Rodeo Drive, Madison Avenue, and…Howard Street? The once gritty Chinatown thoroughfare was the place to be for New York's fashion set on Thursday night, as they came out to celebrate the opening of Jil Sander's sleek two-story emporium. A crowd that included Hope Atherton, Maria Cornejo, and Cecilia Dean oohed and aahed over the pièce de résistance: a cluster of angular mirrored dressing rooms best described as a minimalist funhouse. "This store is about transporting light and transporting ideas," said creative director Raf Simons. "Am I sounding pretentious?" Perhaps a touch, but, hey, it's your night—and the space is stunning. Afterward, a fleet of BMWs whisked VIP guests to Austrian eatery Wallse for an intimate dinner. During the course of a speech thanking Simons, company CFO Armin Mueller raised eyebrows by also expressing his gratitude to the President of the United States. But he quickly clarified: "I mean the president of Jil Sander USA."

—Evelyn Crowley

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