Attendees at local Oscar parties on Sunday night might not have been invited to the Academy Awards, but they did get to experience Washington's take on the fanfare. One red-carpet-lined, black-tie event for 375, hosted by the Red Cross, filled the downtown Posh Restaurant & Supper Club, with a Joan Rivers impersonator cooing over dresses and tuxes, and fake paparazzi—Red Cross volunteers—calling out to new arrivals. Meanwhile, the Westin Grand set up a dueling event that drew more than 250 guests to five separate spaces, each paying homage to a Best Picture nominee.Denise Daffron, the Red Cross's director of corporate relations and strategic events, dressed up the Art Deco-themed Posh with a few Hollywood-esque details (think free-flowing champagne and celebrity look-alikes meant to conjure the presence of Angelina Jolie and Tyra Banks). Since the club already bears a glam '20s vibe, with a balcony for V.I.P.s and dramatic starburst light fixtures, very little was needed by way of decor, Daffron said, adding, “We walked in and thought, This is already total glitz and glam.” She did, however, spend six months putting the event together, including finalizing the guest list—a tough task in a city where schedules are packed and unpredictable. “It’s such a last-minute town,” she said.
Passed hors d’oeurves included small scoops of tuna tartare, spicy chicken skewers, and citrus-glazed shrimp, with a dessert table of cookies emblazoned with edible movie posters of Oscar-wining films. And, of course, a giant 20-foot television screen beamed footage from the show, while a silent auction offered big-ticket packages.
At the Westin Grand, Christiane Schmidt, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, worked with Annie Senatore from A Vista Events to build five themed sets that each mimicked one of the Best Picture nominees. “They’ve been here since Wednesday,” Schmidt told us prior to the event. “Annie’s been creating it all as she goes along.” From the lobby to the tented courtyard to the café, each space took on qualities from the movies and offered menus to match.
The No Country for Old Men space, complete with projections of desert images, offered guests pepper-crusted rib-eye and spiced candied pepitos. The Juno room went for youthful energy with bright purple decor, Kobe beef sliders, and blue Hawaiian slushy rum cocktails. The Michael Clayton area evoked a law-firm reception, with file cabinets, sushi, and mini topless reubens.
One challenge for Schmidt: The hotel is undergoing renovations, with half of the rooms closed to the public. So Schmidt decided to preview one of the new guest rooms, to give attendees a sense of what to expect when everything reopens at the end of March.
Passed hors d’oeurves included small scoops of tuna tartare, spicy chicken skewers, and citrus-glazed shrimp, with a dessert table of cookies emblazoned with edible movie posters of Oscar-wining films. And, of course, a giant 20-foot television screen beamed footage from the show, while a silent auction offered big-ticket packages.
At the Westin Grand, Christiane Schmidt, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, worked with Annie Senatore from A Vista Events to build five themed sets that each mimicked one of the Best Picture nominees. “They’ve been here since Wednesday,” Schmidt told us prior to the event. “Annie’s been creating it all as she goes along.” From the lobby to the tented courtyard to the café, each space took on qualities from the movies and offered menus to match.
The No Country for Old Men space, complete with projections of desert images, offered guests pepper-crusted rib-eye and spiced candied pepitos. The Juno room went for youthful energy with bright purple decor, Kobe beef sliders, and blue Hawaiian slushy rum cocktails. The Michael Clayton area evoked a law-firm reception, with file cabinets, sushi, and mini topless reubens.
One challenge for Schmidt: The hotel is undergoing renovations, with half of the rooms closed to the public. So Schmidt decided to preview one of the new guest rooms, to give attendees a sense of what to expect when everything reopens at the end of March.
The Westin Grand's rooms matched the Best Picture nominees.
Photo: Courtesy of Live Wire Media Relations
The Atonement courtyard space at the Westin Grand carried an English romantic theme, with leg of lamb and seafood crepes on the menu.
Photo: Courtesy of Live Wire Media Relations
The Westin's Juno room went for a youthful look, with bright decor and a playful menu.
Photo: Courtesy of Live Wire Media Relations
The No Country for Old Men space took over the Westin's promenade, with desert-like images projected onto the walls.
Photo: Courtesy of Live Wire Media Relations
A Vista Events helped to create the movie-inspired sets, including the giant wooden oil-rig structure that sat in the There Will Be Blood room.
Photo: Courtesy of Live Wire Media Relations
The Red Cross took over the Posh Restaurant & Supper Club for its Oscar bash.
Photo: Renee Cobb
Guests at the Red Cross party could bid on big-ticket silent-auction items.
Photo: Renee Cobb
At Posh, dessert included cookies with images of Best Picture winners from years past.
Photo: Renee Cobb
