Philipp Plein Vows to “Make NYFW Great Again,” Succeeds at Doing it His Way
Who is Philipp Plein? He’s the over-the-top designer who stacked his front row and runway with celebrities like Madonna, Kylie Jenner and Desiigner to make his New York Fashion Week debut.
“New York Fashion Week is really bad, and used to be so glamorous and exciting!” tweeted Donald Trump back in 2013. “No stars, no fun-just boring. They need serious help.”
Philipp Plein, the German designer making his New York Fashion Week debut after years of putting on spectacles in Milan, seemed to agree. Indeed, the front cover of a booklet left on every seat read, “Let’s make NYFW great again,” a phrase that was an obvious reference to Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” To underline the point, one of Plein’s front row seats would later be occupied by none other Tiffany Trump herself, making her second appearance during fashion week again trailed by a clown car of acolytes like Andrew Warren and Secret Service agents. (She would later turn up in similar fashion at Dennis basso on Tuesday afternoon.)
Not to suggest that the night was some sort of calculated homage to all things Trump (it was too busy being an homage to all things Plein), but the show and resulting after parties (yes, plural) did everything they could to exude a sense of over-the-top decadence, and that was before guests stepped inside the New York Public Library. On the steps, arrivals were by a row of women dressed as the Statue of Liberty, a trio of Elvis impersonators, and Times Square’s “Naked Cowboy” in a pair of white Philipp Plein briefs that were noticeably smaller than his regular attire. It was the first sign this would not be your average NYFW show.
Meanwhile, inside, Trump was joined in the front row by Madonna, Kylie Jenner, Paris Hilton, and a who’s who of hip hop legends, including Fat Joe, Slick Rick, and Remy Ma. Then, on the runway, Desiigner, Pete Wentz, and Young Thug all walked alongside notable models and even a notable meme in Jeremy “The Hot Felon” Meeks. Nas, The Kills and 2 Live Crew performed.
Philipp Plein Fall 2017: Madonna, Kylie Jenner and The “Hot Felon” Help To Make NYFW “Great” Again
Madonna showed up in one of the coats that would later make its official debut on the runway at the Philipp Plein fashion show.
“The Hot Felon” model Jeremy Meeks wore a shirt on the runway, but didn’t feel the need to be encumbered backstage.
Philipp Plein, a man whose fashion shows are all about optics, gives interviews at his New York Fashion Week debut.
Coco Rocha, decked out in some serious chains, attend the Philipp Plein show held at the New York Public Library.
Carine Roitfeld, Tyga, Kylie Jenner and Madonna sat front at Philipp Plein’s first runway show during New York Fashion Week.
Philipp Plein addressed models backstage before his grand debut at New York Fashion Week on Monday night at the New York Public Library.
Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Paris Hilton and Olivia Culpo take time for a selfie before the Philipp Plein fashion show during New York Fashion Week.
The accessory of the night was Philipp Plein-branded underwear as this model shows off backstage before the designer’s New York City debut.
A model shows off some serious gold chain nail art at the Philipp Plein show during New York Fashion Week.
Coco Rocha, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Paris Hilton and Olivia Culpo observer some thigh-high boots on the runway at Philipp Plein’s first NYFW show.
Jeremy “Hot Felon” Meeks was the focus of attention backstage at the Philipp Plein show held at the New York Public Library.
Tyga, Kylie Jenner, Madonna and photographer Steven Klein occupied the best seats in the house at the Philipp Plein show.
A look backstage at the Philipp Plein Fall 2017 show held at the New York Public Library on Monday night,
More of “Hot Felon” Jeremy Meek’s Torso backstage at Philipp Plein’s Fall 2017 fashion show during New York Fashion Week.
Jeremy Meeks, “the Hot Felon,” finally puts on some clothes backstage at Philipp Plein’s Fall 2017 fashion show during NYFW.
Models compare and contrast their eye-popping nail art at Philipp Plein’s Fall 2017 fashion show at New York Fashion Week.
Guests stare at their phones to pass the time while waiting for Philipp Plein’s Fall 2017 show to begin on Monday night.
The celebrity-filled casting board backstage at the Philipp Plein Fall 2017 Show during New York Fashion Week on Monday night.
Jeremy Meeks, the mugshot model, was game to pose for pictures backstage at Philipp Plein’s Fall 2017 show on Monday night.
An Elvis Presley impersonator stands on the steps in front of the New York Public Library before Philipp Plein’s show during NYFW.
