Tucked away on a quiet alley in the West Village, The Commerce Inn reads nondescript. Unlike neighboring downtown eateries, The Commerce Inn appears sans awning and al fresco dining. Small lettering on a side window pane signals to passersby that yes, this is the place. Its understated exterior and chic, rustic interior give smoking jacket more than this season’s coveted racing jacket. The tavern is perhaps most used for buttoned-up business dinners but tonight, it’s the setting of a three-course dinner for fashion’s buzziest social set in the run-up to New York Fashion Week. But cocktails and crudité aside, the real feast of the night was the denim looks served up by the attendees.
Highsnobiety and iconic denim brand, Levi’s, joined forces to honor the tried-and-true textile that has defined American fashion as we know it. Powered by spirited cocktails and a mutual love for denim, event early birds mingled along the shaker-style bar and indulged in oysters from a passed-around serving tray as fellow dinner guests trickled in—some invariably fashionably late. The event, hosted by Willa Bennett, boasted a guest list of every who’s who of the five boroughs.
“You know, the Chanel dinner last night, Levi’s tonight, and Helmut Lang tomorrow”, wafted through the cherry-glossed lips of an impeccably dressed model slash DJ slash influencer slash all-around hot person. Her posse nodded in understanding. You see, this type of talk was just par for the course—a recitation of a jam-packed fashion week schedule.
To the untrained industry eye, the room was an impressive networking event. But in reality, this was just a “simple” uber-stylish catch-up of old friends. There were globe-trotting DJs like Memphy, sleek and chic fashion models à la Scarlett Costello, and rising silver screen darling, Chase Sui Wonders all effortlessly adorned in Levi’s style staples. Guests donned custom monogrammed denim ties—the brainchild of Bennett, the necktie aficionado herself, and the leading purveyor of blue jeans.
At first glance, the guest list could be a head-scratcher. Him? With her? And them? But that’s just the thing—a mishmash of creative powerhouses is actually the most Levi’s thing, like, ever. Since its introduction into mainstream American fashion in the 1940s, denim was embraced by subcultures on far ends of the style spectrum for its durability and easy pairing. It’s a wardrobe holy grail: dress it up, dress it down, cuff it, tuck it. What other garment are you going to see as frequently worn by the likes of Barack Obama as Kid Cudi? Few brands transcend subcultures and varying sartorial aesthetics with ease like Levi’s, something cleverly noted by avid vintage collector and Levi’s stan, Wesley Breed.
“When you think jeans, you think Levi’s,” Breed says, suited up in Levi’s Western Sherpa Fringe Shirt and Raf Simons slacks—a ‘Woodstock-ified’ streetwear look. “They haven’t succumbed to the over ‘logo-ization’ of the product, they’re not in your face, they stay true to their roots.”
As conversation roared on and the on-site calligrapher drafted the final name cards for an immaculately dressed dining table, attendees called out their last happy hour orders to the bartenders. "Jet Pilot! Pink Punch! Rye Martini!" Adequately boozed up, we were ready to begin the first course.
In typical American fashion, guests made their own seats despite place cards. The dining room became a game of musical chairs for guests to "kiki" with their industry friends they haven’t seen since the last whirlwind fashion month. “Oh my god, it’s been so long!”, a white tee and blue jean-dressed guest squealed in a running embrace, dodging waiters’ decadent dishes of stewed black-eyed peas, fried potatoes, and fluke tartare. Another guest slid into her unattended seat. A common sight of the night.
As second-course plates were cleared to make way for a dessert selection of roasted pears and chocolate hazelnut cake, KidSuper found his way to the front of the dining area, scooted into an empty booth, new and old friends in tow. Flashbulbs popped—an “accidental renaissance” in the making. Digital cameras were handed over burning candlesticks. Instagram handles were typed into swapped phones—the most quintessential fashion exchange and a prerequisite of the week’s events to come.
“When I think Levi’s, I think history, I think getting your hands dirty, I think making things,” said KidSuper, digging into an abandoned plate of spoon bread and potato rolls. “And I like that because I like to make things.” His beanie-wearing friends mused about the walk leading to the event’s venue feeling like a scene from a movie, leaving the title up to interpretation. A waiter delivered a flute glass.
“Okay, it was Peaky Blinders. I felt like Tommy Shelby,” KidSuper laughed, clearly feeling the Rye Martini. Or maybe just the event’s vibes.
