Unfortunate luck saw rain in Los Angeles as the Academy Awards got underway on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland during a month that's otherwise seen unseasonable beach weather. That sent event producers into contingency mode, with tents and umbrellas going up over red carpets and valet stations all over town.
As stilettos made their way over puddles, a few themes emerged from the events of the big night—including heavyweight fetes from Vanity Fair, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the Academy's own Governors Ball bash—as well as others on the crowded calendar in the days leading up.
First, there were a couple of significant venue changes this year. Most significantly, Vanity Fair's legendary Oscar-night party took place at Beverly Hills City Hall and the new Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. That marked a major move west from last year's Sunset Plaza parking lot location, following a stint at the Sunset Tower after a move from the party's longtime home when Morton's restaurant closed in 2007.
Another notable change in scenery was Essence's buzzy Black Women in Hollywood pre-Oscars luncheon, which took place on Thursday at the Beverly Wilshire. The reason for the move from the Beverly Hills Hotel was a need to scale to accommodate a major TV camera crew: This year, Oprah opened the show, which aired as a special on her OWN network over the weekend.
Essence and Vanity Fair were two among the many events that offered a decor and design scheme evoking Hollywood's golden age. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, too, conjured memories of bygone eras, with a Governors Ball that used 3,000 photos and other archival elements from the Academy's own library to inspire the decor amid an intimate, residential-like environment. And Elton John's party featured seemingly endless purple draping for dramatic, regal effect.
Beyond that, event producers continued to come up with inventive ways to push social media sharing, using everything from hashtags on desserts to a touch-screen post-activated swag vending machine to get messages out to the digital space.
A massive throng of stars, including Oscar-winner Common, hit the Vanity Fair party at its new location in Beverly Hills. While Basil Walters, the architect behind the party, said the venue “has the potential to change the scope” of the guest count, it’s still A-list only. “The number of people who want to come is so much larger than any venue could accommodate,” he said.
Cheryl Cecchetto and Sequoia Productions designed and produced the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ 87th Oscars Governors Ball at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, working with Academy governor and ball chair Jeffrey Kurland.
This year, the event drew its inspiration from cinema history, pulling 3,000 photos from the academy’s archives to use in the decor.
Photos in gilded frames hung in the space and sat on tabletops for a more residential feel to the decor. Mark’s Garden provided jewel-toned flowers, including arrangements of orchids, calla lilies, hydrangea, roses, and succulents. And Resource One provided linens in opulent textures.
The space had an intimate, home-like feel for Hollywood’s elite, with rentals from Classic Party Rentals, Designer8, and Town & Country.
Piper-Heidsieck was the event's official champagne, and at the bars Diageo served its brands, like Sterling Vineyard wines, Johnny Walker, and Ketel One.
Entertainment came from the Vintage DJ, Sergio Mendes, Will.i.am, and Solange Knowles (pictured). ShowPro handled the audiovisual production.
Wolfgang Puck served an assortment of more than 50 dishes, ranging from one-bite hors d’oeuvres to small-entree portions. Per annual tradition, several dishes and desserts took the form of Oscar statuettes.
At a panel hosted before the event, Walters explained that the party has no theme. “We really dispute the notion of themes,” he said. "Inspirations are fairly consistent, as far as [Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter's preferred] reference to mid-century modernism as his design compass. We do also try to incorporate the nostalgia [of] the old Hollywood of the 1930s and '40s.”
The 23rd annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards viewing party, hosted by Sir Elton John and David Furnish, raised $5.8 million at West Hollywood Park. The event, once again produced by Virginia Fout of V Productions, included a viewing party, dinner, big-ticket live auction, and after-party.
Heavy purple draping from Edge Event Design & Decor lined the entryway, accented with glittering disco balls.
Following the auction, Nile Rodgers and Chic took the stage to perform several songs, including such favorites as “Le Freak” and “We Are Family.” (He’s about to release his first Chic single in more than 20 years.)
For the third consecutive year, chef Gordon Ramsay prepared the five-course meal, executed by Crumble Catering. Desserts at the after-party included macarons topped with Elton John AIDS Foundation logos, chocolate tarts decorated with a gold Oscar motif, and cookies in the shape of pink ribbons.
The disco ball visuals continued over the illuminated bars and dance floor. Other sparkling elements included jewels from sponsor Chopard that filled display cases throughout the party space.
Moving from its longtime home at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Essence's star-mobbed Oscar luncheon this year moved to a new venue: the Beverly Wilshire. The move was to accommodate a larger scale necessary for a TV crew, which this year filmed a special on the awards that aired on OWN over the weekend. Oprah Winfrey herself opened the awards event, the production of which was overseen by the magazine's event marketing director, Candace Montgomery, with production and design executed by Caravents.
Flanking this year's larger stage, decked with illuminated decor pieces and a starry backdrop, were oversize representations of the Black Women in Hollywood statuette scooped up by the likes of Regina King and the cast of Orange Is the New Black. Common and John Legend added to the star wattage on stage with a performance of their song "Glory" from Selma—which went on to win the Best Original Song award on the big night.
