Here's something that might fit squarely in the only-in-Los Angeles file. Allergan—the maker of Botox—has launched a product called Latisse, an FDA-approved, prescription-only tonic designed to grow longer, fuller eyelashes. Allergan's senior manager of corporate communications, Heather Katt, worked with the Chandler Chicco Agency and Harrison & Shriftman on a launch party that looked sleek while playing up multiple L.A. stereotypes at once.
The party space—an old retail unit at 800 North La Cienega—got a stylized design, with mostly white decor and carpet, and lighting that bathed the rooms in candy hues. Cala lily centerpieces sat in long troughs decorated with a black graphic print, and LED tubes hung from the ceiling for a slightly futuristic look. Drawing inspiration from Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders (designer of Miami's Mondrian hotel), and an all-white minimalist beauty pop-up store he once saw in Japan, Harrison & Shriftman's Ryan Jordan created a look he described as "a futuristic vibe for a revolutionary product, an environment that's very chic and sophisticated, not too clinical or pharmaceutical."
Lab-coat-clad doctors explained (and approved the use of) Latisse for guests. Servers with bright stripes painted across their eyes and temples passed trays—and also bolstered the Zoolander-ish feel of the party.
In the center of the space, photographer Matthew Rolston's museum-like exhibit about the history of eye enhancements and products gave guests a brief education. (Did you know the first false eyelash was featured in D.W. Griffith's 1916 film Intolerance?) Elsewhere, stylists touched up makeup and brows, and a photo station spit out digital prints of guests emblazoned with the Latisse name. At a computer terminal, guests entered their names and contact information in order for Latisse to make donations to Make-a-Wish on their behalf (and to be included on future emailing lists for the product).
Among the crowd of about 250 guests in the celebrity, media, and industry realms were the likes of Angie Harmon, Jewel, and a just-married Mandy Moore.
