At the February 22 Oscar party in Los Angeles, Wolfgang Puck served an assortment of more than 50 dishes, from one-bite hors d’oeuvres to entrées. Per annual tradition, several dishes and desserts took the form of Oscar statuettes, including one made from salmon.
Guests left the pre-Oscar cocktail party at Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktails on February 20 in Los Angeles with M.A.C. gift boxes curated by Oscar-nominated makeup artists from The Grand Budapest Hotel (Frances Hannon) and Guardians of the Galaxy (Lizzie Yianni-Georgiou).
The 14th annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival took place Miami Beach February 19 to 22. Guests posed for photos in front of an arrivals wall composed of greenery and a floral interpretation of the festival's logo.
Pasta brand Ronzoni commissioned a cake-style sand sculpture to celebrate its 100th anniversary as part of the decor at the festival's Al Fresco Feast on February 19. The brand served as the Italian-theme event's title sponsor.
As title sponsor of the Burger Bash, another event at the South Beach event, Amstel Light had a diner-theme lounge with booth seating and a checkered floor. Activities at the nostalgically designed space included portraits drawn on napkins.
The Toronto Reference Library was lit up in pink lights for the February 5 black-tie affair. Paying tribute to the host location, servers dressed as librarians used book carts to deliver snacks.
A Perfect Event in Chicago creates custom "smoking punches" for all seasons. One that's particularly suited to October bashes is the "Zombie Punch," made with ingredients that include three types of rum, grapefruit juice, cinnamon syrup, fresh lime juice, and Herbsaint liqueur.
Chicago catering company Limelight makes a summery drink that puts a spin on the usually fruity sangria. The Vegetable Sangria Punch incorporates white wine, fresh herbs, heirloom tomatoes, watermelon radish, and cucumber.
On February 18, the Los Angeles premiere of Paramount film Hot Tub Time Machine 2 took place at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood. The red-carpet entrance contained a unique element that was fitting for the film: A real, water-filled hot tub. The event was produced by 15/40 Productions.
The mobile spa At Your Service travels to events and meetings throughout greater Toronto and specializes in providing services at fashion shows, media events, corporate gatherings, and spa parties. Hosts can book services including facials, manicures, pedicures, hairstyling, and eyelash application; meditation instruction, hot stone massages, and chair massages will be added to the menu soon.
An dramatic art installation was made from multicolor neon ribbons at PopSugar and ShopStyle's Cabana Club hotel takeover. The piece was a collaboration with the Las Vegas festival Life Is Beautiful.
Perfect for parties associated with summer music festivals, the bar from C2MTL was decked with retro cassette tapes. The conference took place in Montreal in late May.
Be Inspired PR hosts and produces the Tassels and Tastemakers event twice each year for event and wedding industry professionals, plus media, bloggers, and other influencers. The most recent iteration on March 25 brought a Western theme to Carondelet House in Los Angeles. The event offered lounge seating under a lacy canopy.
Hanging replicas of hot-air balloons also played into the whimsical decor.
Sparkly teepees were set up on the sand.
Open since March, San Diego Water Grill encompasses two stories on the corner of Sixth Avenue and J Street downtown just steps away from Petco Park. After a multimillion-dollar renovation to the historic building, the venue now offers several private rooms, an illuminated keg room, and live seafood tanks in the sprawling 11,000-square-foot space. It holds 350 for receptions.
Toronto's 10-day Luminato Festival kicked off on June 18 at Hearn Generating Station with an opening party that combined the themes of nature and industry, which gave the event a post-apocalyptic feel. Lancôme Canada, the event's sponsor, offered makeup applications in a flower-filled dome.
For the party’s second year on the Event Deck at L.A. Live, the production team created a strikingly different look and feel. Whereas for the previous two years, the party had evoked an urban loft—with stainless steel bead curtains, metal I-beams structures, exposed truss, and other details—this year, the vibe was more natural and organic. ESPN execs estimated about two thirds of the guests were new to the party this year.
