1. Barneys' Carine's World Party during September Fashion WeekThe likes of Carine Roitfeld, Valentino, Margherita Missoni, Simon Doonan and Karolina Kurkova (to name a few) singing karaoke in a small, crowded room as people like Bruce Weber and the Brant boys cheer them on? (Kurkova sang Gaga's "Paparazzi" as photogs snapped away, no less) Carine and her daughter doing tequila shots together? Top-notch champagne and tacos? Need we justify this further?
2. SSION's weekend at MoMA PS1
The wildly creative Cody Critcheloe crafted an extravaganza with crazy, colorful projections and costumes for his three-night stand at PS1. The live act featured a long list of musicians, dancers and special guests, including Casey Spooner, Sky Ferreira and Jamie Warren. It's hard to say which was more stimulating, the music or the visuals.
3. Prince Rama's Exercise/Exorcise sessions at Issue Project RoomThe two Hare Krishna-raised sisters who comprise the band Prince Rama -- Taraka and Nimai Larson -- created a three-part series of interactive events for their residency at the Issue Project Room. The first was an aerobics class, constructed as a clever play on the similarities between exercising and exorcism, led and narrated by the sisters in leotards and headsets, amidst an immersive mystical environment featuring altars, a chakra-water bar, and original videos and sound. [VillageVoice]
4. Sufjan Stevens at Prospect Park Bandshell
Wow, this guy has lost his mind (but in a totally fun way).
5. The Creators Project The creative direction of Vice plus the deep, deep pockets of Intel is clearly a formula for awesome. A fascinating performance by a maniacal, drooling John Maus (pictured above), an impossibly blissful set by Atlas Sound, the dance-inducing talents of Justice, and a massive, pulsing cube of light, all with with the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan as a majestic backdrop. And, um, that was just the small stage...
Runners-up:
Alexander Wang's Fashion Week Frat Party
Bike Kill (in the snow, no less)
Fashion's Night Out (in Madison Ave territory)
West Indian Day Parade
House of Latex Ball
Photos by Rebecca Smeyne
