Fashion Meets Football was the name of the party, and in some cases, it seemed as if it might’ve been a first meeting. “I was quizzing people on who’s playing,” reported host (and Style.com contributor) Darrell Hartman, “and one girl guessed the Idaho Indians.” No Indians this year—the only Indians in sports play baseball for Cleveland, and Idaho doesn’t have an NFL team—but a robust crowd of designers, PR types, stylists, and everyone else we’ll soon see in the NYFW bleachers crowded into Soho House last night to watch New Orleans best Indianapolis at the Super Bowl. Around the sets, a die-hard crew of actual fans—with fellow hosts Jeff Halmos and Sam Shipley front-and-center (pictured)—sat rapt and offered direction to those of us without the expertise to follow along. Vena Cava’s Lisa Mayock, for one, was well attired for the evening, in a vintage Escada blouse printed with linebackers, but confessed that her gridiron knowledge ended there. (We remembered she’s dressed the part before.) Still, the cheers were heartfelt when the underdog Saints came out on top. Not included in that final chorus: Dawson’s Creek (and, less famously but more relevantly, Varsity Blues) star James Van Der Beek, who we’ll crown the MUP for Most Unlikely Partygoer. Like the chicken wings, he’d been there, but had long since disappeared.

—Matthew Schneier

Photo: Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan

Menswear has long lived in the shadow of its more flamboyant sister, but if retail numbers are to be believed, the guys are catching up—and now they’ve got a new CFDA-approved guidebook, too. At the Ace Hotel last night, Assouline and the CFDA toasted American Fashion Menswear, a comprehensive history edited by former New York Times Magazine men’s fashion director Robert E. Bryan. The tome covers everything from early denim workwear to contemporary sportswear, though Bryan, wearing an immaculate thirties double-breasted suit, does seem to have a soft spot for the tailored stuff. “Menswear started with only suits,” he explained. “Sportswear can be great, but it bothers me today when I see this nonchalance. It’s more affected when you pretend you don’t care.”

There were plenty of designers on hand, including Phillip Lim, Jeff Halmos, Sam Shipley, and Calvin Klein’s Italo Zucchelli, who might argue that, sportswear or not, the guys care plenty. “These days, men are actually sophisticated shoppers,” said Richard Chai. “They know what they want.” And, added Rag & Bone’s David Neville, they stick around once they get it. “Men are such a different customer. If you win them, they will be committed to your entire message.”—Bee-Shyuan Chang

Photo: NEIL RASMUS/PatrickMcMullan.com

Random designer news from last night’s CFDA party at the Ace Hotel for the organization’s new Assouline-published book, American Fashion Menswear: Italo Zucchelli confirmed that, after last winter’s successful experiment, he will again be showing his Fall Calvin Klein menswear in New York in February (Milan remains his venue of choice for his Spring collections). The famously organized Zucchelli (”I learned that at Jil Sander”) has already designed the whole Fall range—so there, slackers. Rag & Bone’s Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, meanwhile, are off to London, where Liberty is holding a dinner for them on Thursday night (stay tuned for our coverage). The only downside for Neville? The die-hard Yankees fan (well, as die-hard as anyone born in the U.K. could be) would miss Game 7 of the World Series, should the Bronx Bombers fail to close tonight. And, finally, Jeff Halmos and Sam Shipley can’t get over how quickly their stuff sold out on Gilt Man, the online retailer that was a co-host of the party.
Photo: NEIL RASMUS/PatrickMcMullan.com