Gramercy was officially launched yesterday, and if that sounds confusing, it's because not only is Gramercy one of them hot Manhattan neighborhoods we hear so much about (can someone friggin' invite us to the Rose Bar, already?), but it's also the name of a new Michael Shvo-marketed condo project. So let's just call this puppy Gramercy by Starck, because interior designer Philippe Starck deserves to be in the title, and calling it just "Gramercy" sounds dumb. The 207-unit building will be at 340 East 23rd Street, and as previously reported, the sales office took over a former Blockbuster store nearby on Third Avenue. That's where the big shindig was.
The winding space was decked out in black and white?which is what Starck has in store for the building?and a model kitchen and bathroom were there for perusing. The Misshapes, curiously, were DJing, adding a Blue States Lose hilarity to the proceedings. Woo boy, was this sucker packed, and it got us thinking: As we gazed at Philippe Starck's head emerging from the top of the building on a plasma screen, we wondered if the people who desire to buy into Starck's rich boy minimalism really want to live on a nothing-special stretch of East 23rd Street? That's not really going to impress anyone, and this building is all about impressions. Also, do people who can afford multi-million dollar condos give a shit about the Misshapes? That might be the more interesting study. This one seems like a minor risk for Shvo, but if his immaculate mane last night was any indication, he's not worried.
Shvo's vision: butterfly people and stilt-walkers.
It was a packed affair, meaning some of the cocktail equipment had to be stationed in the dry cleaner next door.
The scene outside the sales office.
The man, the myth, the Shvo.
Walking into the party.
The Misshapes (2/3's of them, anyway) doing their thing in front of a big rendering of the building.
What's a Philippe Starck gym like? Rugs and couches, apparently.
A rendering of the lobby mildly terrified us.
Looks like a Starck chair only has one leg to stand on! Har.
The bathtub.
The bathtub, a little different this time. Shvirls!
The Misshapes' Leigh Lezark poses with her gift bag booty.
That last photo was taken by Curbed photo pool contributor Lawrence Lewitinn, who also slapped together the following video walk-through of the party:
· Gramercy [Official Site]