The four-inch deep river pouring down the curb would have been more charming by a campfire. It wasn't just the members of the press corps who found themselves in the gutter; Mother Nature had some tricks to play on the red carpet high ground as well. A sloping sidewalk and sheer volume of rain sent sheets of water down the subsurface of the carpet, making it slosh like a wet towel - not a good situation for clutzes.

If a little rain outside makes the average party rock harder within, the downpour turned the inside of Cipriani into a party pressure cooker, cooking up the best of everything. A-list celebs splashed their way through the wind and an audacious array of red roses, green gardenias and eucalyptus that graced the tent interior, taking time to say a few kind words for the birthday boy.

"You know, when we all enjoy time with music celebrities and we all come out, it's all about crossing boundaries and helping each other out," explained football player Donnie Jones, formerly of the Giants, about the mix of stardom, sports, fashion and otherwise making their way into Cipriani. Donnie showed off a fine red bow tie of his own design and was proud to boast his own line of them.

Slow jam mood-setter and general heartbreaker Tyrese stepped out in a white silk suit and offered a toast to Puffy. "I wish him 35 more years of being on top of whatever he puts his fingers on. I wish him that: his focus for whatever he is working on. For R&B you need that, to see the details," he said.

Sean John, Puffy's fashion line, benefits from a similar perfectionism. As of this coming season, Combs intends to outfit his casualwear customers in high-quality tailored suits with a new line, Sean John Tailoring. Businessmen not already inclined towards his label are likely to tear down the doors of the Sean John store on 5th Avenue and 41st, wanting suits that project the strong dignity of Sean John Tailoring and the mystique of virility surrounding all things hip-hop.

While Combs celebrated his birthday in characteristic high style, other famous New Yorkers at the party offered their own approach to birthdays.

"Pray that next year's going to be even better than the last," said ultimate New Yorker Donna Karan when asked about her birthday rituals.

"Two years ago when I celebrated my 50th, I dragged the fashion community out," said designer Betsey Johnson in defense of ostentation, adding, "Birthdays are a big deal to me."

Zac Posen offered a different take. "I like to surprise myself on my birthday. I think age is irrelevant. It's all about how you feel," he said. Zac Posen is currently building out his line, introducing casualwear within the Zac Posen Collection "...within the next few weeks. We've got the thinnest sexiest cotton in the world and I am in collaboration with other artists for the fall collection."

Some spirits were low, and not just about the weather. Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue celebrated her own birthday the day before, but she admitted feeling somewhat cursed this year having her birthday fall in the wake of such a divisive election. "Well, it was my birthday yesterday and I was so depressed. I just stayed in bed all day," she said.

Ice-T must have seen it all coming, because he seemed in good spirits. He joked that he wanted a gift bag with a Rolex, though he was already dripping in diamonds. His curvy and fantastic companion Coco wore a crazy contraption of her own design.

"I'm having one next week but I'm not having [a party]," declared Victoria Gotti of A&E’s "Growing Up Gotti" about her own birthday. She told FWD about her jaw dropping diamond choker, joking in mildly mobster fashion, "Each one of these rocks is 25 carats. I'm told if I lose the necklace I'm better off to lose my throat."

Jacob the Jeweler, always a very popular source for dazzling jewelry, has created pieces for Puffy, Slick Rick and a huge number of other stars. "I made some very very special cufflinks that he's going to keep forever. So that is my gift to him. I treated him like a king. He also has a ring on tonight that is set like a crown because he is the king of the night," he said.

Still, it's not a party until a boob pops out from someone's designer dress, a fate Tara Reid suffered on the red carpet. Foul could be called if it seemed in any way to be a Janet Jackson (news)-style act of attention desperation. But no. It was clearly a simple accident and she was quickly rescued by friends.