Things weren’t exactly going to plan at last night’s post-screening dinner at the Plaza Athénée for Woody Allen’s newest film, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” about two American women sowing some wild oats in the Spanish city. Since neither the director, Vicky (Rebecca Hall), or Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) were in attendance, all the responsibility fell on the delicate yet robust shoulders of one Penélope Cruz, another of the film’s stars. There were seating issues—Eddie Vedder was late but heaven forbid anyone meander near his empty table, Russell Simmons arrived with six friends—and when one guest asked for a Diet Coke instead of the sponsored sherry to go with her dinner, the waiter’s response was a curt “Give me your credit card immediately” (the tally to keep the DC flowing for the guest and some pals at dinner came to three figures). But then in walked the sultry “Pené”—pronounced like the noodle, which is apparently one way Ms. Cruz’s friends refer to her. “I would pay for all the Diet Coke in the world to sit next to her,” a guest sighed. (That honor went to Harvey Weinstein and to the man Weinstein called his hero earlier in the evening, Javier Bardem.) Cruz sauntered in wearing a black cocktail dress and a blazer, having politely declined the many gowns she was offered. “I’m too tired,” she told Tara Subkoff. “This is my third day of press, and I could just not do a big dress.” As the plates and empty bottles of expensive soda were cleared away (you don’t want to know what wine cost a dinner guest), however, things slowly got back to normal. Vedder and Bardem doodled on postcards together; Russell Simmons began an animated conversation with Ann Dexter-Jones and Lola Schnabel, both of whom put on their favorite red frocks for the night; Anthony Kiedis and Cruz shared a table and talked about summer plans. Open bar or not, all was well in celebrity-ville by 1 a.m.—Derek Blasberg

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

A photo, as they say, is worth a thousand words. Give or take: There have been at least a million words wasted on that Miley Cyrus snap in the current Vanity Fair, and about all those camera phone shots of your weekend in Tijuana, well, the less said the better. At any rate, there will be plenty to talk about, and deservedly so, at the first edition of the New York Photo Festival, which kicks off today in DUMBO. Spearheaded by powerHouse Books impresario Daniel Power and VII Photo Agency’s Frank Evers, the festival comprises four curated pavilions and a host of satellite gallery exhibitions, and will also feature interactive photo fun along the lines of seminars, book signings, and workshops. The aim, according to organizers, is to give New York City—long a breeding ground for great photography—a photo festival worthy of the town, one that can eventually rival the annual standard-bearing one in Arles. About 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the inaugural event, which continues through the weekend. For more information, go to www.nyphotofestival.com.—Maya Singer

Photo: Catherine Lutes

In just a few hours, Chanel will unveil its Resort collection at Miami’s Raleigh hotel, and we’ll know if Lady Amanda Harlech is wearing recently acquired vintage. Lagerfeld’s muse was spotted this afternoon looking for black dresses in North Miami Beach at C. Madeleine’s, a 10,000-square-foot store founded by ten years ago by Madeleine Kirsh, which bills itself as “one of the fashion wonders of the world.” (And it is—it’s going to take a miracle to pay off the bill I ran up after spending several hours there this afternoon.) The clothes are organized in vignettes: there’s a high-end designer section; one for Sinatra-era beaded evening dresses; and options for brides, bohemians, and those nostalgic for the eighties. A cloth tent transforms one part of the store into a kind of exotic souk, where you might find curled-toe Indian slippers, paisley throws—or Kirsh practicing yoga. “Did I tell you that I’m here 24/7?!” she asked. For more information on C. Madeleine’s, see www.cmadeleines.com.—Laird Borrelli-Persson

Synthetic hair hats have long been associated with the acclaimed Japanese art director Nagi Noda, who’s featured them in ads and music videos for clients such as Nike and Coca-Cola. Now Noda is adding animals to the mix. She and colleagues Asami Nemoto and Shinji Konishi have created 15 unique headpieces inspired by creatures such as rabbits, poodles, owls, and elephants (above) for an exhibition that wraps up in Tokyo next week. The creations will also be making appearances in Björk’s upcoming U.K. tour, as well as in the windows at Colette in September. Moving over to this side of the Atlantic, Noda tells us she’s looking for an American stockist (which we don’t think should be too hard to find), and she’d like to see one of the pieces on an American actress—Winona Ryder, to be precise (that one may take a little more work). For more information, see www.uchu-country.com.—Linlee Allen

