Part of our list of New York's Top 10 Event Designers.
Company: Preston Bailey Entertainment Design
Why He's Here: Bailey’s inventive, fantastical designs have graced countless magazine pages and television segments on event style. Oprah Winfrey—the tastemaker herself—hired Bailey for the launch and first anniversary parties for her magazine, and said at the anniversary, “He did things with flowers that
I didn’t know could happen.”
What He Does: When he’s not planning elaborate celebrity weddings—most recently Donald Trump’s—he’s doing events for clients like Saks Fifth Avenue, Credit Suisse First Boston, Paramount Pictures, and numerous Fortune 500 companies. For a W Hotels event, Bailey created delicate lampshade centerpieces of lemon leaves and white roses. At the premiere party for Universal Pictures’ Red Dragon, his luxe, towering floral arrangements adorned the buffet table.
Background: Bailey has been a model, clothing store owner, and NYU set design student. “I fell into [event design] by accident. I needed a job, and a friend who’s an interior designer recommended that I do flowers for his clients.”
Age: 55
Trademarks: “Abundance,” Bailey says. Dense, lush, layered looks are his signature. “We like to transform a room. The goal is to disorient [guests]. They’ll walk into a room and not know where they are.”
His Style, His Words: “I believe in quantity. I believe in drama. I think more is more, but keep it restrained enough that it’s elegant.”
—Suzanne Ito
Posted 04.06.05
Photo: John Labbe (W Hotels)
This story originally appeared in the February/March 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.
