Michael Kors Kicks Off NYFW With an Upper East Side Singalong Soirée

If you’re going to make a meal out of landing on the Upper East Side, why not finish it off with a nightcap at Bemelman’s? Following a cocktail reception to toast to his new Madison Avenue flagship boutique, Michael Kors kept the party going for a little longer over on East 76th Street at his favorite watering hole.

While you never know who you’ll see at the legendary spot inside The Carlyle Hotel—aside from resident piano player Earl Rose and head bartender Luis Serrano—the scenes taking place against the backdrop of those famed illustrated gold walls were even more eye-popping than usual. “It had to be here,” the designer told Vogue. “I’ve had more celebratory moments at this hotel than anywhere. I started sneaking in here when I was 17 to see Bobby Short. We had our 30th anniversary party here, and our very first store was directly across the street. It’s New York at its best!”

When it came to the guestlist, Kors, a Broadway fanatic, was sure to call up Nicole Scherzinger, who’s currently treading the boards as Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, to join in the fun. “I’ve seen it three times,” he said of the play. “That’ll tell you how much I love it.”

Speaking of names whose recent performances have been abuzz in the theater world, actress Katie Holmes, who just wrapped up her run in Our Town, was greeted with open arms by Kors and Juliana Margulies as she entered the room. “Michael is so talented and his designs are incredible, but the thing that always impresses me the most is how he supports the arts, his work as a philanthropist, and how he contributes to the culture of New York,” she praised.

Holmes, fresh from a whistlestop trip to Paris during men’s fashion week, was happy to be back on home turf. In particular, she was relishing the chance to catch up with her former co-star Alan Cumming (the pair hit it off after meeting on the set of the film Rare Objects a few years back.) As word spread that Cumming was going to perform a few songs for the crowd, Holmes laughed that she’d never dared sing with her friend if given the opportunity at karaoke or a late-night party: “I know better…I could be his backup dancer, though.”