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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