A phalanx of female model staffers dressed in out-of-this-world space-age uniforms greeted guests as they arrived at the suburban Houston venue in Sugar Land.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
The cocktail portion of the evening featured a series of interconnected all-white rooms, which guests entered into via an octagonal-shaped tunnel. A 32-foot-long walkway led from the spaceship-cum-cocktail area to the dinner space, which was styled to look like the surface of the moon.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
The all-white odyssey-style "capsule" was a veritable homage to Omega and the storied relationship it has had with the space program since 1965. A full array of the Swiss watchmaker's iconic Speedmaster timepieces, spanning several decades, were on display.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
While the event featured no live entertainment or DJ, prerecorded voices did play overhead throughout the cocktail portion—mimicking astronaut flight calls with sayings like, "Welcome aboard. The outside temperature is minus…" Complementing the white-noise background was a smoke effect, which was used not only to recreate the moon landing atmosphere, but also to usher guests to the start of dinner.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
Bureau Betak transformed the Western Airways Hangar into a spectacular 20,000-square-foot party setting—the Omega Lunar Base—that flowed from the "space capsule" into a dramatic moonscape, where dinner was served beneath a starlit orb.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
Five truckloads' worth of gravel combined with large rocks comprised the setting in which some 300 invited guests dined. More than 150 workers were enlisted to create the set, which was designed to transport guests to dinner on the surface of the moon.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
Guests dined above a custom floor covered with crushed rock and gravel that had been mixed with glitter to achieve a sparkle effect so as to add some pops of brightness to the otherwise all-black decor scheme.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
Keeping on theme, the charger plates at each table setting featured the design of a moon.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
To mimic the zero-gravity effect of dining on the moon, traditional floral centerpieces were eschewed in favor of levitating displays. That included Omega watches that appeared to float in air, oscillating on "moon rocks" under glass domes .
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
The M.C. of the night, Lily Koppel, author of The Astronaut Wives Club, welcomed Omega ambassador George Clooney to the stage, calling him the “man on the moon.” The actor, who emerged from a cloud of white smoke and waxed poetic on the Apollo 13 mission, shared the stage with Omega president Stephen Urquhart and astronauts Gene Cernan, Captain Jim Lovell, and General Thomas Stafford.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
Adding to the dinner's outer-space ambience was a massive video screen that showed planets moving across the sky, a space station floating by, meteor showers, and an astronaut drifting in space a la Clooney's film Gravity.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
A Fare Extraordinaire provided the dinner, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres, all of which featured a space-age theme, including the Tang-and-grapefruit-juice-infused vodka cocktail served in a Space Ration Hydropack.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
The "On the Moon" dinner was prepared by Houston-based A Fare Extraordinaire under the eye of French chef Valentin Neraudeau, flown in from Paris for the occasion. The first meat course consisted of fresh king crab and Granny Smith green apple with thyme crisp, olive oil madeleine, carrot and cumin foam, and an extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette. Also on the menu was filet of veal with eggplant caviar and caramelized basil-infused jus, and dessert of white chocolate demi spheres with mixed berries.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
London-based mixologist Justin Darnes prepared four specialty beverages, and the presentation of each was a twist on the night's space-age theme. For instance, the gin and Williams Pear cocktail was topped with a salted and spiced watermelon foam. Other libations included calvados, kirsh, and raspberry coulis, and, of course, a Clooney-branded Casamigos tequila old fashioned.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
For a touch of whimsy, male staffers wore glowing ties, making them easy to spot. The visual also added to the night's otherworldly aesthetic.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
Quartz's the Next Billion: New York
Quartz encourages its sponsors to bring unusual and engaging activations to its events. One example was a fully functional mini planetarium from Qualcomm.
Photo: Courtesy of Quartz
'Variety' and 'WWD' StyleMakers Event
An unexpected addition to the stage was a DJ booth.
Photo: Courtesy of Variety
Sean Ludick, general manager of worldwide retail channel marketing at Microsoft, explains that customers usually begin their shopping experience digitally. "Whether it be on their phones or at home and doing a search on their computers, they seek out product ratings, product reviews, visit their favorite retailer sites, and even poll their social networks."
Photo: Courtesy of Microsoft
Custom neon signage from Let There Be Neon NYC decorated the DJ booth, where DJ Vashtie spun.
Photo: Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com
Black and white furniture rentals mixed Louis XV-style chairs and sofas with modern tables.
Photo: Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com
Salvatore Ferragamo's "100 Years 100 Days"
Luxury Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo ended its 100-days-long centennial celebration on December 8 with a Hollywood set that was built inside New York's Industria Superstudio. Produced by Bureau Betak, the event paid homage to Ferragamo's Hollywood heritage with various installations modeled after a film set. A custom DJ booth was inspired by the iconic Ferragamo rainbow wedge sandal that resides in the brand's museum in Florence, Italy.
Photos: Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com
Guests entered through a passageway decorated with theater-style lighting.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved
Lush green palms contrasted the red velvet seating and floor-to-ceiling red velvet drapes at the SAG awards' official after-party, which was held at the Shrine Auditorium this year.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved
In a nod to Hollywood's golden age, the party space was given an opulent look, which included glittering chandeliers that hung overhead and gold-framed movie posters on the walls.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved
Candles and floral arrangements topped golden tables and rich red tufted sofas provided seating. Waitstaff in white tux jackets added to the glam vibe.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved
Images from the period's well-known commercial artist Batiste Madelna and pictures by glamour photographer George Hurell, among others, also decorated the space.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved
It was the 20th year that People and the Entertainment Industry Foundation have come together for the party.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved
