On the opening night of Miami Art Basel, Rick Owens’ Design District storefront was stripped down to its architecture’s concrete poeticism. Gone were the usual Grilled Kiss boots higher than the Empire State and Triple Donut coats as puffy as cumulus, cleared out to make way for JT’s birthday party. “I was reaching for the stars,” the Liberty City-born artist told me, remembering when she asked Owens for permission to host the bash at his boutique. “I eventually let the idea go, but a month ago the team let me know I can do it.” It was close to 1am and the party was in full swing, helped by the Rick Drop cocktails that JT and others sipped on — the night’s take on a lemon drop martini.
The Owens garments missing on the bare-bones racks were compensated for by the guests’ sartorial ambitions: long trains crept out of body-hugging leather dresses, paired with Geobaskets sneakers or Cantilever 8 T Straps sandals. While we waited for JT to arrive, the bewitching, layered sounds of Yasmina Dexter, aka the DJ Pandora’s Jukebox, filled the store. Unlike out-there efforts of most Basel parties, there was a covert aura to Owens’ 2,150-square-foot minimalist temple: the thrill of stepping into an emptied-out cult brand boutique to celebrate a rap star’s birthday with a Berlin rave DJ.
As creamed chickpeas and crudo tartlets were passed around, I chatted with skin care influencer Kristen Noel Crawley, who showed me her KNC Beauty brand’s customized star-shaped eye masks — one of Jeff Koons’s sons tried them on in Switzerland last week. In anticipation of JT’s entrance, we headed upstairs. Two rows of candle-lit tables were decorated with napkins emblazoned with the five pointed pentagram of Owens’ streetwear brand DRKSHDW. The white-on-white embroidery also spelled out the birthday girl’s name, and the date — 3.12.24 — was just visible in the candlelight. Just after midnight, JT arrived, wearing a 2018 archive dress paired with arm-length chrome and silver bracelets which were sourced from a Rick Owens collector in the Netherlands. She and her partner, Lil Uzi Vert, claimed seats in the centre of a banquet table decorated with goth-y red and black leaves — Owens through and through.
With the arrival of the entree — poached Chilean sea bass — JT told me the element she loves the most in fashion is “transformation and seeing the whole picture.” The fashion school drop-out hasn’t yet met Owens in person, but she knew the glunge maestro is up on her music. And, as an Owens superfan, the night represented things coming full-circle in another way too. “I’ve spent so much time and money at this store,” she said, her gaze lifting to the gathered crowd as she took in the Cinderella moment.
