In the midst of yet another New England snowstorm, 500 guests headed to Taj Boston to celebrate new beginnings: Lifestyle TV program Style Boston kicked off the new year and its move to a new station—WCVB Channel 5—with a burlesque-themed party that ran an hour longer than expected, with guests staying on the dance floor until 11 p.m.
Style Boston once again called in Creative Events Inc. to produce the event; the company also produced the TV show's one-year anniversary party last year. The invitations called for a "too damn glam" dress code, which translated into everything from denim to cocktail dresses. Taj's chandeliers and black-and-white floor provided a backdrop against entertainment that included table games, a PatrĂłn-sponsored photo booth, two DJs, performance artists, and a makeover station.
Indulgence mixed with philanthropy underscored the evening's entertainment: Casino Productions provided gambling games, including table games like blackjack, and 100 percent of the proceeds from the gaming went to the Women's Lunch Place. Event sponsor Salon Mario Russo hosted a hair-and-makeup station where guests could get red lips and big hair to mirror the evening's theme. The most outside-the-box entertainment? Brooklyn-based performance artists the Bumbys' masked characters judged willing guests by looking them up and down and then typing overall appraisals of them on an old-school typewriter.
Style Boston's TV sponsors, including Audi and Salon Mario Russo, used the party as an opportunity to have a physical presence among the show's viewers: The two companies provided the evening's gift bags. Sponsor branding also doubled as decor, with an Ultimat Vodka ice-sculpture bar and PatrĂłn bottles filled with flowers by Creative Ventures on the bars and cocktail tables throughout the space.