curioparlor.com

No self-respecting Parisian would be caught dead in the Latin Quarter after dark. The area is touristy, crowded, and not very cool. Or at least it hasn’t been until now. The same people who brought the Experimental Cocktail Club to the Montorgueil district present the Curio Parlor, a gem hidden in a corner of the Latin Quarter. The owners call the concept “Speakeasy Rive Gauche” and Left-Bankers are ecstatic that they finally don’t need to cross the river for a good night out. This place, unmarked and difficult to find, has elevated the art of the cocktail to new heights — from the Manhattan Rye to the perfect Spiced Mule — without pandering to the beer crowd. This is still Paris though, and décor and vibe are the keys to success. How about a cabinet de curiosities filled with taxidermied animals? How about butterflies suspended in glass cases and hunting trophies hung behind the Art Deco-inspired bar? Dim lighting, emerald-velour alcove seating, and a wide range of world music? Mix in a stylish, diverse crowd and silent movies downstairs and you have the recipe for a very special bar.

16 Rue de Bernadins, Paris, France   +330144071247

thelincoln.com

“Give me the luxuries of life, and I will gladly do without the necessities,” said Frank Lloyd Wright. These words aptly sum up the Lincoln, a den of luxury and comfort housed in a former strip club. The neighborhood of King’s Cross, traditionally Sydney’s red light district, has gone upscale, and the Lincoln, which was re-done last year, can take a lion’s share of the credit. The joint is three levels of decadence, from the basement’s NYC-style club — Prince’s former DJ Ricky Albert is a resident — to the deck bar which has the feel of a 1930s ocean liner. Don’t forget the restaurant, manned by ex-Bibendum chef Richard Duff, with its exclusive Krug room. The Art Deco décor works to create a special environ with the octagon-shaped dining room, the black and gold color scheme, the Calcutta marble bar, and the black timber floors. The joint is spacious, inviting, and diverse. True, you can’t get a lap dance anymore, but if you’re lucky you can get much more.

36 Bayswater Road     +02 9331 2311

crownbarla.com

The folks behind Winston’s and the Dime have struck gold once more. The third joint in their so-called “hidden neighborhood gem” concept, the Crown Bar takes it to another level. Of course, not many neighborhood bars draw in Lindsay, Paris, and, you guessed it, Britney, but this is LA. Complete with a classic California-American bistro, circa 1940s Tinseltown, the Crown Bar serves finger-licking fare. The oval mahogany bar is the centerpiece here — topped with white marble — but the old school atmosphere doesn’t stop there. Dark wood walls; soft amber sconces and chandeliers; oversized, chesterfield banquets; and a lacquered terra cotta floor make the crowd swoon — not because some girl from The Hills just walked in. There’s a bit of attitude, but it’s not from the staff and it’s still manageable. The feel, the good food, and the DJ spinning (Samatha Ronson if you’re lucky) all come together to create a lounge that works for everyone, whether you’re rolling with a celebutante or not.

7321 Santa Monica Blvd.    323 882 6774

Photography by Zandy Mangold

Let’s face it, not every “club kid” even has a résumé, let alone one that includes YSL, Calvin Klein, Francisco Costa, and Narcisco. Since moonlighting as one-third of the infamous costumed club troop SixSixSick, designer Feng-Feng Yeh (appropriately pronounced Fun-Fun Yeah) has struck out on her own to produce a stunning Spring collection for her debut label Savant.
     Inspired by “medical braces at the turn of the century,” the collection plays beautifully with metaphor, a fleshy palette, ribcage-inspired looks, resin buttons molded from Benadryl tablets, and a bold necklace that mimics a jawbone with pearl teeth. From beneath the neon party flier abyss, Yeh has emerged as the talented party-monger-cum-fashion-designer to watch. While learning the trade through myriad internships, Yeh credits her experiences abroad with teaching her to channel out-of-the-box thinking into her work. Though she studied at FIT, it was her studies abroad at Polimoda in Italy where Yeh did “projects I probably never would have done in NY.” Curriculum vitae aside, boasting Leigh Lezark front row and Ben Cho as mentor pretty much makes you the coolest chick downtown, right? “I’m glad I partied,” Yeh says of her nightlife past. “I had fun, but also networked with a lot of creative people who are helping me now.” With her first collection still riding high from rave reactions, Yeh’s thoughts are drifting to the next. “One of the inspirations next season is black-figure Etruscan pottery — I can’t wait to play with that.”

dulcinea.org

You go to Istanbul, maybe it’s your first time, maybe it’s your tenth, and your peeps tell you to head to a mega-club like Reina and rain cash down on the shores of the Bosporus. But maybe that isn’t your style, maybe you want something else. Good: grab a cab, head to Dulcinea, and get comfortable. The joint has a café and a bar — and small art gallery in the basement — and is the perfect way to soak in slick, diverse Istanbul. Dulcinea, named after Don Quixote’s imaginary lover, never runs short on style and atmosphere and easily slides from a relaxed coffee house vibe to a packed bar to a down-tempo after-party to a tasty lunch spot. The minimalist décor is classic: wood tables and chairs dot the spacious interior, contemporary art hangs on the large walls, and simple hanging lights throw just enough wattage around, leaving plenty of room for the young, hip crowd to get wild. Be yourself, or be someone completely new; no one will care, unless you aren’t having fun.

