Where to dine, drink and dance this NYFW
It’s almost that time of year again when stoic fashion publicists, clad in all black and clutching iPads, guard the door to invite-only, celebrity-studded parties hosted at New York City’s chicest drinking destinations. Yes, New York Fashion Week is just around the corner. But if waiting in chaotically crammed lines alongside micro-influencers sounds like your worst nightmare, don’t lose it! In other words, you’ll find the fashion crowd at these swanky spots (below) at any time of year. From a gilded speakeasy that serves caviar and craft cocktails to a wild basement club where fashion designers, models, influencers, and the like let down their hair on the glittering vodka-drenched dancefloor, keep reading for our favorite fashiony spots in town.
Look for a graffitied door on Rivington Street to find Tigre, the ceaselessly buzzy candlelit cocktail den from the team behind Williamsburg’s beloved oyster and cocktail bar, Maison Premiere. Inside the swanky James Bond-esque space, outfitted with gold walls, mirrored ceilings, and retro artwork, expect downtown fashion world types sipping cocktails at the eight-person U-shaped bar and plush banquettes adorned with tiger embroidery. How are the drinks? You can’t go wrong sticking with the classics, like Tigre’s Cosmopolitan (vodka, cranberry citrus, curacao) or their Screwdriver (Haitian orange, citrate). But if you really want to feel glam, go for the big-on-TikTok, addictively delicious Cigarette Martini, made with Truman vodka, Cap Corse Quina, and a smoky spirit with a juniper base from Empirical Spirits.
105 Rivington St; T. (646) 951-2780
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This NoHo hotspot with a celebrity-studded, disco ball-lit subterranean nightclub has been the place to be for cocktail-loving downtown denizens who look like Euphoria extras since it swung its doors less than a year ago. Dreamt up by industry veterans Max Chodorow, Ashwin Deshmukh, and Bernardo Metsch, the glamorous boîte has hosted Fashion Week parties for the likes of Eckhaus Latta, Willy Chavarria, and more. Upstairs, there’s an ornately bedecked, palatial dining room where designer-clad patrons sip martinis and nibble on lobster rolls under skylights. Once you’re ready for some late-night revelry in a red-light-soaked, beautiful people-packed drinking den, carefully make your way downstairs.
415 Lafayette St
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There’s no place like the Club Room, the beloved, ever-lively, gilded hidden gem frequented by stylish downtown creatives, celebrity visitors, and those who want to be surrounded by them. Curtained off inside the iconic Soho Grand Hotel, this people-watching haven and decadent drinking den evokes an old New York opulent speakeasy, but without the cigarette smoke. Think: lavish Art Deco furnishings with Terry O’Neill’s massive portraits and hand-painted peacocks dotting the walls. Expect: Effortlessly cool guests enjoying caviar and craft cocktails served in exquisite glassware amid live jazz performances and late-night DJ sets. Plus, endless VIP vibes.
310 W Broadway; (212) 965-3588
Enjoy perfectly executed dirty martinis with housemade blue cheese olives and the occasional A-Lister sighting at The Mulberry Bar, the subterranean, high-style hideaway tucked away on, you guessed it right, Mulberry Street. Sophisticated and sceney with moody lighting and a small dancefloor, this watering hole is always the place to see and be seen. Take, for instance, their glamorous opening night party, which featured star-studded appearances from Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Alexander Skarsgård. In short, if you receive an invitation for a Fashion Week fête taking place at The Mulberry, then we absolutely recommend RSVPing “yes”—and coming impeccably dressed.
240 Mulberry St, New York, NY
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Everyone’s still talking about Silencio New York, the stateside location of the uber-chic David Lynch-designed Parisian nightclub that opened back in 2011. And for good reason! Silencio New York opened with a bang in early 2024, already playing host to many a Fashion Week party and swanky invite-only bash with famous attendees including everyone from Cardi B and Dua Lipa to Riccardo Tisci and Tilda Swinton. Situated in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the atmospheric and velvet-upholstered, very red watering hole’s design pays homage to both Silencio Paris and Studio 54 and overflows with an intoxicating vibe that makes every night here feel like a glamorous Fashion Week party.
303 W 57th St; T. (646) 628-3907
WORDS Alex Catarinella
FEATURED IMAGE tigrenyc.com