 |
| Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at party Photo: JustJared. |
On September 9, 2016 Carine Roitfeld celebrated the September “Icons” issue of Harper’s Bazaar, featuring Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on the cover, with her third annual party at the Plaza ballroom. The evening is sponsored by Infor Corp., Laura Mercier and Stella Artois. Each year this event gets bigger and more celebrity driven with an unparalleled excitement palpable in the Plaza air.
 |
| Kate Upton |
On the way there, I bumped into Thom Browne walking his dog, gleefully stating that he would not be attending the event-he is more of the quiet at home type. Missing this party which is an absolute smash-hit-best-party of the year is a monumental mistake. Tonight exceeded expectations with attendees streaming into the Plaza dressed to the nines excitedly anticipating the performance of Kanye West. There was a line of models waiting to step on the red carpet including: Kate Upton, Devon Windsor, Adriana Lima, Camila Alves, Shanina Shaik, Hailey Clauson, Cindy Bruna, Izabel Goulart, Alexandra Agoston, Kaia Gerber, Hailey Baldwin, Ashley Graham and others. The lobby looked like a Victoria’s Secret casting call. Moreover, most of these lovelies were dressed in sheer, sequined and embroidered gowns making the Academy Awards look ho-hum. Excluding the Costume Institute Gala, there is not an event in New York that attracts this kind of A-list crowd.
 |
| Lieba Nesis and male model Jordan Barrett |
Kudos to Carine Roitfeld who continues to remain relevant years after the fashion crowd wrote her off. The celebrities also came out in droves including most of the Kardashians and Jenners, Pamela Anderson, Nicola Peltz, Christina Hendricks, Victoria Justice, Jesse Metcalfe, David Copperfield and others. It was hard to absorb all the famous faces surrounding me-some from Instagram like Chiara Ferragni and Eva Chen and others from magazine covers and society columns. One person I did quickly absorb was magnificent male model Jordan Barrett. I went over to say hello and found myself shaking with nerves-something that I only experienced upon meeting Tom Cruise. Barrett is the best looking male or female I have ever laid my eyes on and his star continues to rise.
 |
| Lieba Nesis with Linda Fargo |
Other magnificent attendees included Julie Macklowe in a sparkling Gucci gown and Linda Fargo glowing in a silver and black dress with diamond earrings. Fargo is simultaneously sexy and demure while still being one of fashion’s most powerful influencers. However, it is her humble smile, kind eyes and sheer professionalism that I find the most noteworthy. The fashion on the other attendees was otherworldly making it difficult to stand out with hundreds of Balmain clad models sashaying around.
 |
| Emily Ratajkowski Selfie |
Enter Emily Ratajkowski in a barely there black dress covering just a few of her essential body parts. Clever move on Emily’s part-she ended up dominating the headlines and the photographer’s flashbulbs for the evening. When you are in a room full of Kardashians you better step up your game. Kaia Gerber, Cindy Crawford’s 15-year-old daughter, similarly and surprisingly showed up in a plunging cutout dress-a little much for her young age.
 |
| Kendall Jenner in Marchesa gown |
Then there were others who veered away from the provocative, one of those being Kate Upton whose white modest dress and svelte figure were a welcome departure from her Sports Illustrated past. Kendall Jenner also appeared in a demure Marchesa gown looking like she came from a bat mitzvah down the block. Kendall made her way to the stage to hear her brother-in-law Kanye sing a couple of his greatest hits.
Amidst all the negative headlines surrounding West I had forgotten how talented this man is-despite raising his middle finger to the audience and ranting about his recent fashion week controversy, which had models fainting in a field-he won over the crowd with his all-out performance. After his set, the crowd continued to dance and hesitated to leave this one night only event at the early midnight hour. Guests continued to congregate in the foyer not recognizing David Copperfield and Camila Alves quietly making their way to the elevator. As I entered the lobby I bumped into basketball legend Scottie Pippen who was just arriving; I wanted to let him know he had missed one of the great happenings in the city of New York-but I found myself at a loss for words.
