Nothing says summer like a barbecue block party. And despite the uncharacteristic gloom on Saturday evening, Billy Reid‘s 9th annual Big Apple Bar-B-Q Block Party held at his flagship NY store on Bond St. was in full swing, packed with dapper dudes, stylish ladies, and of course, loads of free booze and delicious BBQ snacks.

The thing we love about Billy Reid‘s bashes is how decidedly un-fashion they are: Burly men slurp up queso unabashedly, women are sporting wingtips instead of stilettos, and there wasn’t a single champagne flute or tuna tartar platter in sight. Most notably, though, is the general feeling of friendliness that Billy Reid, the man, exudes, and which can’t help but permeate the entire party, free margaritas or not (though, of course, the margaritas, basil-lemonade, and delicious slow roasted pulled pork tacos, courtesy of Jim ‘N Nick’s, didn’t hurt!).

The shindig was the perfect way to communicate the brand’s down-home Southern charm, whose authentic, vintage-inspired work and luxury wear is so of-the-moment that even the most glamorous fashion insiders were inspired to ditch their forks and dig, face-first, into their pork-and-cheese filled paper plates. If there ever was an antidote to fashion-industry-overload, this would certainly be it!