The late, legendary costume designer and Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honoree Edith Head may not have been at the annual Beverly Hills event in body, but she was certainly there in spirit. That was thanks to the Donahue Group, which turned the Historic Beverly Hills Post Office into a party palace teeming with 30's glamour.The event, thrown by the Rodeo Drive Committee and named for the boutique-laden street, usually crowns fashion designers, but this year, costume designers—who also included James Acheson and Milena Canonero—got their due for the first time. Scheduled for the week before the Oscars, the event was held in the 1932 landmark building where Head, formerly a Beverly Hills resident, in all likelihood dropped her mail.
Guests entered through the lobby, which was largely given over to the red carpet. At the far end were eight-foot-high banners emblazoned with the designers' drawings, which had been hung on lampposts throughout Beverly Hills. Also on display were plaques honoring the three designers, which were to be placed in the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style sidewalk.
The banners' red, black, and white color scheme set the palette for the party in the main room, which was inspired in part by archival photos of Irving Berlin's 100th birthday party in 1988. The Donahue Group selected a classic 30's flower arrangement using 3,000 red roses trailing red tendrils in silver-plated, trumpet-shaped vases in three sizes—three-, four-, and six-foot-high—from the period. Modern, geometric couches and ottomans covered in white faux suede where set around the room in front of the stage where the presentation took place. The walls were draped in black crushed velvet that was accented with broad swathes of red crushed velvet intermittently around the room. Red lightbulbs encased in frosted-plastic cube chandeliers cast a soft, flattering glow. At one end of the room, a cozy lounge sponsored by TV shows Entertainment Tonight and The Insider served Godiva chocolates, while waitstaff circulated with finger food such as mini duck salads and shrimp shu mai with apricot sauce. Guests left with gift bags holding T-shirts, Vanity Fair magazines, and DVDs of Head's 1953 classic Roman Holiday.
—Irene Lacher
Photos: Berliner Studio/BEImages
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Guests entered through the lobby, which was largely given over to the red carpet. At the far end were eight-foot-high banners emblazoned with the designers' drawings, which had been hung on lampposts throughout Beverly Hills. Also on display were plaques honoring the three designers, which were to be placed in the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style sidewalk.
The banners' red, black, and white color scheme set the palette for the party in the main room, which was inspired in part by archival photos of Irving Berlin's 100th birthday party in 1988. The Donahue Group selected a classic 30's flower arrangement using 3,000 red roses trailing red tendrils in silver-plated, trumpet-shaped vases in three sizes—three-, four-, and six-foot-high—from the period. Modern, geometric couches and ottomans covered in white faux suede where set around the room in front of the stage where the presentation took place. The walls were draped in black crushed velvet that was accented with broad swathes of red crushed velvet intermittently around the room. Red lightbulbs encased in frosted-plastic cube chandeliers cast a soft, flattering glow. At one end of the room, a cozy lounge sponsored by TV shows Entertainment Tonight and The Insider served Godiva chocolates, while waitstaff circulated with finger food such as mini duck salads and shrimp shu mai with apricot sauce. Guests left with gift bags holding T-shirts, Vanity Fair magazines, and DVDs of Head's 1953 classic Roman Holiday.
—Irene Lacher
Photos: Berliner Studio/BEImages
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The Donahue Group gave the Historic Beverly Hills Post Office a '30s glamour look for Rodeo Drive's annual Walk of Style event.
At the entrance hung eight-foot-high banners emblazoned with the honored designers' drawings.
A flower arrangement used 3,000 red roses trailing red tendrils in silver-plated, trumpet-shaped vases in three sizes.
Modern, geometric couches and ottomans were covered in white faux suede, and red lights encased in frosted-plastic cubes cast a soft, flattering glow.