Decor included a raw wood plank back bar and buffet walls and a dramatic six-foot flower arrangement in vibrant oranges. A chandelier-like ceiling treatment made from 1,000 Edison bulbs hung over the party space for a big impact over a large crowd.
John Varvatos moved his men's show from Milan to New York to close New York Fashion Week: Men's and celebrated the occasion with a July 16 show that put the emphasis on the pinstripe. Produced by Jay Arcos for Moda Tech in Platform 1 at Skylight Clarkson Square, guests were met by 350 umbrellas hung upside down and a custom-made runway with striped fabric covering a one-inch MDF floor.
Event sponsor DreamWorks Animation unveiled a limited-edition "Character Clash" collection showcasing five classic characters in designs by menswear designers ranging from Billy Reid to Ovadia & Sons to Todd Snyder. The product was displayed in a graffiti-esque space that was devoid of any corporate branding.
Bud Light brought its traveling House of Whatever activation to festival grounds. Produced by Mosaic, the activation had a prominently displayed hashtag—which served as a popular photo backdrop—at its entrance.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art will present the United States premiere of the Frank Gehry retrospective from September 13, 2015, to March 20, 2016. Organized by the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the show includes more than 60 of his projects, shown through more than 200 drawings, many of which will be on view for the first time, as well as 66 models that show the evolution of the Los Angeles-based architect’s process. The museum offers discounted general admission for groups of 10 or more, along with docent-led tours for large groups.
New to Chicago, Bowery and Bash provides luxury rentals for events. Owner Katie Ernst, who also runs home interiors company Revision Home, rents out stylish, vintage-inspired pieces such as silver mirrored bars, cowhide rugs, Asian coffee tables, and club chairs from the original Playboy Club.
A Pop Art-inspired bat mitzvah, designed by Danielle Couick of Magnolia Bluebird Design & Events, was held at the Decatur House in Washington in 2014.
At the Jeremy Scott and Adidas party sponsored by Svedka, a towering ice sculpture took the form of MTV's Moonman statue.
At the event, which targeted college students, the Art Institutes set up a giant canvas that guests doodled on with branded Sharpie markers.
Glowing orbs hung over the audience as decor and illumination.
Logos and flowers covered a vintage car at then event for a rustic decor element.
Sponsor Patrón set up a bar with displays of whole citrus fruit. The brand also served ice pops and ice cream on the sweltering Los Angeles day.
SodaStream debuted new flavors of sparkling waters by chef Paul Liebrandt at an event at New York's Gramery Park Hotel in January. The brand showed off newly redesigned machines as well as the flavors in areas of the venue that had a color theme such as green, red, or orange. Papush produced the event.
HBO's after-party took place at the Pacific Design Center's outdoor space. Real fire was used as a decorative element as 24-foot-long reflecting ponds showcased flaming sculptures. Inside the 120- by 100-foot dining pavilion, guests ate fare provided by Wolfgang Puck, including burrata and peach salad, New York steak, and doughnut bread pudding.
Designer 8 supplied furnishings, First Circle Design provided lighting design with equipment from ShowPro, and Goodman handled the sound. Dazian installed sparkle drape in the party space and created a perimeter of silver beaded curtains.
A multisensory experience orchestrated by artist Marina Abramovic greeted guests at sundown. The wooden and scrap metal set was constructed solely of recycled materials with performance artists suspended on platforms against the skyline, as was a monk, whose live chanting set the preshow mood.
At its 2012 Modern Ball, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art paid homage to the artist Picasso. Inspired by some of the painter's imagery, decor from Stanlee Gatti included centerpieces meant to resemble Cubist guitars.
At its 2014 fall fashion event in Los Angeles, Macy's erected a step-and-repeat that featured albums from the '70s and '80s, as well as suspended records. The entrance underscored the event's overarching rock 'n' roll theme.
