Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has been spotted partying with the 'it' crowd at an exclusive New York rooftop lounge, landing on the Instagram page of supermodel Bambi Northwood-Blyth. The image, posted after midnight local time, showed Ms Bishop at the Top of the Standard, also known as the Boom Boom Room, alongside Northwood-Blyth's husband Dan Single, male model Jordan Barrett, and fashion store owner Pete Maiden.
The Instagram post, captioned 'WELCOME TO NEW YORK, WELCOME TO NEW YORK' followed by emojis, attracted over 2,000 'likes' before being deleted on Monday. A second image showed Ms Bishop with Australian transgender supermodel Andreja Pejić, while another captured her embracing Jordan Barrett. Her partner David Panton appeared in all three photos.
The Top of the Standard Hotel is invitation-only after 10pm and is known as a celebrity hotspot, frequented by Madonna, Lindsay Lohan, and Jared Leto. Ms Bishop also visited Jimmy at the James, an 18th-storey venue, during the same evening. She is in the US promoting Australian innovation as part of G'DAY USA week, also attending events with V Files, a fashion networking platform.
The Foreign Minister and her department have faced criticism for spending taxpayer money on fashion events. Last year, Australian diplomats hosted 15 fashion events globally, with DFAT estimating $300,000 could be spent this year. The G'DAY USA Australian Fashion Showcase at LA Fashion Week cost $120,000, partly funded by DFAT.
