16 September 2025 |
Lila Moss, Georgia Fowler, Antwaun Sargent, Tyler Mitchell, Naomi Watanabe
The brand took over Indochine with a star-studded guest list.
Past the cobblestone streets of NoHo, a crowd of people dressed in all black have stood outside New York hotspot Indochine. By day it’s a sceney French-Vietnamese restaurant, but on September 12, it became the backdrop for Calvin Klein’s legendary afterparty. And that crowd of people weren’t guests, but an iron-clad wall of PR personnel armed with a coveted guest list.
Inside people had already started celebrating Veronica Leoni’s sophomore collection for the beloved American brand. Servers dressed in Calvin Klein jeans were littered across the restaurant, with trays of margaritas, moscow mules, and Ruinart champagne. Sitting and observing the room with drink in hand was Bernie Martinez Ocasio, Bad Bunny’s model brother. Meanwhile, booths housed gaggles of people in sleek outfits, shift dresses, and the obligatory pair of sunglasses as they gossiped as an endless supply of steak tartare and California rolls were passed around.
While the guests limbered up for the night ahead with cocktails, KITTYSAYWORD unleashed an amapiano remix of Rihanna’s Kiss It Better, cushioning pop hits with house classics. Slowly, a trickle of familiar faces started to make their way into the dimly lit room. Photographer Tyler Mitchell and model Bethann Hardison giggled by the entrance, while a trove of guests posed in front of the Mytheresa step and repeat. Naomi Watanabe beamed as she bopped onto the dancefloor in a silky, mint set, while NBA star Jalen Greene cozied up by the DJ booth with his girlfriend, Draya Michele.
On the other side of the room, Lila Moss posed for photos in a black dress, which resembled the dramatic cutout dress Emily Ratajkowski wore to the show earlier in the day. Nearby, attendees spilled out of the photobooth as they took turns taking selfies. As the drinks flowed, the mood lightened and the demure artifice we all arrived wearing slowly disintegrated. And this is when the dance floor slowly filled up. “I just love going to afterparties,” a Belarusian content creator quipped at me after I complimented her outfit. There’s always a stark difference between the subdued nature of a fashion show and the subsequent afterparty. And that was clear when Leoni entered the room. The designer smiled as she was greeted with warm hugs, cheers and a sea of “congratulations.”
Chriselle Lim, Doville Driziye Teller, Juergen Teller, Gaia Repossi, Chloe Wise, Darianka Sanchez, Corrado Martini, Sophia Roe
Though, it felt like the party officially started when Kid Harpoon, who had taken over the decks, played Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of my Head, a nod to the show’s soundtrack. Leoni shimmied to the intoxicating beat, while those around her clinked champagne flutes.
For many, this party is a rite of passage, a place to be seen, a story to tell, but for Leoni it was time to let her chic, silver hair down and relinquish the stress, sleepless nights, and excitement that she poured into the 2026 collection.
Call it divine timing (or an opportune craving for a dirty martini) but as I wandered to the bar, I was greeted with blinding flashes of bright white lights. The kinds of lights you only see when a superstar is in the room, and if anyone was going to (momentarily) outstage any of the famous faces crammed inside Indochine tonight, it was going to be Jung Kook. The BTS vocalist and undeniable megastar traipsed into the room, donning a long midnight blue trench coat and his unmistakable lip piercing.
The crowd, which was once cool, calm, and unassuming had gone completely feral, following the K-pop star’s every move as he settled into a corner to chat with Leoni. Their conversation, which was captured by roughly 50 phones and 4 professional cameras, lasted 10 minutes, before he stood up, took some photos, and swiftly left the building.
Despite his quick exit, the frenetic energy lingered in the air as Leoni laughed, fries and sorbet were devoured, and everyone forgot to act too cool and carelessly danced the night away.
