Opened this summer, Monarch is an indoor-outdoor space on the 18th floor of a Midtown Manhattan building. With Scandinavian decor designed by Natalia Todorova of Gwathmey, Siegel, Kaufman & Associates Architects, the 5,000-square-foot space has floor-to-ceiling silk curtains framing a view of the Empire State Building. Monarch holds 300 guests and is available for buyouts.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago will host the “David Bowie Is” exhibition through January 4. It's the only United States stop for the buzzed-about exhibition, and the museum held a lavish gala on September 20 that reflected the hype surrounding the exhibit's opening. The V.I.P. area was a sunken-living-room-style space replete with plush furniture, candles, and champagne chilling on ice. The area took two weeks to build out and upholster and was constructed by Kim Merlin, Event Creative, and Partytime Productions.
With black-and-white checkered floors, the dinner was inspired by the iconic restaurant Mr. Chow. The Asian-inspired menu from Blue Plate Catering included chilled lobster salad and grilled New York strip steak with Chinese long beans and Hunan-style eggplant.
Inspired by the event's invitation—and the Penguin's signature accessory shown in Gotham's first episode—Abel McCallister used black umbrellas to guide guests through the New York Public Library at the show's September 15 premiere party. To make the freestanding umbrellas stay upright and look like they were balanced on their tips, the producers made clear acrylic bases that were virtually invisible in the dimly lit space.
Staffers in black suits and eye makeup represented the show's Penguin character and during the party passed churros from Pinch that were attached to open black umbrellas.
If lineups at local brewpubs are any indication, Toronto's obsession with craft beer isn't slowing down. Enter certified cicerone and beer sommelier Crystal Luxmore, who can host groups of as many as 500 for a tasting or teambuilding event. Customizable fall themes include Locavore Fall Brews, Pumpkin and Harvest Ales, and Best Turkey Beers. Tastings can be paired with food; cheese and chocolate are popular choices.
On August 23, ComEd hosted its first Icebox Derby in Chicago. A so-called "pit row" was set up in the middle of the racecourse. Each time a team completed a lap around the course, its members got out of the car and participated in a group challenge that was related to science, technology, engineering, or math.
Looking for some Halloween-party inspiration? For a recent photo shoot, Chicago companies Revolt Events and Pure Kitchen Catering presented pumpkin bisque with eerie dinner companions—skull napkins.
On September 23, the Los Angeles-based floral and event styling firm Lilla Bello celebrated its 10th anniversary with a bash at Bergamot Station arts center in Santa Monica, California. Schaffer's Genuine Foods provided the catering, which included an edible sweet garden inspired by Lilla Bello's floral designs. Servers scooped up desserts for guests, then drizzled the desserts from mini watering cans filled with crème anglaise, salted caramel, and chocolate sauce.
On September 20 at the Hilton Orlando, the Headdress Ball celebrated its 25th anniversary with its signature Las Vegas-style entertainment produced by JM Best Entertainment and Hardrive Productions. The show included 15 headdresses. Some had been used in prior years and others were created specifically for this gala, like this huge, colorful mermaid by Designs by Sean.
For dessert, guests dined on a banana tart accompanied by an edible tile airbrushed to look like a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A plastic lipstick tube was filled with an edible hand-rolled cylinder of raspberry-flavored white chocolate, which also transferred color like real lipstick.
