Donatella Versace's New York Minute (Fashion Wire Daily)

New York - Life for Donatella Versace during the last ten years has been nothing if not dramatic. Shes been parodied on "Saturday Night Live," shes publicly battled drug addiction and shes been the primary creative force behind the whole Versace empire since Gianni Versace was murdered in 1997. With her unmistakable blonde mane, Barbie doll proportions and glittery roster of celebrity friends, shes arguably the most visible and well-known female designer in the world.

So even if menswear collection launch in a department store doesnt sound like the most thrilling event in the world, when its helmed by no less than Donatella Versace herself, a cocktail party held in her honor becomes a mega-happening, inspiring one of the more eclectic and dynamic set of guests than your average store party.

Every spectrum of American entertainment was represented on Tuesday night, March 18, at Barneys New York, from actors Alan Cumming and Kyle MacLachlan, to "Gossip Girl" Leighton Meester, to R&B legend Patti Labelle and rap phenom Busta Rhymes, happily posing for photos with fans as his bodyguard looked on. Two NBA basketball players ? the Atlanta Hawks Zaza Pachulia and Al Horford, in town to play the Nets and the Knicks this week ? towered over diminutive fashionistas. Even the famously reclusive Woody Allen made a brief appearance with his wife Soon-Yi Previn.

For Versace, the entertainment highlight of her stay in New York will be seeing Patti Labelle.

"Shes an icon!" Versace said, clad in a skin-tight black sheath dress and sky-high patent leather platform stilettos, her hair wavy with long, straight bangs obscuring her eyes.

Barneys New York will be the exclusive department store retailer of the Versace mens collection in New York, though the full line is carried in the Versace boutique in town as well.

"Barneys is one of my favorite department stores," said Versace. "I love everything."

That night, Versace even took a turn as a live model of a Versace display for the benefit of curious passerby and Donatella fans. Posing in one of the stores famous windows designed by Barneys creative director Simon Doonan, Versace played up her status as a design icon.

Recently, Versace brought on menswear design darling Alexander Plokhov as a consultant. Plokhov, whose critically-acclaimed line Cloak garnered him a CFDA Perry Ellis award for menswear design in 2005, recently shuttered his business. But clearly Versace saw a sensibility in the Russian-born designer that would infuse new life into the mens collection.

"I knew his line Cloak and I thought he was very, very talented," said Versace. "We give something to each other. I gave him colors, he gave me fantastic tailoring."

And how was it for formerly indie designer Plokhov to work with a major fashion house like Versace?

"Well, apparently fine!" said Plokhov. "I cannot complain. I just wanted to do something different, and use the expertise and incorporate the heritage. Its a mixed bag, but hopefully it looks good. What do I know? I think its a challenge for every designer to keep doing the same thing. For me, its boring. I know sometimes it sounds like a cop-out from your earlier principles, but on the other hand, as long as you keep working and doing the things you like, who cares."