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"  As part of my job at BAZAAR, I cover industry events that range from full-on black-tie galas to post-work cocktail parties and dinners that sometimes book up to three or four stops a night. On the occasion that I&amp;#039;m invited without a guest and my fellow editors are schmoozing elsewhere, I&amp;#039;m often left to navigate the scene solo. It&amp;#039;s not always easy, but after two years of countless RSVPs, I&amp;#039;d like to think that I can gracefully master any social situation\u2014even without a safety friend. Last night, while I was covering the New Yorkers for Children Gala, a beautiful model who I had stopped for a quick photo confided in me that for the first time, she was attending an event by herself. Usually she&amp;#039;d be accompanied by someone from her agency or a friend, so she wasn&amp;#039;t quite sure how to go it alone. I offered her a little advice I&amp;#039;ve learned along the way (that doesn&amp;#039;t include texting on your iPhone incessantly or overstaying your welcome at the bar). Here, my six easy tips for successfully attending a party or event stag.  1.) Do your research: Find out who else is attending, as well as information about the event. If it&amp;#039;s a charity, it&amp;#039;s good to understand the cause that is important to so many people. I always inquire about VIP guests, and if it&amp;#039;s a sit-down dinner, I ask if there will be any other editors attending. Once you know who is going to be there, you can pick out a few approachable names to introduce yourself to when you arrive. This also goes for house or holiday parties\u2014most hosts love to share who is on their well-crafted guest list. Any event invites received via Facebook always makes this an easy task. 2.) Dress appropriately: Make sure you&amp;#039;re dressed comfortably and properly for the occasion. There&amp;#039;s nothing worse than feeling underdressed or overdressing, which can zap your confidence as soon as you enter the room. Most post-work cocktail parties don&amp;#039;t really require a major dress, more a fashionable ensemble with a day-to-night addition like killer heels, bold jewelry or red lipstick. Cocktails later in the evening (and later in the week), might call for a quick stop at home to change into your go-to LBD. Also, black tie doesn&amp;#039;t always mean floor length, but go for a truly dressy dress if you go short. I often look at pictures from the event the year before to gauge my look when I am unsure. When in doubt, ask the host! 3.) Ask the host to make introductions: An easy way to make a connection is by having your host or hostess (or in my case, a publicist) make an introduction with someone who is involved in the event. You both have the party in common, so start there. Talk about the food, the wine, the decor, even the fellow guests if you must! 4.) Have an ice breaker: It could be as easy as complimenting someone&amp;#039;s shoes or hair. Flattery is truly the perfect way to start a conversation. 5.) Hang by the bar: It&amp;#039;s usually the most highly-trafficked area at an event and full of the most relaxed people. Join the crowd for a drink, but be careful not to drink your loneliness away. 6.) Bare all the details: Don&amp;#039;t be afraid to say something a little out there or personal to a group of guests to truly break the ice and start a possible friendship. Last night, for instance, a guy I had dated sent me a rather embarrassing text that was meant for another girl. I used it to my advantage and showed other guests at the table his faux pas, to which we all had a nice laugh. In short, hitting the scene alone can be invigorating and exciting. You never know whose path you will cross, what the night will bring and what new friends are just around the corner. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a2130/how-to-survive-a-party-alone/>