The Princess and the Queens

The very first shot of Oliver Hirschbiegel 's Diana, which opens in the U.S. tomorrow, doesn't feature the Princess of Wales. Rather, the frame depicts a tossed-aside Lady Dior bag—diamond quilted and instantly recognizable—providing the first of many sartorial nods to the late princess: It was Diana herself for whom the purse was named. Last night, too, there were plenty of fashion hits at the film's Cinema Society and Allure-hosted premiere in New York City. Lead actress Naomi Watts , for one, stole the red carpet in a Spring '14 Michael Kors stunner.



When pressed as to a favorite fashionable moment of Diana's, Watts replied: "The blue one-shouldered Versace dress that she wore in Sydney. It was very strong—and could still be worn today." Anna Sui 's? "That dress from when she danced with John Travolta. That was a complete 180 degrees away from her wedding—it was very sexy." Sui was referring to a velvet Victor Edelstein number, which Diana donned for a Washington, D.C., function in 1985; it would later go on to sell for $362,000 at auction.



Despite the quiet post-film mood (we all know how the story ends), moviegoers headed to David Rabin's brand-new jewel box in the clouds, The Skylark, for the premiere's after-party. "Endless Gotham!" proclaimed one reveler of the venue's jaw-dropping views. The night ended with a Halloween primer at the Maritime Hotel's Tao Downtown, where Marchesa threw a costume fete. "I was told to be extremely strict—costumes only," warned the doorman. Peter Brant II held court front and center, while Nicky Hilton partied at a table in the back, and Genevieve Bahrenburg sang along to rock anthems spun by DJ Nick Cohen. As far as getups, there was a Karl Lagerfeld and a Rodarte-clad Black Swan Natalie Portman, but, alas, no Princess Di sightings.

—Nick Remsen

Shakespeare in the Plaza

Between fashion weeks, Lincoln Center seems relatively desolate without the obligatory crush of photographers and would-be street-style stars. But last night the plaza came alive again, as paps and the smart set turned out for American Ballet Theatre's season kickoff gala. The annual bash (sponsored this year by Clinique and Badgley Mischka) offers ballet-goers a chance to sample the company's offerings in a condensed program. Though Balanchine and two world premieres made for a weighty bill, it was the debut of Alexei Ratmansky's The Tempest that was on the lips of everyone from Bebe Neuwirth and Sigourney Weaver to James Lipton, who reminisced about his own ballet studies.



Others were happy just to be there, no matter what the material, like Jessica Stam , who was preparing to jet off to China the next day, and Elettra Wiedemann , who confessed, "I love getting the Cliffs Notes version of a bunch of different ballets, and then I feel like I've done my cultural outing for a while!" Michelle Ochs was on hand with ABT soloist Isabella Boylston, one of the company's many dancers that Cushnie et Ochs has dressed over the past four years. As to how Ochs attributes the partnership's longevity? "What better way to showcase your clothes? It's unreal! If anyone can wear off-the-runway samples…"



Post-performance, guests retired upstairs for dinner and dancing (with tunes courtesy of DJ "Mad Marg" Gubelmann). The hall was decked out in on-theme finery, with columns transformed into whirling cyclones. Guests compared notes on the performance over something called Tempest antipasti. ;"



Alan Cumming , who dubbed his attire for the evening "dandyish," showed off his own dancing shoes (Louboutin) and an appropriately Shakespearean shirt with built-in cravat, the designer of which failed him, though he gamely offered up his collar for further inspection—as well as his thoughts on the evening: "I like seeing nubile bodies jumping around onstage." And who could blame him?

—Kristin Anderson

Board Meeting

Never ones to shy away from a splashy themed affair, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon hosted a dinner for their new Kenzo Kalifornia bag at The Berrics skate park in downtown Los Angeles last night. The just-launched design, equal parts Parisian heritage and West Coast cool, is a reference to the designers' adolescence among skate culture. Co-hosts China Chow and Rashida Jones arrived with artist Alex Israel and stylist Brad Goreski , respectively. And the dinner, prepared by chef Nina Clemente of Root of All Food, brought out the likes of Fergie , Jenny Lewis , Rose McGowan , Miranda July , and Jessica Alba . One and all were impressed by the coordinated and choreographed skate sets that took place throughout the indoor park—and down the dinner table. "For thirty-some odd years I've been trying to skate," Leon told Style.com. "I didn't skate as a kid, but I always did try."

—Alexis Brunswick

Give 'Em the Slip

—Brittany Adams

Little Italy

It was Sicily in Soho last night, with Dolce & Gabbana underwriting the 19th annual Artwalk NY soirée, benefiting the Coalition for the Homeless. A transformed Mercer Street space—cavernous, hot, chock-full of glittering donated art that could be had for a steal if you got lucky—saw a lot of the Italian label's ornate frocks. "It's a little heavy," said Hilary Rhoda of her bejeweled sanguine shift, "but it's just so fun to wear." Pretty fashion things aside, the party raised a huge amount of money for the coalition, a particularly resonant cause given the anniversary of a certain superstorm. Mid-evening, Bettina Prentice giddily let on, "You guys, we're almost at a million dollars!"



"It's such a great organization, such an important thing to support, and it's especially poignant considering today marks one year since Sandy," said the evening's artist honoree Roxy Paine . Famed for his dendroid sculptures (you might remember his installation atop the Met a few summers back), Paine donated an "overlay fungus drawing" to the live auction, which also included submissions from Chuck Close , Ed Ruscha, and Jenny Holzer. Dolce & Gabbana T-shirts printed with portraits taken on-site by artist Jessica Craig-Martin could be had for $350. Looking around, Rhoda remarked, "This is a really nice party, but out there, there's a real problem. I would encourage people to go out on the vans, deliver food, and get involved. People have to be sure to go full circle."

—Nick Remsen

Rank and Style

Food Fright

"You don't really feel like an American unless you've had one good Halloween party," explained Jason Wu from the entrance of Mister H, the site of Emerson and The Byrne Notice's packed-to-capacity (and delightfully unrestrained) Halloween bash. "I'm going to Europe tomorrow, so this is my only Halloween thing."



The party, themed "A Sick Halloween" (guests were encouraged to dress up as "Food Fright," i.e., "anything food-related, freaky, or gross"), was a smoky, boozy affair, complete with free-flowing Champagne and more than a few Heinz-inspired revelers moving to the beat of Harley Viera-Newton 's mix of classic and nineties hits. Derek Blasberg , Zachary Quinto, Andrew Bevan, and Atlanta de Cadenet co-hosted the gathering, and downtown staples Chelsea Leyland and May Kwok pitched in on the decks.



For many, it was the night to let loose—"I'm having fun, no work tonight," grinned Alexa Chung from the dance floor, with a hot pink-maned Joan Smalls and pirate Martha Hunt in view. Others saw the Sick Halloween as just the beginning. "I didn't want to go crazy with the makeup or the hair because it's only the weekend!" exclaimed Bryan Grey Yambao , in a Prada Spring ’14 headdress and en route to Susanne Bartsch's Buddakan-hosted fête with Wu. "I'm going to dress up like Anna Wintour for Heidi Klum's party."

—Ashley Simpson