••• “The launch of the world’s first Muslim model agency, [at Rare salon] in New York’s fashionable Tribeca district, offered an interesting alternative to the options presented at New York Fashion Week a few blocks uptown. […] The event on Saturday night played host to everyone from a fully veiled woman in black abaya to dramatically coiffed fashionistas (and fashionistos) curious about a groundbreaking project. The founder of the Underwraps agency, Nailah Lymus, is a born-and-bred New York Muslim with a love of fashion and a mission to prove Islam’s worth and tolerance to a city whose inhabitants remain, in many cases, emotionally fragile and somewhat suspicious of Islam more than a decade after the tragic September 11 terrorist attacks. […] The owner of Rare, Fatima Sheikh, agrees. ‘When I met Nailah, I didn’t even realise she was wearing hijab. It just looked so hot that I was like, I love what you’ve got going on!’ Sheikh runs a monthly ‘hijab night,’ during which she blocks off the windows on the premises, allowing local Muslim women to enjoy the benefits of a beauty salon in the privacy required by their beliefs.” —Al Bawaba

••• White & Church has a new bar manager, and no more insects in the drinks. Since the former bar manager was also the chef’s girlfriend, that must have been one awkward transition. —Downtown Express

••• “Combining the lure of the South Street waterfront and the din of the FDR Drive, the city plans to award a franchise for an eatery beneath one of the nation’s busiest highways. The casual modern American restaurant—which has yet to be named—is scheduled to open this summer at Maiden Lane and South Street, pending community-board approval of its liquor license.” —New York Post

••• The hideous Verizon building at 375 Pearl is going to become a data center, just like 60 Hudson and 32 Sixth Ave. “Even the building’s much-maligned facade, with its heavy vertical lines and small windows, is an advantage. ‘It is ironic, because we like the look of the building,’ Mr. Sabey said. ‘It has a good cover that won’t let in a lot of heat gain, and it is very stout—it is really very data-centeresque.'” —The New York Times

Courtesy the Dieline

••• The Dieline hangs out at Sterling Brands, a “branding consultancy” that recently moved to Tribeca. They’re kooky and/or sleepy.

••• “With a $100 million fortune made from selling miniature ceramic houses, Ed Bazinet is one of New York’s richest men. His Tribeca apartment is worth $28 million, and he was featured [in] Richistan, Robert Frank’s 2007 book about the super-wealthy. Two weeks ago, he suffered a manic break and purchased a whopping $20 million worth of expensive kitsch over the course of five days at the New York International Gift Fair.” He’s currently hospitalized. —Gawker

••• Downtown Alliance says “a record-breaking 9.8 million tourists visited Lower Manhattan in 2011, which is 800,000 more than visited in 2010.” —DNAinfo