Vena Cava Knows How to Throw a Non-Fashion Fashion Party

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• Happy shopper
• $5 Beerstache
• Merch catalogue
• Funky dresses and face shields
• Adorable child
• Party hats!
• Bike hat
• Ian Mcdonald clay pieces

When we arrived at Partners & Spade promptly at 6pm for the Vena Cava and Subports party "Non–Fashion-People's Fashion Night Out" or, as it was designated on merchandise catalogues, "NFPFNO", there were only a few people wandering through the space examining the playful objects. One of those people happened to be Vena Cava's Sophie Buhai, who stayed for the entire party chatting with friends and family.

While an hour later the joint was jumping and all the beerstaches (see the photos above) had disappeared from the bar, the party never lost that sense of intimacy. As people opened and closed drawers to discover what was inside and curly haired children played with the mannequins, it felt more like a casual gallery opening, or maybe a fancy garage sale, or even an incredibly fashionable party at the Museum of Natural history—definitely some place far far far away from the chaos of Soho's FNO.

All of the objects in the store were created by people outside of the fashion industry. A healthcare worker from Brooklyn made jewelry engraved with prices of organs titled "Gross Anatomy," while a contractor from Texas created "Bathroom Boot Socks," which are exactly what they sound like. Some objects really embraced kitsch and others were more arts-and-crafts than wearable, but there were some great functional and unique pieces such as laser-etched boat shoes for $120 created by a commercial truck salesman and graphic t-shirts designed by artists for $29.

You could find a piece of art at any price, from $10 deodorant to an $1800 retro motorcycle. Although the more traditional art media such as the photographs, drawings and clay pieces were the most beautiful, they were also pricey. It didn't appear that many people were buying, but the fun of the party was the surprise of opening a drawer and finding it full of pistachios, or discovering that the absurd hat covered in bike lights was created by the father of one of Vena Cava's designers. If you didn't make it last night, or if you regret not purchasing that necklace and earring set made of faux grass, visit NFPFNO online here.—Rachel Traub
· NFPFNO [Official Site]
· All FNO Recaps [Racked NY]