An Ode to NYC’s Stylish Westside Neighborhood

by Natasha Wolff | March 9, 2017 3:54 pm

The Meatpacking District, on New York City’s west side, has already experienced a transformation from industrial mecca to fashionable hotspot. The waterside neighborhood experienced an uptick in luxury haunts, and with more to come in the area within Washington St. and West 14th, the district has yet to reach its full potential.

“Usually, neighborhoods in the city push back against change,” explained Lauren Danziger, executive director of the Meatpacking Business Improvement District (BID). “But because we’re mostly businesses, this community tends to embrace it, to work with it, and to switch it forward.” At the moment the neighborhood is in the midst of the 9th Avenue and 14th Street renovation projects, along with an initiative to fully revitalize the cobblestones streets (a trademark for the village).

And from an artistic point of view – for the designers, architects and all creative types currently shacking up in the district – the neighborhood’s beauty offers a source for inspiration. There’s a direct sightline to the Hudson river, the aforementioned cobblestone makes for a quaint touch of history and as far as people-watching goes: you’re in the right place for it. Take Andrew Rosen for example, as Danziger pointed out about Theory’s co-founder: the designer’s “business didn’t really take off until he built his headquarters in Meatpacking.” Simply, she continued “because he finds it inspirational.”

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Left to right: Diane Von Furstenberg (designer), Mazdack Rassi (co-founder of MILK Makeup and Milk Studios)

The Meatpacking District therefore offers so much more than a sublime shopping experience. Although if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place: stop in to Rag & Bone, Trina Turk and Helmut Lang – for example – then enjoy a coffee break at Jacks before stopping at the Whitney Museum or Milk Gallery, only to end your night with a decadent dinner at Santina. It’s no wonder why houses like Alicia & Olivia, Uniqlo, Helmut Lang and Diane Von Furstenberg have their storefronts and their back-of-house operations here – the neighborhood isn’t merely a collection of streets bound by a zip code: it’s a community.

To celebrate this, Danziger has enlisted the participation of her fashionable neighbors, as well as those that offer delectable bites and cocktails to host Open Market on March 9 at the Highline Stages. Alongside co-chairs Diane von Furstenberg, Andrew Rosen, Mazdack Rassi and Gary Kline, guests will be treated to a block party worthy of fashion’s biggest names. Food and drink from 25 resident restaurants will be served and a silent auction will be held, teasing gifts like floor Knicks tickets and a piece by Parisian artist Gregos.

General admission tickets start at $150 and can be found on 501auctions.com[2].

Main image: Instagram.com[3]

Source URL: https://dujour.com/life/the-meatpacking-district-fashion-nyc/