The Tamesis
They say laughter is the best medicine, but dancing is definitely a close second – the kind that leaves your cheeks red and your legs blissfully sore. Apparently, Emily Dawn Long realizes that this is what the world is craving right now. (At least her fellow New Yorkers.) Over the weekend, amid the frenzy of New York Fashion Week, the eponymous designer behind the brand hosted a cell-phone-free disco party with the slogan “Nobody Dances Anymore,” drawing revelers from all corners of the city.
The concept began to take shape as Long amassed a fan club for her intricate craftsmanship and designed her third creation. “I was talking to my friends and everyone was like, ‘Nobody dances anymore,'” she told Fashion. That casual remark set in motion everything from design to the dance floor. “Before you know it, this party is going to be huge,” she said with a laugh. “I just thought it would be my brothers.”
“Huge” is a huge understatement. Despite the teeth-chattering cold weather, (SUB)MERCER was packed with people outside. (SUB)MERCER is a low-key club located underneath the Mercer Hotel in SoHo, where everyone is vying for the nod of the bouncer. Those who made the cut were taken by freight elevators into the close quarters, which remained packed shoulder to shoulder late into the night. To enforce the no-cell phone policy, attendees received stickers with the night’s slogan to cover their cameras. The only shot in the room? Photographer Daniel Arnold.
Lang was naturally the life of the party in one of her just-released “No One Dances Anymore” T-shirts and super low-rise jeans. As she paused to greet guests, Long compared the event to the secret loft dance parties that defined New York nightlife in the ’90s. “I think that’s what people want right now,” she mused.
Filled with Lalo Tequila and Zero Proof, the bar becomes its own landscape. Maude Apatow is one of those hoping to get the bartender’s attention. After securing her drink, Euphoria The star, sporting her signature bob and an emerald green cardigan, can be seen making her way through the crowd before eventually sitting down with fashion editor Ella O’Keeffe and friends. Jack Harlow, who is stationed nearby, kept a low profile in a zip-up sweater, black baseball cap and rimless glasses, with the brick wall behind him serving as the backdrop for Long’s aforementioned top.
By midnight, the crowd on the dance floor couldn’t resist. DJ and It Girl Beatrice Hardy keeps spinning hits including No hands, my hump, and guess. Even the bathroom down the hall vibrated rhythmically. Ella Emhoff, a party-goer, was all smiles as she made her rounds and started dancing as she made her way through the bustling room. Others enjoying the bash included Laura Reilly, Ian Bradley, Blake Abbie, Imani Randolph and Alyssa Vingan.
This time, it wasn’t the phone screens that lit up the space, but the electricity of the crowd. Sweat dripping, pulse pounding, for a fleeting few hours nothing seemed important outside the walls of (SUB)MERCER, providing a rare escape that no one seemed willing to let go.
