| EVENT REPORT 03.06.06 9:00 PM |
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| The Biggest Oscar Party Is All About Vanity |
| The magazine's much-hyped annual Academy Awards bash pulled out all its now-standard tricks, putting the title's name all over the party at Morton's. |
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| Even with all the A-list celebrities at the Vanity Fair Oscar bash—the 900-pound gorilla of the evening's events—the biggest marquee name was, well, Vanity Fair. Even before guests made it inside the party at Morton's, they were greeted with the magazine's name constructed out of myrtle topiary lettering that was 30 feet long and 10 feet high, a familiar touch from years past. Above that, the magazine's logo was projected in lights on the front of the famous entertainment industry eatery. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | | Vanity Fair announced its Oscar bash—to anyone who hadn't heard—with its name constructed out of 30-foot high myrtle topiary lettering and projected in lights on the front of Morton's. |
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 | | The mag's name decked a room divider overlooking a cluster of tables. |
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 | | Tables were covered in simple white cloths with centerpieces of parchment-covered table lamps surrounded by cherry brandy roses. |
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 | | The evening's treats included cookies stenciled with the cover of the magazine's annual Hollywood issue. |
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Inside the restaurant, there it was again on a room divider overlooking the cluster of tables where 150 guests gathered to watch the show over dinner served by Morton's chef Michael Haren (800 more would join them later for the after-party). Vanity Fair was etched on such tabletop items as Baccarat ashtrays and custom-made Zippo lighters (which were also engraved with the Noel Coward quote, "I've been to a marvelous party."). And of course, there were the traditional cookies stenciled with the image of the magazine's annual Hollywood cover, which this year featured Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson au naturel, as well as covers dating back to the 20's.
The hearty dinner menu included burrata with a salad of red and yellow tomatoes, New York strip steak with spinach and French fries, thyme-encrusted tuna with a fondue of leeks and rice, butternut squash ravioli with sage sauce, and apple tart with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. The party palette selected by the magazine's director of special events, Sara Marks, was spare and clean. Tables were covered in simple white cloths with centerpieces of parchment-covered table lamps surrounded by cherry brandy roses from McQueen's in London.
The roses made an encore in the 7,000-square-foot tent attached to the back of the restaurant that was transformed into a gigantic living room for the teeming post-party. The tent's walls consisted of two layers of jute with lighting inserted between the layers. A blanket of two-foot-long triangles laid in a grid and suspended at varying heights made the ceiling look as though it was undulating. Wheat- and cream-colored sofas and ottomans sat atop bamboo flooring. To make the cavernous space seem more intimate, soft lighting filtered through the parchment-covered table lamps scattered throughout.
—Irene Lacher
Posted 03.07.06
Photos: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage
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