The midnight turf battle erupted when Axl moved Hilfiger's girlfriend's drink in the banquette area of The Plumm nightclub on West 14th Street - where the "Rent" actress was celebrating her 27th birthday.
A densely packed crowd of celebs - including Lenny Kravitz and Kid Rock - had ringside seats to the battle.
The feisty fashionista was acting all gangsta, hitting Axl with a flurry of punches, one that landed under Rose's eye.
"First [Axl and Tommy] were sitting. Then they were pulling on each other . . . It got so out of control," said a shocked witness.
As the punch-up escalated, Hilfiger introduced Rose to some "November Pain" with a blow to the cheek. Club guards quickly tried to separate the men.
"A bunch of security ran over - but Tommy would not back down. He was just out to take him down," the witness said.
"Kid Rock got trampled by people running over. It was unbelievable."
Eventually, the designer's own bodyguard pulled him out of the club.
Yesterday, club owner Noel Ashman pointed the finger at Hilfiger: "Axl was a gentleman and had the good sense not to retaliate, as he would have done some serious damage to Hilfiger."
Rose said the attack was unprovoked, in an interview with The Post in his dressing room.
The singer said Hilfiger may have been angry because he'd been told to move to make room for Rose and his entourage.
Rose described Hilfiger as "foaming at the mouth."
When Rose took the stage a few minutes later to perform the song "You're Crazy," he dedicated it "to my good friend Tommy Hilfiger."
Kid Rock, wearing a black-brimmed hat and smoking a cigar, took his fellow rocker's side, and explained that Hilfiger was upset because he is way further down on the fame food chain.
The hierarchy, according to Kid Rock, begins with mere mortals and works its way up to sports stars.
"After that it's movie stars, then rock stars, then Michael Jordan." Hilfiger is somewhere between a mere mortal and a sports star in this ranking.
Lenny Kravitz seemed to side with Hilfiger, and also fled the club soon after Hilfiger got the heave-ho.
Hilfiger's peeps would not comment yesterday.
The funny thing is, now that axl rose is doing the "rock in rio festival" he now gets all this publicity.
This is like the third time I’ve seen him in the news in the last couple of days. Actually it's not funny at all, it's stereotypical.
But anyways, it's good that axl is finally getting back into the spotlight, he sure has been out for a long time...
I don't know the exact age difference between the two, but it seems like a stupid thing for hilfiger to pick a fight with rose.
And rose seems like a pussy for just taking it and not defending himself, and don't give me that gentleman shit.
If someone starts a fight with you and you don't defend yourself, in my humble opinion, your a pussy.