20 Me_elik Sokak   +90 212 249 8753

badeschiff.at

Okay, the European Cup is over. The streets of Vienna, where the Spanish claimed European victory, have been scrubbed clean and the hooligans (strangely absent without England in the tournament) are back home. But hey, it’s still warm at night and this is still the always-cool capital of Austria. So, grab your swim trunks and your RVCA T-shirt and head to Badeschiff, a converted orange-dipped ship moored on the banks of the Danube. Spend the day in the pool, pop down to the main floor and eat a bratwurst, then run back up to watch the sunset. The heated pool, which is open till well past midnight, is on deck, while the two levels below offer more than a night’s worth of decadent entertainment. At night, the cargo hold is transformed into the main club. Badeschiff’s eclectic nature keeps it packed with the city’s slickest, from club freaks to Viktor and Rolf-clad hipsters. If you’ve never partied on a boat in the summertime with a thousand of your best Austrian friends, this is the place to do it.

Canal between Schwedenplatz and Urania   +4306 99 1513 07 49

bar25.de

Poor landlocked cities. While some hipsters fall from bed to Bondi Beach, others have no white sand to run to during those balmy summer months. But humankind is especially resourceful, and many cities, like Berlin and Paris, have imported all those tiny grains, giving rise to the city beach bar. In Berlin, none of the beach bars can touch Bar 25. It may not be the easiest bar to get into (the bouncers aren’t looking for the prettiest people in the crowd; they’re searching for the right people), but once in, the games begin. The joint has a Wild West feel, with ranch-style décor — and disco balls overhead. Bar 25 is archetypal Berlin: wild, vibrant, unpolished, and real. Join the lawless masses inside: minimalist freaks dancing next to old-time punks next to graffiti artists next to the ultra-chic. Nothing is off-limits, nothing too risqué, and that’s what keeps the Berliners coming back. Stay the whole night at one of the overnight cabins for rent, or leave at dawn and head to another club. This Bacchanalian bar never stops — at least not until winter comes again.

Holzmarktstrasse 25     +49.172.4494058

www.gbardeijing.com

After a long day of watching others strive for perfection at the Olympics in Beijing, it’s only natural that you’ll crave a well-crafted drink to satisfy your thirst. There may be many options in this burgeoning city, but few come with as much style, grace, and quality as Q Bar. The reason is simple: the bartenders. The mixologists, George and Echo, are so deft that they have built this bar into something special. Sometimes patrons have to wait a bit for their drink, but that’s the price of getting an impeccably made cocktail each and every time. Sure, there are other reasons to visit this spot: The panoramic, tree-lined rooftop deck is definitely one; the welcoming atmosphere of locals and expats another. But it’s the signature drinks — like the Q martini (vodka, crushed mint, and vermouth) — that keep the narrow bar full-up. After your thirst is properly slaked, run off to your next event and watch the athletes try to be as flawless.

Nansanlitan Road     +86.10.6595.9239

Mirrored propaganda art, Soviet-themed posters, and chandeliers dusted off from Babushka’s flat adorn the parlor of West Hollywood’s latest Russian-themed hot spot, Bar Lubitsch. Vodka is the beverage of choice and the Bolshevik Propaganda Pamphlet, otherwise known as the bar menu, lists over 200 varieties. From the veteran owners of some of L.A.’s famed watering holes — El Carmen, Good Luck Bar, Jones, and Swingers — Bar Lubitsch is two parts 1917 Soviet speak-easy mixed with one part late, great Hollywood director Ernst Lubitsch. Falling in step with the director’s style, the joint is an upscale locale with a familiar nonchalance and a palpable spark. Celebrities trying to keep a low profile have been spotted among the oversize booths, sipping vodka cocktails that are kitschy throwbacks to the homeland, like the Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger beer, splash of lime juice). In the back room a second bar and intimate tables line the walls to make room for a dance floor where DJs get crowds shaking on late nights and weekends. One bit of advice to capitalize on the communist vibe: Arrive early to avoid lines and stay late toasting za vas to the tsars of yesteryear.

7702 Santa Monica Blvd    +323.654.1234

hotelonrivington.com

Redesigned, renamed, and reopened under the aegis of Henri, Eric, and Stephane, three French nightlife impresarios who, between them, have been responsible for Cielo, Purple, and the sexiest half of last year’s 205 Chrystie craze, 105 Riv is their latest venue. Ostensibly part the of the Rivington Hotel but no longer accessible through it, the newly reincarnated lounge leans more toward cozy and convivial than the all-out debauchery that typified their earlier spots. There’s a glowing, horseshoe bar, a raised lounge area with comfy black leather banquettes, and just enough open space for dancing when the beats hit the mark. In attendance is an eclectic international crowd taking refuge from the overdone tourist-hipster scene swirling on the streets outside. 105 puts its best foot forward on the weekends when DJ Neil and occasionally local favorite Alex from Tokyo spin soulful house music in this low-key but sultry environment. It’s the closest to Europe you can get on the Lower East Side.

105 Rivington Street    +212.475.2600