NYLON & Kate Spade Kick Off New York Fashion Week

The most masterful designers of bars and other nightlife venues know the importance of a “butt funnel,” or a tight space where guests can physically bump into one another. Proximity sparks interaction, and at the NYLON Nights Fashion Week party on Feb. 8, the conversation began flowing right at the entrance inside Kate Spade New York’s immersive floral infinity tunnel, where attendees walked through a colorful explosion of flowers in a mirrored walkway before emerging in LAVAN’s cavernous main room.

After passing through what one awed guest described as a “funhouse,” actress Stephanie Hsu, who’s the face of Kate Spade New York’s Spring 2024 campaign, took in the scene while wearing an all-yellow look by the designer consisting of an anorak over a sequined dress. “When they approached me with this concept of Kate Spade Time to Spring,” she told NYLON, “I felt so seen because no one loves flowers or springtime more than me. I just felt so excited to collaborate with them on bringing a line that was full of joy and about following pleasure.”

Meanwhile, Avantika Vandanapu of 2024’s Mean Girls said she’d already added Kate Spade New York’s frog ring and candy-colored drop earrings to her “rob list” before telling NYLON she looked forward to seeing her friend Amybeth McNulty of Stranger Things at the event. And Nikki Rodriguez, in a slouchy white paillette suit also by the label, hugged her Walter Boys co-star Ashby Gentry as he passed by.

The chummy energy — this reporter has never seen a friendlier Fashion Week party — only heightened as partygoers in all manner of office-siren attire and mega-abbreviated hemlines enjoyed cocktails from a swamped bar. Polaroid cameras were also passed around for guests to commemorate the festivities.

As DJs Coco & Breezy and Ella Balinska took the stage, what began as light bopping on the dance floor turned into all-out raging (especially when Camelphat & Elderbrook’s “Cola” came on). “The music is the best part,” one attendee shouted to his friend near the photo wall, which saw a steady stream of portable-light-toting guests, some of whom had collected enough of the long-stem roses that were being handed out that they’d fashioned bouquets.

Later, Mr Dripping presented a live drip-art activation, inspired by the rich and indulgent essence of Velveeta. As he poured orange paint from a Velveeta cup and dribbled more pigment on a canvas to form flowers and cocktail glasses, there were as many observers filming his work as those simply standing and watching.

After midnight, Becky G was hanging out in VIP, the infinity tunnel was still at capacity with selfies being snapped in every reflective surface, full-on beats were happening in the Byredo-stocked women’s toilet, and even the mood at the floral-lollipop restock station was jubilant. Outside, someone working the door asked one departing guest if she had a good time. “I’m happy,” she said, before speeding off into the night.