The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the 86th annual Oscars last night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with Ellen DeGeneres as a crowd-pleasing and successful—if safe—host. And while DeGeneres poked fun at the unexpected rain Los Angeles saw before the ceremony, the wet weather posed something of a challenge to the people behind the scenes at the glitzy parties.
Virginia Fout of V Productions, who produced the annual Elton John AIDS Foundation party in West Hollywood Park, said: “Production was a bear, for me and everyone else all over town with the rain. In my 10 years doing this event, this has been the toughest trying to navigate and plan for the weather and execute rain plans to accommodate any open space to protect our guests.”
Change was also a factor for Vanity Fair, which hosts one of the most coveted Oscar-night events in town. Most noticeably, the magazine's post-ceremony party moved from its home in recent years, the Sunset Tower Hotel, down Sunset Boulevard to a larger space—a glass structure in a parking lot behind tourist-friendly restaurants such as Chin Chin. According to The New York Times, guests were admitted in 30-minute time slots based on status; industry insiders speculated that new Condé Nast artistic director Anna Wintour intends to grow the party into a bigger and less relentlessly exclusive event à la New York's Costume Institute gala. Regardless, the event was the dramatic culmination of the title's Oscar week events, known as "Campaign Hollywood," which this year added to the lineup a new so-called "social club" space, with events and resources for digital media types in town for the big show.
Sunday night's biggest bash was, of course, the academy's own Governors Ball. After the winners—including 12 Years a Slave for best picture—accepted honors revealed in specially designed gold envelopes by Marc Friedland, the majority of the A-listers moved upstairs at Hollywood & Highland to the event, produced and designed once again by Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions with ball chair Jeffrey Kurland. This year's event got a look evocative of an elegant parklike setting, with massive vertical garden walls from Mark’s Garden and a starry ceiling designed by Larry Oberman. (The production team called the program, aptly, “stars under the stars.”)
Here's a closer look at the design, catering, and entertainment from these parties and more—including blowouts from QVC, Essence magazine, and Variety—during a week of events rendered soggy, but not slowed down, by rainstorms.
A giant gold Oscar statuette stood in the party space, where fabrication came from Bill Ferrell Company, Studio Left, and Sosa Sisters Designs. Irma Hardjakusumah was the technical designer. The event again got a more meandering and socializing friendly passed hors d'oeuvres and small plates format of 50 dishes from Wolfgang Puck.
The Sequoia-produced and designed Governors Ball drew inspiration from nature, interpreting the theme into a glamorous look that included massive vertical garden walls from Mark's Garden and a starry ceiling designed by Larry Oberman in association with ELS. The event's copious plants and greenery came from GreenSet.
Resource One provided decor elements, including an array of fabrics in jewel tones, such as olive-wood floral organzas, deep velvets, Italian leopard tapestry, and splashes of glitter. And Lux Lounge EFR brought nearly 500 custom pieces in shades of aubergine, platinum, and pear, plus stone bars and one-of-a-kind tables, chairs, ottomans, and banquettes. Classic Party Rentals also contributed to the copious supply of rental pieces.
Two 18-foot-tall tableaux filled with illuminated Oscar silhouettes and floral arrangements flanked the entrance.
Lamp posts lit the space, where guests dined on a selection of approximately 50 dishes from Wolfgang Puck, plus wines from Sterling Vineyards and exclusive champagne from Champagne Thienot. This year, Diageo Luxury Brands provided the specialty spirits, including signature cocktails like the Glamour Shot, made with the new Baileys Vanilla Cinnamon mixed with Goldschläger cinnamon schnapps served in a glass rimmed with edible flakes of real gold, and the Ciroc Coco Light Martini, made with Ciroc Coconut, coconut water, pineapple juice, and lime juice. A Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky Bar was among the offerings.
John Legend was this year’s headline performer. Gregg Field led a band of studio musicians, and DJ Jason Eldredge and singer-songwriter Ledisi were also among the night's entertainment acts. ShowPro handled the night's sound.
Vanity Fair’s bash took place beneath an elegant glass-walled structure in a new location at 8680 Sunset Boulevard, which represented a larger event space than the party’s former Sunset Tower location. The New York Times reported that architect Basil Walter designed the venue, invitations came in hologram form, and "tiers of exclusivity” invited guests in half-hour time slots after dinner in descending order of importance.
Also a first for this year's event was a partnership between the Condé Nast title and Instagram to create a custom studio adjoining the party space, where photographer Mark Seliger shot portraits of guests all night long. "We're aiming to capture a little of the glamour of Oscar night in a timeless yet modern and accessible way," Seliger said in a statement.
Oscar night's huge fund-raising event took in more than $5 million; the party produced by Virginia Fout and designed by Antony Todd sported a black and white look accented by red, silver, and dark grey hues. Fout described the color theme as “very chic and sexy.” LEDs lit the main entrance, the step-and-repeat wall, and the entire face of the tent. Off-white carpet covered the arrivals tent, and off-white fabric panels lined the wall behind press. Modern smoked Lucite chandeliers along the entrance corridor lent dramatic effect to the primarily white backdrop.
The night's menu was curated by chef Gordon Ramsay, working with chef Wayne Elias and Crumble Catering.
Ed Sheeran performed at the after-party. The cocktail tent was divided into three areas: a disco area, an indoor cocktail space, and an outdoor reception section. Ceilings and walls of both the indoor and disco tent were draped in red fabric, with a mirrored curtain and red drapes decking the disco area. A gold mirrored dance floor sat beneath disco balls, and upholstered red ottomans and daybeds provided seating. In the outdoor cocktail space, a four-sided ice bar from Ultimat and Patrón sat beneath overlapping clear Lucite chandeliers with black LED votives.
White carpet contrasted with black walls in the dinner tent, and charcoal taffeta cloth covered the tables. Giant square and squat arrangements of monochrome red roses popped in the room.
Essence magazine brought its seventh annual Black Women in Hollywood awards to the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday before Sunday's ceremony. Event marketing director Candace Montgomery oversaw a theme she described as “edgy garden party” and worked with Caravents to execute a fresh look filled with bright blooms and mixed patterns.
The Essence team was inspired by fashion designs. "We had two goals from an event strategy perspective: amplify the digital interactivity and create a space that was equally a bold nod to the runways as it was culturally vibrant and inspiring,” Montgomery said. “The runways were full of mixed prints and big color, but that doesn't always translate to event spaces. I was inspired by Diane von Furstenberg, Roberto Cavalli, and Brooklyn designer Reuben Reuel who does fantastic things with African wax prints. I took that inspiration and really pushed our production team to come up with a way to make it all work and feel modern and fresh.”
Montgomery explained that Essence recently "delivered to market some pretty eye-opening research about how black women view themselves in media. A great deal of messaging around confidence and beauty rose to the top.” To that end, the clear-top cocktail tent included a Target-sponsored “Power of Our Presence” wall where guests could pull a message of inspiration; as the messages were removed, images of Champions honorees appeared beneath the star-shaped installation. Other integrated sponsorships included Lincoln's video capture, the L'Oréal Paris lip bar, and Colgate Optic White red carpet shots that guests could upload and share. Activity around the event’s hashtag, #EssenceRedCarpet, was robust.
A-list guests, presenters, and honorees including Lupita Nyong’o, Oprah Winfrey, and Naomie Harris (pictured) posed in front of a hedge wall step-and-repeat with inset logos and a giant arrangement of spring blooms.
Vanity Fair and sponsor Chrysler celebrated director David O. Russell and the cast of American Hustle February 27 at Ago, an event that was part of the magazine's weeklong Campaign Hollywood event programming. A disco-style, color-changing arrivals line mimicked a ‘70s-style dance floor.
Wigs evocative of the film's retro styling made for fun photo op props.
New this year was the Vanity Fair Social Club, a lounge located in Hollywood’s WeWork creative co-working space that provided bloggers and online journalists space to write, work, and be entertained. The setup, with production by the Projects, was billed as the first social club of its kind to be held during Oscar week. Vanity Fair and presenting sponsors Chrysler and L’Oréal Paris hosted multiple events—part of the Condé Nast title's annual Campaign Hollywood Oscar series—at the space throughout the week. “This year, Campaign Hollywood has been taken to an entirely new, socially activated level with the introduction of Vanity Fair Social Club,” Vanity Fair vice president and publisher Edward Menicheschi said in a release. “V.F. Social Club is geared to the online entrepreneurs who are original content makers."
A tweet-activated vending machine invited guests to post specific codes to Twitter in exchange for goodies like books, products, and gift certificates, from sponsors like Clarisonic, Giorgio Armani Beauty, and Lancôme.
Food was available all day to guests at the Vanity Fair Social Club, including items from sponsor Chobani Simply 100 Greek yogurt, plus custom recipes for breakfast and afternoon appetizers. FoodInk catered.
The launch of Annie Leibovitz's new Taschen book featured products from sponsor L'Oréal in the bathrooms, a repeating feature across many Campaign Hollywood events.
QVC hosted its pre-Oscar party, one of the busiest events of the weekend, under a tent at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills against intense off-and-on rain Friday night. The event's build out from SPEC Entertainment included a red carpet bridge placed over the hotel's fountain, plus a heavily draped tent with poles wrapped in ivy.
The decor and tenting integrated plenty of ivy and greenery, giving the event an almost junglelike feel in the midst of torrential rain Friday night. (One guest compared the experience under the tent to the world of Jurassic Park.)
During the shopping channel's live show, an "InstaGlam" suite was used to highlight social media posts from the event using the hashtag #QVCRedCarpet.
