Fashion's Hall of Fame: The Night Fashion Café Opened Its Doors
By Alexus Mosley
Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer on Fashion Cafe’s Opening Night
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If you wanted proof that models were the superstars of the 1990s, look no further than the grand opening of Fashion Café. When the restaurant officially opened its doors at 51 Rockefeller Plaza on April 7, 1995, the launch of the restaurant was treated like a major cultural event. Backed by Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Elle Macpherson and created by Italian-American brothers Tommaso and Francesco Butti, Fashion Café was envisioned as the couture Hard Rock Café. The concept promised to bring high fashion to the dining table, combining food, glamour, and celebrity under one roof.
Elle Macpherson
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The Who's Who New York showed up, with the guest list including fashion and entertainment royalty such as Veronica Webb, Beverly Peele, Molly Ringwald, Gianni Versace, and Donatella Versace. MTV’s House of Style was there to document the festivities, while the buzz surrounding the opening became so intense that Roberto Cavalli reportedly postponed his own New York debut dinner party multiple times to avoid competing with the event.
Gianni and Donatella Versace, Veronica Webb, and Molly Ringwald on Fashion Cafe’s opening night.
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Alongside the American-themed food, with dishes named for the models, Fashion Café sold access to a fantasy. Guests could dine among fashion memorabilia while experiencing a world inspired by the glamorous lives of the decade’s most famous models. Today, the Fashion Café remains one of fashion history’s most fascinating experiments. But if there was ever a moment that captured its magic, it was opening night. For one evening, Midtown Manhattan became the center of the fashion universe, proving that in the 1990s, supermodels weren’t just wearing the trends. They were the trend.
Naomi Campbell, Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer at the Grand Opening of The Fashion Cafe
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For turning a restaurant opening into one of fashion’s most talked-about events, Fashion Café’s grand opening earns its place in The Styled Chat’s Fashion Hall of Fame.