Tuesday Night With American Eagle Flagship Opening And The MoMA With Tim Burton

Lights, camera, ACTION…!!!  It’s great having a car in New York, except when heading to Times Square (don’t you like those little café tables in the middle of the street there?). I decided to scrap my wheels and head for the B train next to my apartment. Surrounded by 9 to 5’ers heading home, my night was just beginning.  I approached 46^th and Broadway reluctantly as I awaited for my confirmation for the night’s main event, American Eagle Outfitters Times Square Flagship Store Grand Opening Party (try saying that five times in a row), either way I had to be there for vanity’s sake.  As I approached, I couldn’t believe my eyes, live telecasting of the red carpet on the 50-by-60-foot mega monitor on the side of the store.  Making a splash was not a problem, full of Time Square on lookers, hundreds of people gathered around to see celebrities and the flashing cameras.

Pushing my way through tourists from Idaho, what sounded like Germany and a few stragglers from Brooklyn, I saw my main man Pavan Pardasani, Director of Marketing for EMM Group, who helped put the event together.  It was like the splitting of the Red Sea thanks to him pointing me out.  The barriers were open and I was inside.  Quickly making my way to the bar, I noticed a room overly filled with beautiful people.  On the 2^nd floor I began chatting up a lovely girl.  After 10 minutes, I decided to ask her the New York question, “so what do you do for work? Are you in fashion?” Her answer, “Well Ricardo, I’m Miss USA (Kristen Dalton).”  Wow, I really stepped my foot in that one, especially after telling her she looked like my friend from Munich except for the Southern accent.  But she was cool.  She wasn’t wearing American Eagle at the time, but mentioned her wardrobe did have a few pieces.

I went on to design and collect the complimentary sweatshirt they were handing out.  When someone cut me off.  Ok, didn’t really cut me off but because it was Adrian Grenier and everything stopped for him, including my sweatshirt…!!!!  Trotting my way back down to the stage area, Leighton Meester was rocking the crowd.  I lost my colleague, Sara Eriksson, from Absolut Vodka (vodka sponsors of the evening), but kept snapping my camera phone away.

The fête was ending soon and I had to be at the MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) to cover their Second Annual Film Benefit Honoring Tim Burton. Who did I almost spill my vodka tonic on, Johnny Depp?  Wow, meeting him for the first time was almost as embarrassing as meeting Miss USA.  What a transition of crowds from downtown cool at American Eagle to uptown chic at the MoMA.  However, the vodka went from Absolut to Kettle One so I was happy (sorry Miss Eriksson).  I noticed a few lovely ladies wearing Burberry (I had to ask, I’m writing for a fashion magazine right?) and gentlemen in discounted designer suits (okay, so I wore James Perse, but I’m a downtown man).

The evening was drawing to a close and the celebrities were being whisked away with their entourage of security, their agents, publicists, assistant publicists, assistant to the assistant, well you get the idea….finally out the doors and into their black suburbans for the remaining paparazzi to photograph before driving away.  Lights on, party over and it was time to head home.  Not a bad Tuesday evening, considering it started out on the B train….

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