A bit of selfie time backstage at Philipp Plein’s first-ever New York City show held at the New York Public Library.
A member of 2 Live Crew performs “Banned In the USA” after the Philipp Plein Fall 2017 show at NYFW on Monday night.
Rapper Remy Ma’s Terror Squad necklace in detail at the Philipp Plein Fall 2017 Show during New York Fashion Week.
Models, including Jeremy Meeks, wait backstage before the Philipp Plein Fall 2017 show at the Public Library during New York Fashion Week.
Jeremy Meeks, the “Hot Felon” model, backstage before the Philipp Plein Fall 2017 show during New York Fashion Week on Monday night.
Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, Eniko Mihalik, Carine Roitfeld, Tyga, Kylie Jenner, Madonna, Steven Klein, and Victor Cruz in the front forw at Philipp Plein’s Fall 2017 fashion show.
Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Philipp Plein and wife Andreaa Sasu at the designer’s Fall 2017 show during New York Fashion Week,
Sofia Richie gets her hair done backstage before walking in designer Philipp Plein’s Fall 2017 runway show during Fashion Week.
Sofia Richie shows off her look at the Philipp Plein Fall 2017 show before hitting the runway during New York Fashion Week.
Model Coco Rocha and designer Philipp Plein catch up at the designer’s Fall 2017 show held at the New York Public Library.
On the great hall of the library, guests were greeted with a series of bright white neon light installations. “Everyone wants to eat, but few are willing to hunt,” read one. It was quite the contrast from the stately marble walls and elegantly detailed wooden ceiling of the history library, though guests would have plenty of time to look up and study that ceiling while waiting for the actual show start.
The 9:00 p.m. invite time implied a 9:30 p.m. start time, but guests were left waiting. Then, a little after 10 p.m., Madonna, cloaked in a full lengthy Plein puffer coat that would later be shown on the runway and sunglasses, was escorted to her seat. With the Queen of Pop fully situated in the front row between Kylie Jenner and Steven Klein, the rapper Nas took the stage to perform “If I Ruled The World.” Lest anyone think the actual show was about to start, Plein himself came out to make an untraditional pre-show speech. In between apologizing for the delay and promising to keep it brief he got to his main point: who he actually is.
“People always ask me,” he said. “‘Who the f–k is Philipp Plein?” “Who is this guy who comes here, does a show with so many people in this beautiful, let’s call it, palace. Well, that’s me. So, very insane.”
“I’m just a dreamer and a believer,” he elaborated. “You can call me a dream chaser. I believe in my dreams and then they come true. Because if you don’t believe, and I don’t believe in my dreams, and we don’t believe in our dreams, they will never come true, right? So, that’s it. And, um, yeah. That’s all I can say. I mean, this is a dream, and this dream came true for me tonight.”
Plein would then proceed to shout out members of his front row and Carine Roitfeld, the former French Vogue editor who styled the looks, and give some detailed information about the after party before finally allowing that dream to begin.
Meeks, the man who has been dubbed the “hot felon” after his striking mugshot went viral, opened the show, making his New York Fashion Week debut. He’d be joined by other notable castings including Young Thug, graffiti artist Alec Monopoly, Sofia Richie, man-about-town Eli Mizrahi, New England patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, Fetty Wap, hotel scion Sebastian Faena, Roberto Rossellini (son of Isabella), Instagram stars Neels Visser and Matthew Noszka, actor Will Peltz, and Anwar Hadid. There were even a few traditional models. There were 80 looks in all, though Plein’s army would not get to take their final strut.
When the strains of 2 Live Crew’s “Banned in the USA” began on the soundtrack, about half the guests took it is as the ending, not the beginning of the grand finale and bolted for the door. Apparently, the question of why the Miami Bass band was performing at a New York Fashion Week party in the year 2017 wasn’t enticing enough for most guests to wait for the answers. Models attempted to take the final walk, but were basically pushed back by the crowd rushing out the side corridor that had served as the start of the runway.
Philipp Plein’s After Party and Dinner Included Paris Hilton and Table Top Dancing
Paris Hilton took selfies with anyone who asked at the dinner following Philipp Plein’s New York Fashion Week debut.
A hula hoop dancer performed in the middle of the table while guests ate at the dinner following Philipp Plein’s fashion show at the New York Public Library.
Kylie Jenner stopped by to sit in the front row at Philipp Plein’s New York Fashion Week debut, but she skipped out on the afterparties.
Cardi B wears one of the masquerade masks passed out at dinner following Philipp Plein’s first New York Fashion Week show.
