Fashion week starts in less than 24 hours! If you’ve been following our coverage, you’ve probably already formulated a plan of attack for checking out this season’s shows (either straight from the tents or couch-style) and started practicing your credit-card-swiping and Champagne-guzzling skills at Fashion’s Night Out. But we all know the real action happens at the after-parties, which is why we’ve rounded up the best spots for after-hours boozing, celeb watching, and cotton candy scarfing. Be warned: These bashes aren’t technically open to the public, but if you do manage to charm your way in, we fully expect Twitpics of the Kaiser tearing up the dance floor.
What: Cocktails and dinner party for Chanel’s new Soho boutique
Where: Chanel, 98 Wooster St.
When: September 9, 7 p.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there: Who would turn down drinks with the Kaiser? Karl Lagerfeld hosts an intimate cocktail party D.J.’d by Alexa Chung, and followed by a cozy dinner.
What: Charlotte Ronson After-Party
Where: Avenue
When: September 11th, 9 p.m. to midnight
Why you’ll wish you were there: Sam Ronson mans the turntable while guests try out the new Def Jam Rapstar video game (we’re told it’s like Guitar Hero for emcees).
What: Alexander Wang After-Party
Where: Edison Parking Lot, Tenth Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets
When: September 11, 10 p.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there: Alexander Wang has a hard act to follow after last year’s Courtney Love–approved gas-station bash. And if the carnival ride and cotton candy rumors are true, then it looks like Wang is about to outdo himself.
What: Tommy Hilfiger 25th Anniversary Party
Where: The Metropolitan Opera House
When: September 12, 9 p.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there: Tommy Hilfiger celebrates his 25th year of unabashed preppiness with a special live guest performance by the Strokes.
What: Z Spoke for Zac Posen After-Party
Where: Lavo, 39 East 48th Street
When: September 12, 9:30 p.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there: Lavo doesn’t officially open until the 15th, but the megaclub is letting Zac Posen and a few thousand of his closest friends (including D.J. trio the Misshapes) break the place in.
What: Nycked Swimwear’s “Dip Into Cool” party
Where: Gansevoort Hotel
When: September 12, 11 p.m.-4 a.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there: Scores of pretty people swimming/lounging around a lit-up pool, crazy-fantastico Jules Kim, and a newly single Lorenzo Martone …
What: Ruben Toledo book launch
Where: Indochine
When: September 13, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there:Vogue editors clink glasses to celebrate the release of fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo’s new book, Fashion Almanac, which features ten years’ worth of his quirky drawings.
What: Mulberry Spring Summer 2011 party
Where: Soho House
When: September 14, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there: Dan Williams will D.J. while Mulberry creative director Emma Hill entertains Anglophilic A-listers. If it’s anything like the label’s L.A. bash this past summer, there might even be a sparkly (fake) lion sitting around.
What: Zadig & Voltaire dinner
Where: The Standard Hotel rooftop
When: September 14, 8:30 p.m.
Why you’ll wish you were there: Thierry Giller hosts an Über-intimate sit-down dinner for twenty of his nearest and dearest, including Olivier Zahm, who photographed the Kills for Zadig & Voltaire’s latest campaign.
See more in our Spring 2011 Fashion Week Preview.
