Events

Set up a photo backdrop like the holiday-theme, kraft-paper-inspired one from Minted, $230, to capture team pictures. The backdrop comes with five grommets for hanging or can be mounted to a wall using removable poster tape.

Produced by Prodject, the October 16 affair utilized about 40,000 square feet of the vast Armory on Hudson for the series of events celebrating the Alexander Wang for H&M launch. That included a cocktail hour, fashion show, pop-up shop, and Missy Elliott concert. Attended by more than 1,000 guests, the build out took two weeks and nearly 300 workers.

Celebrities, including Jessica Chastain, Mary J. Blige, Eddie Redmayne, and Justin Theroux (pictured), arrived at the Armory to a step-and-repeat comprising of a row of on-theme identical punching bags marked with Alexander Wang for H&M branding.

Model staffers handed out oversize foam boxing gloves to guests during the preshow cocktail hour as a whimsical touch in keeping with the evening's athletic theme.

The event's full-on energy was evident from the get-go. Acrobats-cum-free runners propelled down from the ceiling and out of the shadows for a parkour performance choreographed by AntiGravity's Christopher Harrison.

Prodject transformed the Armory's indoor track and field into a fashion arena for a star-studded fashion show that featured such bold-faced models as Tyson Beckford, Karlie Kloss, Isabeli Fontana, and Joan Smalls doubling as Wang's warriors. Prodject customized the track and field lines for the purpose of a fashion show; models walked on grey Astroturf and the audience sat in bleacher-style seating.

At the conclusion of the fashion show, confetti canons blasted metallic tinsel onto the runway, marking the end of one phase of the night and the start of the next.

Following the fashion show, guests were given entry bracelets to the pop-up shop built behind the performance stage where they could purchase the collection nearly three weeks before it goes on sale to the public on November 6. The stark, black-and-white setup was straightforward and industrial, with large clothes racks displaying the wares and dozens of fluorescent light tubes hung overhead.

A countdown clock delivered a live time reminder for attendees as to the start of the main show. It was also synced with the live stream of the show on H&M's website.

Missy Elliott, clad in a customized Alexander Wang for H&M embellished jacket and pants, made a rare appearance to perform at the launch event on October 16. The hip-hop impresario performed a bevy of her greatest hits, including "One Minute Man," "Get Ur Freak On," and "Work It" to close out the evening's festivities. Fellow hip-hop artist Sharaya J opened the performance.

At one point during the live performance, Alexander Wang—who's become as known for his post-show parties in such odd locations as a gas station, parking lot, and shopping mall—took to the stage to join Missy Elliott.

Throughout the night, waiters from Olivier Cheng passed around a bevy of bite-size foods one would typically find at sporting events—i.e. hot dogs, mini glazed doughnuts, and popcorn—as well as umami burgers, ahi tuna burgers, and truffled mac 'n' cheese. Two specialty cocktails—the Knockout and the Shiner—were also served.

At the Elle Women in Hollywood awards this month at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, long-time producer Caravents worked with Elle event director Katie Crown on the overall vision and event design. Blush tones in details from the linens to the roses created a feminime feel along with graphite mirror runners with clear cylinder vases.

Luxury online retailer Mytheresa.com hosted an intimate dinner in Los Angeles in June. With the dramatic Lautner-designed Goldstein residence as the backdrop, guests dined on a meal prepared by Kris Morningstar at a table clothed simply in white and lit by a row of taper candles.

A group of 300 artists and art patrons came to fete the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s 25th anniversary at the museum's second annual Precognito gala dinner in Los Angeles in 2012. There, white paper tablecloths had table numbers painted directly onto them for a streamlined look.

The American Ballet Theatre held its annual gala in Los Angeles at the Jeanne and Anthony Pritzker estate in Beverly Hills. With the home’s architecture and sweeping views as a backdrop, about 250 guests dined at wooden-topped tables with white linens and blue and lavender floral arrangements.

At Diffa Dining by Design's New York iteration in 2013, Kenneth Cobonpue placed plates and cups in organic shapes on a spare wood table. The minimalist setting allowed eyes to focus on the living centerpiece: a cluster of moss topped with bowls that held live Betta fish.

At an in-office preview for its clients' wares during the holidays in 2015, Los Angeles-based PR agency BWR offered a metallic dessert bar decorated with the word “Joy” in marquee-style letters.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Sterling Engagements hosted a party in Los Angeles in 2015, where vast catering options throughout the residential venue included a milk-and-cookies dessert bar.

In 2013, the New York City Opera staged the United States premiere of the opera Anna Nicole. The dessert table got a boudoir-inspired look, with a menu was written on mirrors in lipstick. Candy overflowed from jewelry boxes and glass jars, and Lucite displays offered pink cotton candy presented in paper cones.

Escort cards attached to paper cranes were displayed on a large triangular frame at a wedding designed by Janda. “It was a work of art that kept guests talking and talking,” she says.

At a 40th birthday party, the JDK Group strung doughnuts as decor above the serving table.

For the bread-and-salad course of a JDK Group-designed private party in York, Pennsylvania, guests grabbed pails of breadsticks and artisanal breads and snipped off their salad boxes, which hung from twine.