A masked guest carefully examines a bread roll at the intimate dinner following the Philipp Plein show at the New York Public Library.
A guest attends the Philip Plein Dinner and After Party during New York Fashion Week at the New York Public Library.
Sebastian Faena and Paris Hilton, both scions of hotelier families, sat side by side at the Philipp Plein dinner at NYFW.
Even the table clothes bore Philipp Plein’s logo at the dinner following his New York Fashion Week debut on Monday night.
Fat Joe kept to his trademark sweatsuit style, here in a gun metal grey, for Philipp Plein’s New York Fashion Week dinner.
Showgirls mixed among masked demons at the anything-goes dinner Philipp Plein threw during New York Fashion Week at the New York Public Library.
Paris Hilton carefully placed her phone ontop of her other phone before the main course is served at Philipp Plein’s New York Fashion Week dinner.
Nicky Hilton Rothschild chats with Sebastian Faena, who walked in the show, over the first course at Philipp Plein’s dinner.
A guest in thigh high boots sits down during the Philipp Plein New York Fashion Week dinner at the New York Public Library.
Paris Hilton takes a bite from her salad at Philipp Plein’s VIP dinner following his debut show during New York Fashion Week.
Paris Hilton stands in front of “Plein for President” signs at Philipp Plein’s very patriotic afterparty at New York Fashion Week.
A man in a casual demon mask has casual small talk at Philipp Plein’s dinner during New York Fashion Week.
Jeremy Meeks, also known as “The Hote Felon,” opened the Philipp Plein show and enjoyed the glamor at the afterparty.
This hula hoop artist went known stop with her tabletop performance during Philipp Plein’s dinner at New York Fashion Week.
Blogger Brian “Brianboy” Yamba was one of the more notable attendants from the fashion world who stuck around for the dinner following the Philipp Plein show.
The man himself, Philipp Plein, holds court at the dinner following his first fashion show during New York Fashion Week.
A guest poses in front of the chainlink fence that was installed in the New York Public Library at Philip Plein Dinner and After Party.
Philipp Plein stands up on the table and grips a pole to address revelers at his New York Fashion Week dinner.
A leather jacket-clad guest attends the Philipp Plein dinner during New York Fashion Week held at the New York Public Library.
Rapper Young Paris, wearing a hat that read “Madonna Complex,” attends the Philipp Plein dinner at New York Fashion Week.
Fat Joe sits down to the table at the busy dinner Philipp Plein held following his runway show during New York Fashion Week.
A cocktail and a mask left unattended on the table at the Philipp Plein dinner during New York Fashion Week.
Paris Hilton and Sofia Richie, little sister of her once best friend Nicole, pose side-by-side at the Philipp Plein dinner.
A guest takes off her mask for a second during the Philipp Plein dinner held on the second floor of the New York Public Library.
A guest, clad in one of the designer’s leather jackets, attends the Philipp Plein party during New York Fashion Week.
It was a fashion party, so some of the food was left untouched at the Philipp Plein dinner during New York Fashion Week.
At the dinner following the event, Plein didn’t seem too upset. Madonna, who said on Instagram Plein had made a donation to her Raising Malawi charity, Jenner, and Trump didn’t stay to eat, but the Hilton sisters, a handful of models, Fat Joe and Meeks did.
The set-up was even more over-the-top than the show, if you can believe that. The table, baring the Plein logo on the table cloth, featured a disco ball hung from two silver poles (technically not of the stripper variety) in the center. A performer hula hooped throughout the night as guests picked at a steak dinner.
Plein, apparently not afraid of public speaking, took to the mic to make several remarks throughout the night, thanking everyone for being there. As the clock ticked towards midnight, he initiated a New Year’s Eve-style countdown to the beginning of Valentine’s day. He invited his girlfriend, Andreaa Sasu, and some of the more notable guests to join him for some tabletop dancing of their own. While Nicky Hilton Rothschild declined, Paris Hilton was game. She danced the night away with Meeks, and Sofia Richie, the younger sister of her once television BFF Nicole Richie.
Downstairs held an even bigger affair. DJs The Martinez Brothers and Circoloco spun in the main hall of the library. Cotton candy and hotdogs were proffered and guests were allowed to drive actual bumper cars, done up in a shiny silver paint job, throughout the space.
Exciting? Yes. Glamorous? A certain vision of it. Stars? So many. Boring? Only a bit during the wait for Madonna. Indeed, if that’s what Plein felt he needed to make New York Fashion Week great again, well, he did it his way.
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