When it comes to events—be it store openings or product launches—Louis Vuitton has a history of going all out. (Recall the October 2002 launch of the Tambour watch line at Capitale, which featured Cirque du Soleil-style aerial entertainment, and the previous June's watch launch with handbags glued to the ceiling, or the much-fussed-over 1999 opening party for parent company LVMH's Midtown tower.) So when the luxury goods retailer planned a two-pronged party to celebrate the opening of its new Fifth Avenue store and its 150th anniversary, a to-die-for fete was de rigueur. And Louis Vuitton director of special events Sandra Mariniello pulled off a marketing-minded bash with plenty of stylish touches—and a few surreal ones.
Guests started the evening by lining up outside the new Fifth Avenue store, where they had to walk through the shop before learning of the top-secret location of the second part of the party. On the way out, they received special LV-branded bracelets and cards directing them to Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park. Next a car service shuffled them across town, where a huge white tent covering the park was fully branded with a visual homage to Vuitton: Projected video images moved across the tent's outer walls, and as you walked up the stairs into the opening, it felt as if you were walking directly into a movie screen.
Inside guests passed through a curtain of dangling silver chains shaped like the print on Vuitton bags. Further inside the cavernous space, the branding was subtler: The carpet bore the familiar brown-and-beige check pattern, with only occasional squares proclaiming "Louis Vuitton Paris" on them. And the Vuitton print logo appeared on two long, white, under-lit Lucite bars that flanked both sides of the space and similar white tables grouped among lounge-style banquettes and ottomans in brown, white and burgundy. Johnny and Nikki Harrison of Harrison & Harrison Consultants were in charge of the design of the space, and they brought the set-up to New York from New Zealand. Inside Out Productions and KCD helped implement the production locally.
But the real surprise wasn't the d?cor, it was the mix of performance art-style entertainment. Midway through the evening, the giant stage that had been empty for the night suddenly came to life. Models dressed as old-fashioned travelers carrying Louis Vuitton luggage moved in and out of the video screen wall. (In one scenario, models moved up a "gangplank" escalator and into an opening in the wall—from the audience's standpoint, they walked onto a steamer ship that was being projected on the wall by video.) Acrobats jumped out of spaces in the wall, down onto hidden trampolines and flipped in synchronicity with the music and each other. And as a finale, a gospel choir belted out "Oh, Happy Day" as a makeshift Eiffel Tower constructed completely of Louis Vuitton luggage rose up from the ground, and the crowd cheered wildly. (Who says Americans hate the French?)
Caterer Olivier Cheng's menu included such hearty hors d'oeuvres as truffled grilled cheese sandwiches with celery relish, jicama lotus root dumplings, wild mushroom pizzettes with fromage blanc and hazelnuts, seared rare tuna 'nicoise' on a pomme frite, lobster and daikon summer rolls with ginger lime sauce and foie gras pistachio 'truffles' with mango chutney. When it came time to switch from savory to sweet, caterwaiters passed out assorted macaroons in silver bowls, ginger cr?me brulee tuile cones, red wine pear soup and mini chocolate ?clairs.
There were no gift bags, but guests didn't leave empty-handed. Starting at about 12:30 AM, caterwaiters posted outside passed out eight-ounce to-go cups of hot cocoa to departing partygoers. Not exactly a Murakami bag, alas, but still satisfying.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
Read our coverage of Louis Vuitton's Tambour watch line launch...
Read our coverage of another Louis Vuitton watch line launch...
Guests started the evening by lining up outside the new Fifth Avenue store, where they had to walk through the shop before learning of the top-secret location of the second part of the party. On the way out, they received special LV-branded bracelets and cards directing them to Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park. Next a car service shuffled them across town, where a huge white tent covering the park was fully branded with a visual homage to Vuitton: Projected video images moved across the tent's outer walls, and as you walked up the stairs into the opening, it felt as if you were walking directly into a movie screen.
Inside guests passed through a curtain of dangling silver chains shaped like the print on Vuitton bags. Further inside the cavernous space, the branding was subtler: The carpet bore the familiar brown-and-beige check pattern, with only occasional squares proclaiming "Louis Vuitton Paris" on them. And the Vuitton print logo appeared on two long, white, under-lit Lucite bars that flanked both sides of the space and similar white tables grouped among lounge-style banquettes and ottomans in brown, white and burgundy. Johnny and Nikki Harrison of Harrison & Harrison Consultants were in charge of the design of the space, and they brought the set-up to New York from New Zealand. Inside Out Productions and KCD helped implement the production locally.
But the real surprise wasn't the d?cor, it was the mix of performance art-style entertainment. Midway through the evening, the giant stage that had been empty for the night suddenly came to life. Models dressed as old-fashioned travelers carrying Louis Vuitton luggage moved in and out of the video screen wall. (In one scenario, models moved up a "gangplank" escalator and into an opening in the wall—from the audience's standpoint, they walked onto a steamer ship that was being projected on the wall by video.) Acrobats jumped out of spaces in the wall, down onto hidden trampolines and flipped in synchronicity with the music and each other. And as a finale, a gospel choir belted out "Oh, Happy Day" as a makeshift Eiffel Tower constructed completely of Louis Vuitton luggage rose up from the ground, and the crowd cheered wildly. (Who says Americans hate the French?)
Caterer Olivier Cheng's menu included such hearty hors d'oeuvres as truffled grilled cheese sandwiches with celery relish, jicama lotus root dumplings, wild mushroom pizzettes with fromage blanc and hazelnuts, seared rare tuna 'nicoise' on a pomme frite, lobster and daikon summer rolls with ginger lime sauce and foie gras pistachio 'truffles' with mango chutney. When it came time to switch from savory to sweet, caterwaiters passed out assorted macaroons in silver bowls, ginger cr?me brulee tuile cones, red wine pear soup and mini chocolate ?clairs.
There were no gift bags, but guests didn't leave empty-handed. Starting at about 12:30 AM, caterwaiters posted outside passed out eight-ounce to-go cups of hot cocoa to departing partygoers. Not exactly a Murakami bag, alas, but still satisfying.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
Read our coverage of Louis Vuitton's Tambour watch line launch...
Read our coverage of another Louis Vuitton watch line launch...
A tent fully branded with projected images covered Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park for Louis Vuitton's 150th anniversary party. (Photo by Stillman Jefferson Thomas Digital Photography)
After guests passed through a curtain of dangling silver chains shaped like the print on Vuitton bags, they found carpet with the familiar brown-and-beige check pattern and under-lit Lucite boxes. (Photo by Stillman Jefferson Thomas Digital Photography)
Models dressed as old-fashioned travelers carrying Louis Vuitton luggage moved in and out of the video screen wall on giant stage.
Caterer Olivier Cheng's desserts included chocolate espresso cups. (Photo by Stillman Jefferson Thomas Digital Photography)
