Gigi Hadid opens first uptown Guest in Residence store on Madison Avenue

The best house party in New York City on Thursday evening took place inside a Madison Avenue boutique, where Gigi Hadid's cashmere label Guest in Residence has officially taken up residence. The model and founder arrived in a shrunken top and tartan skirt to cut the ribbon on her brand's fourth U.S. store, and its first uptown address.

The welcome set the tone: a trio of pretzels twisted into the letters G, I and R at the entrance. Inside the two-story space, florists from Pop Up Florist assembled custom arrangements, a three-piece band played beneath a sloped skylight, and a caricature artist near the bar had guests voguing for their portraits and then comparing likenesses.

We started downtown, Bond Street is the heart of our company. So this night was about bringing downtown uptown.

Martinis and cigarettes filled the martini glasses, while caviar came in every configuration: on passed blinis, with potato chips and creme fraiche at a help-yourself station, and even crowning baked potatoes supplied by the NoHo spot The Nines. "It's like parts of my life and people and friendships that I've accumulated over time have all come together," Hadid told Vogue. "When I look around, I see that journey."

A chalet with room to yap

Each Guest in Residence outpost borrows something from a place Hadid holds dear, and for Madison Avenue the brief was supremely homey. Pale wood paneling gives the boutique the feel of a chic Alpine chalet, prompting one guest to tell Hadid she detected a certain French sensibility. "Merci beaucoup," she replied, delighted. Upstairs, a living room, bedroom and dining area offer space for styling appointments and future workshops, plus books and board games.

"I always want the stores to feel like somewhere that people can walk in and sit on a couch and have a yap," Hadid said. And yap they did, as old friends and top customers filled the space in colorful knits. Model Jordan Barrett, fresh off a plane, summed up the mood: "The first word that comes to mind when I think of this brand is 'cozy.'"

The night ended with four cakes, one for each Guest in Residence store now under Hadid's belt, before the celebrations spilled onto the sidewalk. Hadid made her way to a waiting car with friends, smiling and thanking guests, carrying one of the cakes off into the night.