Mona Lisa Smile may depict the buttoned-up, 1950's era of Wellesley College, but the movie's premiere party was all about letting loose. The 800 guests at the party—including, of course, the movie's stars Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst and Marcia Gay Harden—found the Plaza Hotel's Palm Court transformed into a Copacabana-style club replete with feather palm trees, hot pink lights and cigarette girls. "We were going for a supper clubby feel," said event designer Roy Braeger.
Braeger worked with Sony director of special events Alison Bossert and event producer Chris Benarroch of Benarroch Productions to create a pink, black and white color scheme in the main room. Mirror balls and Lux Lighting's hot pink gels gave the main room and dance floor a sense of energy, as well as a sexy glow. Cocktail tables were dressed with black tablecloths studded with gold, electric table lamps and glass jars filled with water and floating gardenias—flowers that play prominently in the film.
The adjacent V.I.P. room, which was heavily guarded but open to view, had an altogether different feel. Braeger played off of the golden amber ambience that already existed in the room. Huge round bouquets of white hydrangeas and amber-colored votive candle holders served as centerpieces on the tables reserved for the Julias, while a stunning gold crystal tower atop a table of desserts commanded the center of the room. Surrounding the tables were gold-and-red decorated Christmas trees.
The guests, V.I.P. and otherwise, were treated to plenty of champagne and a buffet dinner that included beef stroganoff and Chilean sea bass, as well as a raw bar and salads with mozzarella, tomato and basil. (Patrick Swayze seemed to enjoy the fare.)
Adding to the supper club feel were cigarette girls—offering candy cigs and bubblegum cigars, in accordance with Mayor Bloomberg's anti-smoking laws—and four gents dressed as fedora-wearing, Polaroid-toting photographers. Throughout the evening, they snapped pics of the guests, and Dunst and friends hammed it up for the lens. Rather than hiring models from a staffing agency, Braeger says the costumed crew were just "friends of friends." Given the A-list atmosphere, they were probably more than happy to help.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
Braeger worked with Sony director of special events Alison Bossert and event producer Chris Benarroch of Benarroch Productions to create a pink, black and white color scheme in the main room. Mirror balls and Lux Lighting's hot pink gels gave the main room and dance floor a sense of energy, as well as a sexy glow. Cocktail tables were dressed with black tablecloths studded with gold, electric table lamps and glass jars filled with water and floating gardenias—flowers that play prominently in the film.
The adjacent V.I.P. room, which was heavily guarded but open to view, had an altogether different feel. Braeger played off of the golden amber ambience that already existed in the room. Huge round bouquets of white hydrangeas and amber-colored votive candle holders served as centerpieces on the tables reserved for the Julias, while a stunning gold crystal tower atop a table of desserts commanded the center of the room. Surrounding the tables were gold-and-red decorated Christmas trees.
The guests, V.I.P. and otherwise, were treated to plenty of champagne and a buffet dinner that included beef stroganoff and Chilean sea bass, as well as a raw bar and salads with mozzarella, tomato and basil. (Patrick Swayze seemed to enjoy the fare.)
Adding to the supper club feel were cigarette girls—offering candy cigs and bubblegum cigars, in accordance with Mayor Bloomberg's anti-smoking laws—and four gents dressed as fedora-wearing, Polaroid-toting photographers. Throughout the evening, they snapped pics of the guests, and Dunst and friends hammed it up for the lens. Rather than hiring models from a staffing agency, Braeger says the costumed crew were just "friends of friends." Given the A-list atmosphere, they were probably more than happy to help.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
Cigarette girls—with candy cigarettes and bubblegum cigars—were part of the 50's supper club theme for the Mona Lisa Smile premiere party at the Plaza Hotel.
Fluffy white feathers inside gold vases topped a low wall.
Lux Lighting lit the room with hot pink lights.
A stunning gold crystal tower atop a table of desserts commanded the center of the room.
