• by Carrie Cummings , September 2, 2011

chloe + isabel launch party
The Chelsea Mercantile
8/31/11 

I'm always amazed at how great girls look after work when I go to parties. I usually show up with my hair tied on my head, tired eyes and a less-than-fresh attitude, so I don't know why I was so surprised when I showed up at the launch for new jewelry line chloe + isabel to find every girl there (except me) looking bright and happy, with perfect hair. It was, after all, a fashion-y event.

The party was held in a penthouse of The Chelsea Mercantile on Seventh Ave. It was already beautifully decorated, but the company had set up tables showcasing the jewelry collections. The idea behind chloe + isabel is that the "girls" (I was kind of bummed to find out that Chloe and Isabel aren't actually real people) are two best friends with radically different tastes. This jewelry line aims to accommodate a range of taste preferences in one store so that friends can shop in one place. Even though I'm not much of a jewelry wearer aside from pearl studs, it's a cute concept. I perused the goods and was impressed. 

I saw Alison Flood from Internet Week and Claire Graves from The Webbys in line at the bar, where we all ordered a glass of white wine and headed upstairs to the rooftop. It was a cool night and the roof provided expansive views of lower Manhattan and the rising World Trade Center: tres chic. We huddled together and they both agreed that all the women were unnaturally glamorous for a Wednesday night, so we refilled our glasses.  

Lindsay Kaplan, chloe + isabel's new marketing director, was buzzing around and we briefly chatted about her new gig and how great the jewelry was and that I should feel free to go downstairs and try everything on and wear something for the evening. It should be noted that tiny Lindsay was being glamorously weighed down by what looked like 50 pounds of necklaces and bracelets. 

I had a glass of champagne and shoved some hors d'oeuvres down my gullet before heading home. On my way out, there were about five yentas picking through the gift boxes for their favorite jewelry. I was handed a box and took it, feeling superior for not cherry-picking and waiting until the elevator doors closed to open it and find three bracelets from the collection. And I liked them! 

Notable guests: Alan Cumming, actor; Maya Baratz, The Wall Street Journal; Jordan Reid, Ramshackle Glam; Rina Raphael, "The Today Show"; Peter Feld, New York Observer; Rachel Sklar, Change the Ratio; Jennifer Wright, The Gloss; Seth Porges, Maxim; and Alex Tirado from MTV Act. 

Thanks to Josh Wong Photography for the photos -- and, as always, email carrie@mediapost.com if you want me to cover your next party!