In the year 2005, panthers aren't only found pinned to ladies' lapels. In addition to the gem-encrusted sub-species whose natural habitat is Cartier, the big cats are known to roam Africa's Serengeti. And Cartier's Beverly Hills store was transformed into the Tanzanian national park by Cartier's events team, Christine Goppel, Ashlee Morningstar, and Marian Gulbrandsen, with event planner Ben Bourgeois, in honor of the Paris-based jeweler's 25th anniversary in Los Angeles for a party that also served as a Project A.L.S. benefit. (Cartier made a "generous donation" to the charity, but declined to specify how much.)
Outside the store on Rodeo Drive, a score of men in safari suits wielded torches as guests arriving at the main floor encountered waiters with trays of drinks called Singita Wild Orchids (a vanilla vodka and tangerine juice cocktail topped with a white orchid). That was the first of four signature drinks designed for the evening, as revelers were informed by heavyweight printed cards handed out at the door. On the store mezzanine, guests sipped Zanzibari-Tinis (sorbet martinis with a float of Cartier’s own private-label champagne). On the roof, where people could graze at a caviar bar, bartenders served up Sundowner Cosmos (passion fruit and ginger blended with citron vodka and candied lemon peel).
The evening continued outside, where Brighton Way was shut down and transformed into an elegant patch of Africa. Under trees festooned with chandeliers were brown banquettes topped with raw silk pillows in marigold with a rose sheen. Panels decorated with twigs lent a rustic look to the three bars—for drinks, seafood, and sushi, the latter served by the restaurant Matsuhisa—and the cocktail tables, which were topped with green orchids. Models wearing Cartier jewels and animal-print gowns posed on fake boulders, while waiters circulated with hors d’oeuvres of Moroccan chicken tarts and beef carpaccio as well as Seregenti Sodas (rooibos tea and extra dry Bombay Sapphire gin with a splash of tonic and fresh mint).
Pop and blues singer Leata Galloway performed at a stage at one end of Little Serengeti. At 9:30 PM, the sound of thunder crashed over the loudspeakers and foliage was removed to reveal another stage at the far end, where Lauryn Hill brought the evening to a climax. Women among the 500 guests—who included Cartier clients and execs, press, and socialites—left with slender animal-print fabric bracelets.
—Irene Lacher
Photos: Nadine Froger Photography
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Outside the store on Rodeo Drive, a score of men in safari suits wielded torches as guests arriving at the main floor encountered waiters with trays of drinks called Singita Wild Orchids (a vanilla vodka and tangerine juice cocktail topped with a white orchid). That was the first of four signature drinks designed for the evening, as revelers were informed by heavyweight printed cards handed out at the door. On the store mezzanine, guests sipped Zanzibari-Tinis (sorbet martinis with a float of Cartier’s own private-label champagne). On the roof, where people could graze at a caviar bar, bartenders served up Sundowner Cosmos (passion fruit and ginger blended with citron vodka and candied lemon peel).
The evening continued outside, where Brighton Way was shut down and transformed into an elegant patch of Africa. Under trees festooned with chandeliers were brown banquettes topped with raw silk pillows in marigold with a rose sheen. Panels decorated with twigs lent a rustic look to the three bars—for drinks, seafood, and sushi, the latter served by the restaurant Matsuhisa—and the cocktail tables, which were topped with green orchids. Models wearing Cartier jewels and animal-print gowns posed on fake boulders, while waiters circulated with hors d’oeuvres of Moroccan chicken tarts and beef carpaccio as well as Seregenti Sodas (rooibos tea and extra dry Bombay Sapphire gin with a splash of tonic and fresh mint).
Pop and blues singer Leata Galloway performed at a stage at one end of Little Serengeti. At 9:30 PM, the sound of thunder crashed over the loudspeakers and foliage was removed to reveal another stage at the far end, where Lauryn Hill brought the evening to a climax. Women among the 500 guests—who included Cartier clients and execs, press, and socialites—left with slender animal-print fabric bracelets.
—Irene Lacher
Photos: Nadine Froger Photography
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