Roman Holiday
"It's amazing that all these people would turn out because we crossed the street," said Michael Burke on Thursday evening. The Fendi CEO was celebrating his company's 80th anniversary and new NYC flagship… opposite its previous Fifth Avenue location. "Only in New York," he added. If Burke's tone was casual, the freshly unveiled space was anything but: a 7,500-square-foot, two-story boutique kitted out with undulating travertine walls (which, architect Peter Marino explained, required the latest in rock-cutting technology). Admiring the surroundings, as well as what must have been hundreds of the label's new B bags, were the likes of Liv Tyler, Giorgio Armani, and Lindsay Lohan, who in turn were swarmed by snap-happy Japanese fans. But when Karl Lagerfeld arrived arm in arm with Silvia Venturini Fendi, all eyes and cameras were on him. "Peter found a way to do something different than the typical minimalist store," said Lagerfeld. "J'adore. J'adore."

The Naked City
A few blocks down the street at Saks, another iconic designer was taking New York by storm. "I'm just trying to remind people that Estée is a sexy brand," said Tom Ford at the launch for his steamily updated version of a classic Estée Lauder fragrance, Youth Dew Amber Nude. "The fragrance evolved into Amber Nude," he explained, "Because, well, I just love the idea of nudity." The line's public face, Carolyn Murphy (who said she and Ford have a "mutual crush thing"), admitted her first scent was Exclamation, but added that her grandmother wore the original Youth Dew for years. As the rest of the crowd, including Cheryl Hines, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, Domenico De Sole, Heatherette's Traver Rains and Richie Rich, Linda Wells, Maggie Rizer, and Liya Kebede sipped amber martinis, Ford filled the room with his patented sex appeal. "Of course, people say 'It's Tom, he just wants to get everyone naked,'" he said. "Well fine, maybe I do."

Painting the Town
"Surrender." "Jam." "Imagine." These were not the names of fragrances, but the titles of paintings and prints by Ross Bleckner, Carlton DeWoody, Yoko Ono, and others that were up for grabs at the RxArt Ball at Splashlight Studios. The cocktail reception and silent auction was thrown by Donna Karan and had Cynthia Rowley, Roopal Patel, and Bill Powers pursuing works curated by a veritable who's who of the New York art scene. "I'm bidding on my own painting," joked DeWoody. In the end though, there was no need for the artists to goose the prices. Bidding was generous, with a piece by Robert Colescott scoring the evening's highest price at $10,500.

Mad Hot Ballroom
The grand-tour tradition of eighteenth-century aristos was celebrated at the Young Friends Benefit Dance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Socials of a certain age—from 21 to the mid-thirties, in this case—trekked from all corners of Manhattan for a night of culture and fun. "Getting everyone uptown is half the battle," explained co-chair and SoHo resident Zani Gugelmann, in an Escada gown paired with the dangling silver filigree earrings she designs. By her side, also in Escada, was Erika Christensen. "I haven't taken a grand tour yet," said the actress, whose dream destinations include Rome and Buenos Aires, "but I have had some mini ones" (time in London filming The Upside of Anger, for starters). Possibly the only guests embarking on an actual international voyage that very night were co-chairs, and beaus, Eugenia Silva and Alejandro Santo Domingo. "We're scheduled to leave for Spain in, like, five minutes!" Silva revealed.

Message in a Bottle
Even though he had departed for the nation's capital the day before, rumors were swirling that Prince Charles might veer from his agenda to attend the La Dolce Vita New York's Soil Association benefit that Sting and Trudie Styler hosted at NYC's Metropolitan Pavilion. Instead, the organic-advocating royal opted to communicate via a pre-taped video. "We cannot go on dancing to a different beat than the rhythm of nature," his electronic majesty intoned. Fern Mallis, Petra Nemcova, and Jacquetta Wheeler were a few of the familiar faces who enjoyed the evening's locally grown dishes, including tomato and beet salad and rib eye. After a post-dinner auction that raised $400,000, Sting took the stage and belted out his Police-era hits. "For the next song, I want all the beautiful women to come up here," the singer said, strumming the beginning chords of "Every Breath You Take." His female fans, who had paid as much as $2,500 for a ticket, didn't need to be asked twice.

—Nicole Phelps (Fendi), Tracey Lomrantz (Tom Ford, RxArt), Laird Borrelli (Metropolitan Museum), Sarah Cristobal (Soil Association)