'Virtual Guest List' Apps Will Make It A Lot Tougher To Gate-Crash A Party

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New York Fashion Week is officially under way, and this year's shows and after-parties are bound to be more exclusive than ever.

Like any high-profile event, it's inevitable that someone will try to crash the front door.

But crashers be warned: A new crop of apps that act as "virtual guest lists" will make entry more difficult for the uninvited. Apps like Zkipster, Fashion GPS, and Splash use cloud-based guest lists that bouncers and event organizers can access on a tablet or phone.

zkipster.comHere's what zFace looks like on a tablet and on a phone.

According to The New York Times, a new addition to Zkipster's app called zFace will be used to control Fashion Week crowds. ZFace uses Microsoft Bing to put a face to a name, making it more likely bouncers will be able to instantly identify wannabes.

ZFace debuted in December at Art Basel Miami Beach, where mobs of hopefuls lined up outside a Dom Pérignon party.

"A 20-something girl came up to me claiming she was Marina Abramovic," Laura Ledesma, a publicist who does public relations work for Zkipster with Nadine Johnson and Associates, said to the New York Times.

Marina Abramovic is a performance artist who was born in 1946. "I showed her the photo on the iPad and said, 'Are you crazy? Get out of here," Ledesma said.

There's also Fashion GPS, which will set up invitations and online guest lists during Made Fashion Week, and Seven Rooms, an online service that helps top nightclubs like Lavo and Marquee accommodate their VIP guests.

Some crashers could still find a way to make it in, however.

"I don't think we can kill gate-crashing 100 percent. We just made a tool to make it much harder in the future," David Becker, a founder of Zkipster, said to the New York Times. "If people are still smart enough to crash the gate with faces on the list, they should go for it. I think it's a beautiful sport."