For its Hot Hollywood party, Us Weekly uses the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it approach. The magazine's formula is to bring as many of the celebs who deck its pages as possible to the most buzzed-about new venue in town. For last night's event, the mag used the same plan, only the party took over a new restaurant, Eva Longoria Parker's Beso, instead of a nightclub (last year's party was at Opera and Crimson).
Gina Schramm from the magazine oversaw the event, which honored celebrity designers, as well as more plebeian designers and their celebrity muses (Us' editorial choices). The weekly's style icon of the year honoree, Heidi Klum, plus celebrity designer of the year Lauren Conrad were among the attendees."Their formula is [to] pick the hottest, latest, newest venue, get a really hot DJ, and then have the honorees," said Cara Kleinhaut, whose Caravents is the party's producer. "This year is very similar in form, but the people change, the venue changes. Our mandate from the beginning was to really increase the production value, to make it look high end, but still have all these different advertisers represented. It's a lot to meld into one event, one space. Opera and Crimson had red python and fur on the walls, so that was interesting. [At Beso] we have a really nice, neutral palette."
A 60-foot press wall led celebrity guests and V.I.P.s straight into a gifting suite, and the non-famous invited guests used a separate entrance for access to the restaurant. Inside, subtle sponsor integration was the name of the game; signage was at a minimum. Caravents integrated the products of sponsors like Zune into displays that included the product plus orchids and crushed glass. Svedka sponsored the bars, and dummy bottles alongside orchids kept the look uncluttered. "There aren't a lot of names splashed all over the place," Kleinhaut said. "You have advertiser integration, but there are no banners, no [obstrusive] names."
Gina Schramm from the magazine oversaw the event, which honored celebrity designers, as well as more plebeian designers and their celebrity muses (Us' editorial choices). The weekly's style icon of the year honoree, Heidi Klum, plus celebrity designer of the year Lauren Conrad were among the attendees."Their formula is [to] pick the hottest, latest, newest venue, get a really hot DJ, and then have the honorees," said Cara Kleinhaut, whose Caravents is the party's producer. "This year is very similar in form, but the people change, the venue changes. Our mandate from the beginning was to really increase the production value, to make it look high end, but still have all these different advertisers represented. It's a lot to meld into one event, one space. Opera and Crimson had red python and fur on the walls, so that was interesting. [At Beso] we have a really nice, neutral palette."
A 60-foot press wall led celebrity guests and V.I.P.s straight into a gifting suite, and the non-famous invited guests used a separate entrance for access to the restaurant. Inside, subtle sponsor integration was the name of the game; signage was at a minimum. Caravents integrated the products of sponsors like Zune into displays that included the product plus orchids and crushed glass. Svedka sponsored the bars, and dummy bottles alongside orchids kept the look uncluttered. "There aren't a lot of names splashed all over the place," Kleinhaut said. "You have advertiser integration, but there are no banners, no [obstrusive] names."
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Photo: Line 8 Photography