parties where attendees can let their hair down. In 2021, publicist and party expert Savannah Engel coordinated a Frame and Unemployed throwdown that she tells NYLON “was the BEST NIGHT” (emphasis hers). “It was a lot of people’s first time going out after COVID, and the city felt alive again,” she says. Alex Consani then had her 21st birthday party there in July 2024, and Self-Portrait, Apparis, and Bella Hadid’s Orebella have all booked the low-key spot where Evan Mock can regularly be seen enjoying a burger after 10 p.m.

2020s: The Nines

Jon Neidich — the brains behind Euro-lite endeavors Le Dive and Deux Chats — opened this supper/jazz club in 2022. It was an instant hit with Veronica Beard, The Attico, and Tommy Hilfiger, plus Bella Hadid, Bradley Cooper, and other A-list downtown residents. Outside of these glitzier events, The Nines’ velvet interiors are also the backdrop of choice for many fashion publicists — because where else can you whisper secrets over the dirtiest martinis, crispiest fries, and live piano trills?

2023: Nine Orchard Rooftop

This luxury hotel has notably become a mainstay for out-of-town fashion people in need of a homebase below 14th Street. Since its opening roughly 18 months ago, the expansive rooftop has seen a Marc Jacobs event, a Givenchy cocktail, many press appointments, and dinners that take advantage of the skyline in front of which guests like Zendaya, The Dare, and the cast of Industry can dutifully pose.

2024: Jean’s

Despite being the baby of the bunch, the 1-year-old fashion hot spot has a lot to show for it. Down the street from Indochine, a grand dining room and a swanky red basement await guests like Chavarria, who celebrated his CFDA Award win with Byredo there, plus corner booths full of publicists and editors. In September, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s Sweat tour afterparty took over the entire place, where EmRata, Lorde, and Addison Rae danced until the wee hours of the morning. I was denied entry, but my friends made it in — and barely lived to tell the tale.