Academy of Motion Pictures Art

The academy’s annual Governors Ball took place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland immediately following the Oscars on Sunday. This year’s event—which drew 1,500 winners, nominees, presenters, and other industry types—was an homage to global cinema, featuring a presentation of iconic movie moments plus ballroom decor that evoked old movie-theater designs. Lois Burnwell, a makeup artist and chair of the academy's awards and events committee, oversaw the event for the second year. She worked with Cheryl Cecchetto of Los Angeles-based Sequoia Productions on the ball's decor and production. (Cecchetto and her team have been producing the Governors Ball for 30 consecutive years.)

Decor included a color palette of black, merlot, and Oscar-inspired gold, using more than 2,000 yards of wine satin, textured gold, and champagne gold fabrics. Resource One provided linens, while Hire Elegance provided furniture rentals.

Some 400 distinct floral arrangements from longtime collaborator Mark's Garden complemented the theme, incorporating 10,000 red tulips, burgundy roses, mauve orchids, and dark purple calla lilies held in a variety of gold containers. (Read more in our recent interview with Mark's Garden designer Michael Uncapher.)

Lighting fixtures from Revelry Event Designers added to the night's elegant feel.

Hosted by Sir Elton John and David Furnish, the Elton John AIDS Foundation's annual viewing party, held on Sunday night in a tent at West Hollywood Park, raised more than $6.3 million this year. Designed by Antony Todd and produced by V Productions, LLC, the A-list gathering featured a cocktail reception followed by a gala dinner and a performance by The Killers.

Town & Country Event Rentals provided the tent and other rentals for the evening, which had a clean color palette of black and white stripes with pops of greenery. Neuro Drinks served as a presenting sponsor of the event.

Mercedes-Benz USA held its annual Oscars viewing party on Sunday night at the Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills. The evening, which was designed and produced by Sterling Social, offered comfortable seating and big screen TVs, plus passed hors d’oeuvres, a photo booth by OM Digital, and stations for makeup and hair touchups and hand massages. The arrivals wall featured simple-but-stylish Mercedes-Benz branding.

"Each year, the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards luncheon starts with the 'power of our presence' as the home base," Maitland said. "We then look at our honorees’ body of work to create the theme, which this year was art and activism. The combined work of art they create in their films each spotlighted activism in work and in life." The team used a palette of reds, blues, and yellows, combined with ripped patterns and prints, to evoke the idea of feminine power.  "This is the first time we added flowers to the stage to add softness to the frames, creating another emphasis on the art and the feminine power," Maitland added.

The magazine hosted its 12th annual Black Women in Hollywood awards on Thursday afternoon at the Beverly Wilshire. Intended to honor and celebrate Hollywood's most impactful African-American women, this year's honorees were Regina Hall, Amandla Stenberg, Kiki Layne, and Jenifer Lewis.  Show development and production—including the overall design and fabrication as well as the eye-catching stage backdrop and set design—was handled by the Essence event team with longtime collaborator AGENC. The colorful floral design came from Bloom & Plume's Maurice Harris. "We are inspired by the women we celebrate and this year we looked at our honorees and what their message was in their work—especially how the roles they play speak to our community," said Jovanca Maitland, Essence's director of live events and experiential. "These honorees use their art as actors to shine a light on what may be affecting us in our community. These are topics that are tough to talk about but are important to the discussion. We are also creatively inspired by paintings, colors, and images that are of black culture."

The colorful art print was also used for the step-and-repeat, contributing to a cohesive look throughout the event.

Cadillac teamed up with ABC Television for a pre-Oscars dinner, which was designed and produced by JJLA for the third year. Held on Friday at a private residence in the Hollywood Hills, the event was inspired by Cadillac's "Keep Rising" campaign, using a blue and gold color palette.

Part of Vanity Fair's annual Campaign Hollywood series of Oscar week events, the publication teamed up with Lancôme, director Ava DuVernay, and musician and actress Zendaya for a private cocktail reception honoring women in Hollywood. Held at Soho House West Hollywood on Thursday, the stylish reception had a step-and-repeat made from past Vanity Fair covers and other portraits of prominent women in the industry.

The event also included a Lancôme-branded floral wall, which featured hundreds of pink and white roses designed by Mark's Garden.