Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti Spring/Summer 2009

Last week, following two painful hours watching the new "90210," I vowed only to sacrifice brain cells on Tuesday evenings for worthwhile ends. Hence my decision to attend the Spring/ Summer 2009 Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti presentation last night at Eyebeam. What, you might ask, constitutes a fashion "presentation" versus a "show"? From what I could tell, the difference is that guests were ushered into an area with standing room only, as opposed to being seated in rows. The setup was beneficial insofar as it allowed me to poach glass after glass of white margaritas, and tasty hors d'oeuvres from the wait staff, but it made it difficult to see the full-length silhouettes of the models. But being appropriately buzzed by the time the nubile nymphettes began their parade, I didn't really care. Between sips, what I did see were a lot of flowy garments in a pretty palatte of purple, olive green and muted earth tones. I was also able to identify a few of the other attendees, including Alberta and Massimo Ferretti, Teen Vogue's Amy Astley, and Zelda Williams, aspiring actress and daughter of Robin. For more fashion related news, check out our shopping guide.

It was quite the scene at the grand opening party for Country Club (formerly Dirty Disco) on Saturday night, which doubled as a birthday party for Gym Class Heroes' musician Travis McCoy. The event drew the likes of Katy Perry (who also happens to be McCoy's girlfriend), up-and-coming rapper Shwayze and his musical collaborator, Cisco Adler, and Simon Rex (aka Dirt Nasty), of MTV / Dyslexic Speedreaders fame--who, it should be noted, is also a co-owner of The Plumm right next door. Country Club's owner, actor Will DeMeo, was also there, and I could have sworn I was on line for the bathroom next to his "Sopranos" co-star Joe Gannascoli (the guy who played Vito Spatafore). The only person who was missing was in fact Travis himself, who was supposedly under the weather.

But the crowd didn't seem to care whose birthday party it was, especially when Shwayze and Adler--best known for his band Whitestarr (which he left earlier this year), his now-defunct relationship with actress Mischa Barton, and his infamous naked photo debacle of 2007)--each grabbed a mic and treated the crowd to an impromptu live performance,  eventually joined by Dirt Nasty. While the rest of the VIPs held down the fort in the elevated stage area, Katy Perry, decked out in one of her signature two-piece jumpers, slipped in quietly and chilled by the DJ booth for most of the evening.

The media was out in full effect, with editors from the "New York Post," "In Style" magazine and other major publications all in attendance (and more than happy to sip on the complimentary bottle of vodka supplied by our hosts). As club launches go, this one was a success. There was no unbearable crowding, no wait for drinks, no skeevy B&T patrons ... no problems of any kind, really. Or at least none while I was there, until around 2am, at which point I realized I was dangerously close to blacking out and headed home.

Will Country Club manage to stay alive though its predecessor failed? We'll have to wait and see. But so far, it seems to be off to a good start.

This week we review Chelsea's Bar Baresco, yet another spot to hop on the wine bar bandwagon. No big surprises here, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a visit.

Hits: The gleaming high-tech cruvinet (a wine preservation system) behind the bar keeps uncorked bottles fresh, allowing by-the-glass drinkers an opportunity to explore higher-end wines without shelling out the extra cash for a bottle.

Misses: With less than expert advise like, "the older one is probably better," some of the waitstaff could use more wine training, the lack of which only compounds the difficulty of trying to navigate the menu's tiny font in the dimly lit room.

Read our full editorial review of Bar Baresco, then peruse other New & Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you hammered).

Good Night Mr. Lewis is reporting that rooftop lounge at the shuttered Chelsea club Bed might be re-opening--just in time for the "SATC" movie premiere (Carrie & Co. gave the club a big boost when they visited in an episode of the TV show).

Mark Baker and the Mansion crew have joined forces with the Pink Elephant crew, Alex Martini, Yura and a host of others to get Bed's rooftop reopened for the upcoming season ... The space, formerly known as Bed Rooftop, will be named something along the lines of Sky Garden.

GNML is promising an update on the blog within 30 minutes ... stay tuned.