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After abandoning its seated dinner format last year, the ball, produced and designed once again by Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions, stuck with a sampling of more than 50 passed bites and plates from Wolfgang Puck and chef Matt Bencivenga, including a greater emphasis on meatless dishes. Academy governor Jeffrey Kurland returned to chair the ball.

Mark Held of Mark's Garden matched the overall aubergine color scheme using orchids, artichokes, calla lilies, kale, and fern shoots as part of the floral decor. And flowers appeared to grow out of the pedestals of glass-topped cocktail tables.

Other elements included 423 custom furniture pieces from Lux Lounge EFR and fabrics from Resource One. Classic Party Rentals provided the rentals, Goodman Audio the sound, and Larry Oberman the lighting in association with ELS. Irma Hardjakusumah was the technical designer, and fabrication came from Bill Ferrell and Sosa Sisters Designs. Beverages came from Patrón and Ultimat Vodka, Champagne Thiénot, and Sterling Vineyards.

Michael Feinstein, Judith Hill, the Gregg Field Band, and Smitten Blu supplied the night's entertainment.

Vanity Fair returned to the scene with its party at the Sunset Tower Hotel. The event included a green and white arrivals carpet, a live feed from which was carried on one of the hotels' walls; screens showing the feed served as panes making up an imitation bay window. Cameras shot guests from behind so that the view from the window included the mob of photographers recording each guest's appearance.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation hosted its heavy-hitting bash at West Hollywood Park for the second year after moving from the adjacent Pacific Design Center. Virgina Fout returned as the producer, while Antony Todd handled the decor, which included a motif of repeating circles in fire hues. Chef Gordon Ramsay designed the menu, executed by Crumble Catering.

Disco balls hung over an appropriately glittery dance floor at Elton John's bash. Imagery from Neuro Drinks showed on a screen above. Chopard and Wells Fargo also sponsored.

A motif of flame-hued circles began outside the party space, where they decked a tent to enter the event's sprawling, frenzied red carpet full of boldfaced names.

MacFarlane hosted an after-party at the Lot in West Hollywood, produced by Night Vision Entertainment. The event included a 30-foot chandelier and 72-piece orchestra, which played on stage under a dome meant to evoke the Hollywood Bowl. And Teeks supplied golden flip-flops at a coat-check-like station that invited guests to swap their heels for more comfortable footwear.

A wall of paper flowers formed a dramatic backdrop for a charcuterie station at the event.

The artist Mr. Brainwash provided installations for one-of-a-kind, conversation-sparking touches in the milieu.

Interior designer Madeline Stuart created the signature Architectural Digest greenroom at the Academy Awards. (It's the 11th consecutive year the mag has produced the backstage lounge for presenters and honorees.) Art director and production designer Cedric Gibbons, who is credited with designing the Oscar statuette, was the inspiration behind the room. Stuart's design evoked Gibbons's luxe and tailored modern style.

"When Myrna Loy and William Powell drink martinis in The Thin Man, they do so against the elegant backdrops Cedric Gibbons created. His work defines Hollywood glamour," Stuart said in a statement. "My design for the Architectural Digest green room pays homage to his four decades of film designs. My goal was to design a space where contemporary stars wouldn't be surprised to bump into Cary Grant or Katharine Hepburn."

For Essence's sixth annual pre-Oscar award luncheon, Candace Purdie Montgomery worked with Caravents to drape the Beverly Hills Hotel in a rich palette of gold, black, and slate blue, reflected in the ballroom, lounge, custom linens, screen graphics, and lighting effects. A recurring motif of ornate gold frames decked the space, from the press wall to sponsor integrations in the lounge to the stage set. For the first time, the table configuration included a mix of round and rectangular tables, making the room feel larger.

Large-scale, 25- by 12-foot screens (more than double the size of screens in years past) flanked the stage, a look, with the use of edge blended projectors, that was designed to "immerse guests in classic, iconic imagery," according to Caravents' Cara Kleinhaut. The displays rotated images of the honorees with specialized graphics, sponsor logos, and Imag video from five cameras within the room.

Honoree Oprah Winfrey, with students from her leadership academy, drew a frenzy on the arrivals carpet and brought the house down on stage. But did her presence attract additional sponsor dollars? Not especially, said Purdie Montgomery: "We are 70 percent confirmed before we even share our honorees. Additionally, most of them are returning partners of two years or more."

New this year was the "Power of Our Presence" wall, where guest Instagram photos tagged with #EssenceRedCarpet formed a collage, and served as takeaways for guests. Framed signs around the space encouraged guests to upload their pics for the day's best dressed, best hair, and so forth.

The night prior to the Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, Essence took to Spago where Caravents produced an intimate dinner hosted by Target, the luncheon's new sponsor. In an ode to the brand, bold logos decked oversize floor vases.

On Friday QVC's pre-Oscars party packed the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills with influencers; it's gaining speed as a place-to-be party over the award weekend. SPEC Entertainment produced the party, which took place in a clear-tented space in the hotel's garden.

A glittering QVC logo rotated in the party space and served as a decor centerpiece—not to mention a backdrop for snapshots.

On February 18, Vanity Fair and Juicy Couture hosted a celebration for the first-ever "Vanities" calendar in support of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The event at the Chateau Marmont kicked off the annual weeklong series of events in support of charitable causes.

Juicy Couture added its touches to the event with custom decor elements that included white furniture and pink and white beach balls in the hotel's pool, inspired by the brand's spring 2013 campaign.

On Friday, Women in Film hosted its sixth annual pre-Oscar cocktail party at Fig & Olive, in what's become among the hottest tickets in the days leading up to the show. Welcoming the crowd was Women in Film president Cathy Schulman, Octavia Spencer, and sponsors MAC Cosmetics, MaxMara, and Perrier-Jouët, which displayed its bottles amid a backdrop of gardenias and orchids.