Photo: Courtesy of Noda

Looking to add some more heads of state to your buddy list? Just friend Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao the next time you’re on Facebook and hope he accepts. Sharon Stone, who had a few choice words to say about China’s recent earthquake, is probably not one of the 12,500-plus in Jiabao’s entourage. Michael Bloomberg’s new friend Nathan Lane may have gotten the mayor a role on Broadway, which, if he accepts, means he might have to go up against the musical version of “Ugly Betty” in a bid for best worst idea. Speaking of friends, trustworthy Michael Lohan says what everyone’s been thinking about Lindsay and gal pal Sam’s close relationship. Whatever the connection, at least Samlo are friends in real life, unlike the “Sex and the City” fan who dropped over 20 grand to hang out with her television friends, only to find out it was scam. Which got us to thinking: Isn’t the most significant relationship of all the one you have with yourself? Yeah, that’s we thought.—Alison Baenen

At the “Sex and the City” premiere in New York–in case you somehow missed it, it was last night—Style File asked, “What’s your favorite ‘Sex and the City’ episode?”

Candace Bushnell: “I always loved the pilot. It was directed by Susan Seidelman, who did ‘Desperately Seeking Susan.’ It was just so interesting and fabulous. No one had ever seen anything like it before.”

Fergie: “I loved every time Carrie broke up with Big. I wasn’t on Team Mr. Big. I just wouldn’t want to be treated that way. Single girls should play hard to get. It might seem from my songs that I don’t, but I’m more old-fashioned than I come across.”

Kathryn Neale Shaffer: “I don’t know why, but my favorite one was when Carrie told Aidan she wouldn’t marry him outside the fountain. That was the Carrie that I fell in love with, the girl who didn’t get married.”

Andrew Saffir: “The one where Carrie was in a fashion show and went splat on the runway. I just loved the way she bounces up and with her spunk and resilience perseveres and makes it through the rest of the show.”—Evelyn Crowley

Photo: JIMI CELESTE/PatrickMcMullan.com

Are after-parties passe? Swarovski, for one, is going all-out with a CFDA Awards pre-event bash on Sunday evening at Norwood House for this year’s nominees and honorees, each of whom will be presented with one very special party favor—an original artwork by Tobie Giddio (who, with her fiancé, Peter Belsky, is also contributing a video that will debut the same night). Just don’t call Giddio’s work—that’s her interpretation of Dries Van Noten, above—fashion illustrations. “These artworks represent the essence of the clothing, its shapes and lines—they’re abstractions that have nothing to do with selling anything,” says the New York-based artist. “I wanted purely to capture the inspiration and beauty of the clothing.”—Laird Borrelli-Persson

Illustration: Courtesy of Tobie Giddio

“It’s a hard night to compete,” joked Laura Freedman from the courtyard of the Brentwood Country Mart last night as the one-year anniversary celebration for her jewelry store, Broken English, went head to head with the Chanel opening across town. Brooke Shields and Gregory Parkinson made appearances, joining guests for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and the premiere of a short film entitled “Parmi Les Vivants” (”Among the Living”), screened on vintage television sets. “It’s an embodiment of youth culture,” explained Freedman, who co-produced the Godard-inspired tale of four bandits who break into a jewelry store. Not that anything like that happened last night—rather than grabbing anything from the window, departing guests, bags of take-home cookies in hand, politely inquired as to prices. “That one is about $14,000,” responded Freedman to a query about a gold and opal cuff.—Linlee Allen

Photo: Linlee Allen

The point at which Dutch avant-gardism meets Italian modernism is indeed bright one. And it can come together surprisingly quickly—Jan Habraken and Sergio Mannino’s retro table lamp, vaguely reminiscent of a roadway makeup table, was designed only four weeks prior to New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair last month. The two prototypes of the lamp, one in brushed aluminum and one in white, use three arm-glowing incandescent lightbulbs, not the potentially toxic old-fashioned fluorescent kind. Another bright idea.

—Karen Bookatz

Photo: Courtesy of Jan Habraken and Sergio Mannino

As the London media hyped up the credit crunch recently, one of the first retail victims, they claimed, would be lingerie stores—after all, frilly undies for select eyes only are considered as expendable as his ‘n’ her Bentleys and a membership to Soho House. Which could be why Myla, the molto-expensive lingerie company, has diversified its portfolio by adding a swimwear range. Cleary inspired by fifties glamour, the sweet gingham and striped bikinis and draped one-pieces are flying off the shelves at the line’s Notting Hill shop (word has it that both Madonna and the Olsen twins are fans), while the racks of lingerie look untouched in comparison.—Afsun Qureshi

Photo: Courtesy of Myla