Two worlds have collided.

With the launch of Boutiques.com, the tech industry has taken the fashion world by storm, and famously fickle fashionistas everywhere are loving it.

The much buzzed-about Boutiques.com was launched at Skylight Soho on Wednesday night with a star-studded event that brought the web site to life. It seemed that the tone of a virtual environment was simply tapped with a magic wand and made to come alive, but we know it is never as easy as that…

The pros at Empire Entertainment worked to create an experience that enabled guests to navigate the site through the medium of the real world.

The 180-foot wide entrance to Skylight Soho was kept simply, reflecting the clean homepage to the Boutiques.com site.  Six models flanked the entrance into the main event, each representing one of the “Style Genres” that is one of the curated means of navigating the site.

As guests such as Carey Mulligan, Elizabeth Moss, Claire Danes, Isaac Mizrahi, Anna Paquin and the ubiquitous fashionistas Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen entered the party, a world arranged according to the six Style Genres lay before them.  Organized around a “central park” complete with grass, street lanterns, picnic tables, and a porch swing, the lifestyle embodied by concepts such as “Romantic,” “Boho,” “Edgy,” “Classic,” “Street,” and “Casual Chic” spread forth like a city and its unique neighborhoods.

The Romantic section was festooned with birdcages, candles and a spectacular aerialist flipping and swirling in a hanging hoop.  Here guests could enjoy sumptuous desserts such as artisanal chocolates with White Chocolate Lavender and others with Tibetan Goji Berry and Pink Himalyan Salt.  All of these were featured with dessert wine pairings…

A massive structure made of metallic tape stood at the center of the Edgy vignette.  One could stop in for a visit to the tattoo artist and grab a spicy cocktail of jalapeno infused gin and pineapple juice.

Part of the park area, the Casual Chic section was marked by bicycles lazing on street lamps, Adirondack chairs, and a croquet green.  Many chose to chill out here, enjoying refreshing vodka thyme lemonade.

A lively chess game using giant pieces was underway in the Classic area.  Mirrors were used to reflect an elegant black and white fleur-de-lis and a chandelier hung from the ceiling, uniting the area in a feeling of uptown sophistication.

The Boho vignette felt like the magic of Morocco complete with a tarot card reader, and very bohemian (and delicious!) rosemary pear vodka martinis.

The energy of a city that is captured by Boutiques.com came alive in the Street section.  Breakdancers mesmerized the crowd, but not enough to distract them from the delicious spicy pork, spicy cheese and chicken mini-tamales served from a food cart.

Interactive product demos showed celebrities and designers such as Catharine Malandrino, Tory Burch and Rachel Roy how to navigate the site while still being part of the party.

Caterer: Specialty drink and Hors d’oeuvres Menu by Brooke Whiteside Pollard of Creative Edge
Production: Empire Entertainment
Lighting: Bentley Meeker

Photography by Allan Zepeda