On the tables where approximately 350 guests sat for lunch, tablets from sponsor Samsung displayed the afternoon's program. The three-course meal included a dessert topped with a social media prompt, part of the event's significant social sharing push. Atop a sorbet trio in a sugary bowl were berries and a plaque that read, "We Celebrate You #BlackWomeninHollywood."
In a lounge outside the main ballroom, guests could try on suitable colors using a customization app at the lipstick bar from L'Oreal, and screens broadcast social posts. Sponsor Samsung displayed its products on open gold-tone shelving, decorated with logos on lush floral plaques. The team simply drove a vehicle from sponsor Lincoln inside the lounge—whereas in past years it had to be craned into the smaller Beverly Hills Hotel party space.
Given the crowd, the luncheon featured feminine decor, including flowers in soft hues of pink and blush. Guests also left with an over-stuffed, product-packed silver Nike gift bag created by Rachael Leah.
Essence.com live streamed the red carpet action, which took place on February 19.
The Weinstein Company hosted its Academy Awards nominees dinner on February 21 in partnership with Chopard, DeLeón Tequila, Fiji Water, and M.A.C. Cosmetics at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, where greenery and white roses topped tables.
Vanity Fair magazine annually stakes a huge presence in the lead-up to the Sunday-night ceremony. It presented a entire week of programming known as Campaign Hollywood, which included a setup known as the Vanity Fair Social Club at the WeWork space in Hollywood. There, social media prompts adorned everything from lanyard-hung credentials to a touch-screen vending machine activated by social media posts. The Projects produced the space.
The space buzzed with the lively energy of media and social influencers in town to cover the big week. FoodInk provided a rotating catering menu to fuel the crowd.
At the WeWork space, architect Basil Walter shared a preview of this year's Vanity Fair Oscar party, plus tales from its storied past, at a panel known as “Oscar House that V.F. Built." As part of the discussion, he shared an array photos depicting rarely seen inside and behind-the-scenes party photos.
Blue flowers clustered by variety popped in clean arrangements at Cecconi's for the magazine's toast to Richard Linklater and the cast of Boyhood on February 19.
At the Barneys New York and Oxfam benefit dinner hosted by Rooney Mara, candlelight illuminated an understated tabletop at Chateau Marmont on February 18.
Vanity Fair and Fiat hosted a celebration of "Young Hollywood," hosted by Krista Smith and James Corden, to benefit the Terrence Higgins Trust at No Vacancy on February 17. Glowing orbs and carnival stringers created an understated lighting look.
Women In Film hosted its eighth annual pre-Oscar cocktail party at Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktails on February 20. Sponsor Perrier-Jouët served copious glasses from a bar topped with towering arrangements.
Guests left with M.A.C. gift boxes curated by Oscar-nominated makeup artists from The Grand Budapest Hotel (Frances Hannon) and Guardians of the Galaxy (Lizzie Yianni-Georgiou).
Global Green U.S.A.’s 12th annual pre-Oscar party on February 18 at Avalon Hollywood had green carpet arrivals presented by the Next Generation 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The zero-waste event included a drinks/dinner menu curated by chef Kai Loebach that featured ingredients sourced from local, sustainable farms, and the salmon was “wild” ocean-caught.
For its 10th anniversary, the Oscar Wilde Awards again took place at JJ Abrams' Bad Robot studio in Santa Monica. Stephen Colbert, Carrie Fisher, and Irish painter Colin Davidson were all honored by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance. Produced by the O'Neill Group, the event carried on its tradition as a laid-back party. Decor was designed to blend with Bad Robot's earthy green and indoor-outdoor space, the refurbished historic National Typewriter Company Building. Flowers came from C.J. Matsumoto and Sons and Portobello Junction. Kensington Caterers prepared Irish bites like mini Shepherd's pie, fish and chips cones, and candied Irish bacon with black pepper and smoked paprika. Irish Whiskey maker Teeling provided a whiskey tasting, and the Guinness flowed.
Sony Pictures Classics feted its 2015 Academy Awards nominees as well as Film Independent Spirit Awards nominees and winners at its annual pre-Oscar dinner party at STK Steakhouse on February 21, where a logo gobo shone on the red carpet. Sony Pictures Classics had the second-most wins of the awards (behind Fox Searchlight, whose party did not court much inside press).
Hollywood Domino partnered with Swiss luxury house Bovet 1822 to host its eighth annual gala and tournament at the Sunset Tower benefitting Artists for Peace and Justice. Patricia Arquette, Kevin Jonas, and Adrien Brody were among those who came out for the annual spirited dominoes tournament.
Aloe Blacc and Natasha Bedingfield performed for the crowd, which sipped gold flake-filled champagne from sponsor XXIV Karat Champagne.
The Great British Film Reception, hosted by the British Consul General Chris O’Connor at the London West Hollywood, honored nominees from the United Kingdom on February 20. Virgin Atlantic was among the sponsors, serving drinks from its clubhouse bar, backed by open shelving that held arrangements of herbs and other drink fixings.
The blowout and beauty bar Painted Woman by Kameco was the presenting sponsor of Kari Feinstein's gifting suite, which meant a feminine setup for pampering that included a throne-like pink and gold chair, plus other pink-upholstered furnishings.
