In NYC, hot spots come and go faster than celebrity rehab stints. One minute you're playing host to Carine Roitfeld and Kanye West, the next you're booking Snooki's birthday party. But there are a few restaurants that are more than just passing fads, and French-Vietnamese restaurant Indochine may very well be on top of the pantheon. Now in it's 26th year, the eatery remains a must-stop for people-watching (on our last forays we spotted Joseph Altuzarra and Genevieve Jones), lychee martinis, and neo-Colonial interiors sporting signature banana-leaf wallpaper. Over our fave Spicy Chicken Breast and some Amok Cambodgien (filet of sole, coconut milk, and lime leaves wrapped in a banana), we concluded that the scene could not be scene-ier, nor the fashion fiercer. East Village boys in skimpy tanks rubbed shoulders with models in filigree circlets who chatted with sharp-suited bankers—a style miasma that's fancy without being formal. So, to get you in the mood for some Asian awesomeness, we've put together a look that's Eastern oriented but not kitschy—think clashing colors, bamboo, leather, tassels, and a top that gives a playful nod to the fronds papering the walls. When you walk in with this perfect outfit, you'll be adding another day onto this institution's life-expectancy.
Indochine, 430 Lafayette Street (between 4th Street and Astor Place); 212-505-5111.
Elke Kramer Empty Eyes Bracelet, $150, available at Opening Ceremony, 35 Howard Street (between Broadway and Crosby Street); 212-219-2688; Lerario Beatriz Pink Jeweled Top, $249, available at Babel Fair, 260 Elizabeth Street (between East Houston and Prince streets); 646-360-3685; Diane Von Furstenberg Opal Wedge Sandal, $295, available at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 5th Avenue (between 49th and 50th streets); 212-320-4700; Shanghai Tang Shou Clutch, $295, available at Shanghai Tang, 600 Madison Avenue (between 57th and 58th streets); 212-888-0111; Helmut Lang Bandage Skirt, $434, available at Blue & Cream; 1 East 1st Street (at Bowery); 212-533-3088.