On February 26, Johnnie Walker Scotch whiskey joined Variety and Unite4:Good for the first ever Unite4:Humanity event held at the Sony Pictures Lot, where glittering, illuminated chandeliers hung overhead. Andy Samberg served as M.C. for the inaugural event, and Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker.
Sony Pictures Classics celebrated its nominees on Saturday night at its annual pre-Oscar dinner party at Supper Suite by STK, presented by Möet & Chandon with support from Fiji Water as part of A-List Communications' culinary platform events. Singer-songwriter, pianist, and guitarist Olivia Somerlyn performed, and dinner included avocado citrus salad, pan-seared branzino, roasted organic chicken, petit prime filet, and lychee panna cotta.
Amid wild weather on Friday, the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style award ceremony honoring Oscar nominee Catherine Martin took over the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills; Martin was up for two Academy Awards for costume design and production design for The Great Gatsby. The event echoed the Gatsby time period, with costumes from the film, designed by Martin, on display throughout the mansion, and antique cars in the cobblestone driveway. Möet was served and displayed throughout the event, which included a big band and exhibitions of the film’s costumes in the mansion's library, card room, and living room.
Also on February 26, Conan O’Brien and YouTube founder Chad Hurley were honored at the U.S.-Ireland Alliance’s ninth annual Oscar Wilde: Honoring the Irish in Film event. The event was held for the third year at J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot in Santa Monica, where the forecasted storm held off until the end of the evening, and guests were able to make use of the multilevel indoor-outdoor space. Irish band the Strypes performed, and M.C. Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns opened the night with a tribute to late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Senovva projected sponsor imagery, video from past Oscar Wilde events, the speaking program in real time, and Bad Robot logos on the walls and roof of the venue. Kensington Caterers prepared an array of traditional Irish fare, including beef stew placed in miniature mugs, fish and chips served in paper cones, and cheese displays featuring KerryGold Irish Cheddar.
The Great British Film Reception on Friday was co-hosted by British Consul General Chris O'Connor, best director nominee Steve McQueen, and the British Film Commission, in association with Jaguar Land Rover and Virgin America. The event at the British residence in Hancock Park honored this year's British Oscar nominees and included British fare plus flowers by London's top florist, McQueens.
It was Virgin Atlantic’s first time sponsoring the event, and the company looked for an immersive way to grab guest attention. The airline partnered with Scenario Photography to build a custom photo set that included its upper-class bar and cabin. Guests were invited to pose for souvenir snaps styled after film posters.
The Weinstein Company celebrated its nominees with a dinner at the Montage Beverly Hills on Saturday, accompanied by a performance of songs by British artists Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy. DeLeón Tequila was the exclusive liquor of the evening.
The Uptown magazine pre-Oscar party sponsored by Lexus took place at Sadie’s Kitchen and Lounge on February 26. Working with the design aesthetic of the venue, Events by Fabulous produced an event inspired by vintage Hollywood and rustic elements. The dining patio, furnished with wood tables and eclectic seating, featured rows of illuminated antique glass and purple and copper flowers arranged in assorted mercury glass vases. Floral-patterned lighting accented the Art Deco pendants that hung from above.
Moby headlined Global Green U.S.A.’s 11th annual pre-Oscar party, and the Crystal Method served as DJs for the bash at Avalon Hollywood. Guests ate a plant-based dinner catered by Akasha Restaurant, which included forbidden black rice pilaf with spring peas and greens and roasted king oyster mushrooms, as well as a chocolate-walnut-cashew cake sundae. Tony Schubert of Event Eleven designed and produced the event.
The zero-waste event began with arrivals on the host's signature green carpet on which sat the 2014 Cadillac ELR plug-in electric vehicle.
On Friday, Women in Film, Perrier-Jouët, MAC Cosmetics, and MaxMara celebrated their seventh annual Women in Film pre-Oscar cocktail party at Fig & Olive. Guests scooped up MAC gifts chosen by the Oscar-nominated makeup artist for The Lone Ranger.
The seventh annual Hollywood Domino and Bovet 1822 pre-Oscar gala benefitting Artists for Peace and Justice was held the Sunset Tower Hotel on February 26. Jon Hamm and Kevin Jonas competed in the annual Hollywood Domino tournament, and Rumer Willis performed a two-song set.
At the Andaz, sponsor Crystal Light used an interactive social media component for its photo ops at the Kari Feinstein Style Lounge.
Red Carpet Manicure provided nail art inspired by the year's nominated pictures.
At the Eco Oscars gift lounge, sustainable product placement producer Debbie Durkin partnered with Encore Leslie Kaplan Event Design and eco-conscious lighting designer David Trubridge on an environmentally friendly event at Circa 55 in the Beverly Hilton. Gold fixtures with eye-catching cutouts came from sponsor Trubridge.
