How to Crash a Black-tie Party

People seem to have a perverse respect for party crashers. The more brash and audacious the attempt, the better. Stories about uninvited guests cutting in on the dance floor with starlets are legendary. Although crashing is not an entirely riskless enterprise, at a black-tie party (besides the Oscars) most unwelcome visitors are simply booted. It's fun. Besides, you could save yourself about $200.

First, you need to do your homework. Who went last year? Where is it this year? Which entrances will be used? What is the security like? Look up the prior year's newspaper society pages to get a sense for some of the guest names. Then cruise by and take a look the day of the party. Make careful note of the entrances and exits, including service areas. Generally speaking, the bigger the party, the more sophisticated the security. While party-crashing is easier than it looks, gaining entrance to a respectable event does require a healthy dose of chutzpah. Here are some tactics that have been known to work.

Do the Rich Little

Impersonation is the most brazen approach to party crashing. Armed with one of the guest names from last year, you simply walk up to the entrance and casually announce that you are "Mr. Big Giver." If the door person knows Mr. Big Giver, you are sunk. If not, you are in. (If there is a reasonable chance of detection, you may want to try Mr. Medium Giver instead.)

The obvious downside to this approach is that if Mr. Big (or Medium) Giver has already checked in or is not on the list, then you are probably headed home-unless you can talk your way in. A virtuoso crasher in New York repeatedly gained entry to parties by claiming to be the son of socialite Dianne Von Furstenberg. It was reported in the New York Observer that once, when a doorman who knew that the real Alex Von Furstenberg was out of town confronted him, the quick-thinking poseur reportedly shot back that people often mistook him for Ms. Furstenberg's son, but that his name was spelled First-enberg.

Name-drop with a vengeance

Another relatively high-risk, but effective tactic is to throw big names around. For example, "Oh, I must be on the list, Ms. Party Coordinator said she would be certain to give you my name," or "I'm Mr. Fatcat's sonin- law." If you can read upside down, try to get a peek at the list, "There I am, Mr. Noshow." Talking fast is essential. If you time it right, the door personnel may let you in just to keep from holding up the line.

Blend in with the scenery

Another effective means of gaining admittance is to blend right in. Be careful how you go about it, though. Do not linger on the periphery of a party waiting for an opportunity. Security personnel are trained to look for malingerers who try this exact approach. A better way is to arrive near the main entrance and stride purposefully up to the door. If things get really hopping, you may just slide by. Some gatecrashers even add the over-the-top theatrics of hiring photographers to pretend they are paparazzi photographing a celebrity. As you arrive, photographers pop out of the bushes and start firing electronic flashes. The crowd is likely to be mystified, but the doormen may be too, and that's the idea. Expert crashers also suggest coming mid-way through the party. There is a chance the door people have moved inside, or stopped paying attention as some guests have come and gone already. If questioned, you can say you went to get something out of your car, make a phone call, etc.

Smoke if you got 'em

One of the most effective techniques is available to smokers. In our nonsmoking society, even big donors have to stand outside in the cold to take a drag. Come by after the party has started and locate the smokers' area outside. Slide as gracefully as you can into the group with a cigarette in your mouth and strike up a conversation with a fellow smoker. When your "friend" heads back in, just follow. As you slip by the security guard, say something like, "Enjoy the party. See you later."

Keep them entertained

You could also emulate an intrepid fellow in Boston in his 60s who famously crashes only the best parties in town. Although notorious on the Brahmin social party circuit, the guy is rarely ejected, apparently because he provides a valuable service by dancing with all the ladies. Clubfooted husbands gladly turn their wives over to the crashing hoofer for a few twirls to spare them the embarrassment.