No one was expecting a professional boxing match to break out at the launch party for Vault Magazine By Barton G. But in the middle of the Friday night event held at The Villa By Barton G., an oversize crane began to lower a custom boxing ring from the sky to the center of the backyard. A three-round boxing match between a professional championship fighter Alejandro Gamez and a Vault featured model Charlie Himmelstein followed.
It was just one element at the flashy soiree, which featured magazine-themed décor, a decadent backyard bar scene, and a few other fun surprises, all provided by Barton G.'s in-house team.
The famed entrepreneur welcomed more than 250 guests onto his historical property, a hotel and event space at the former Versace Mansion. The bash was entitled “The Art of Being Social for a New Generation.”
Beginning at 9 p.m., guests were ushered into The Villa’s front door. Inches above flashed the projected Vault logo on the second floor of the manse’s exterior. Attendees socialized in the courtyard inside while enjoying canapés including tomato tarts, beef brisket sliders and beef carpaccio, which were served two ways: by a wait staff dressed in Vault logo T-shirts and on the robotic cocktail tables that both traveled around and adjusted in height. Additional low-top tables offered free copies of the inaugural Vault issue, along with plush couch seating.
At two pop-up bars, bartenders served champagne, Bacardi, Grey Goose, Dewar’s, Perrier and Peroni cocktails, each accompanied by its own custom napkin, printed with a different quote by the premier issue of the magazine’s notable subjects.
Following cocktail hour, visitors were escorted poolside, which was lit in warm blue and purple spotlights, and decorated with five LED projection screens showcasing large eyes, mouths, brand logos, and historic pop culture figures. A DJ dressed as a dark angel with a gem-encrusted halo supplied background music, while imbibers made way to the gratis top-shelf main bar, staffed by five topless male models. Behind the bar were hand-painted boards decorated in phrases mirroring the publication’s “Party Crash” spread by Roxanne Lowit. To the left of the bar, sweet pastries and Vault-branded crème tubes satisfied a sweet tooth. On the opposite end sat a display of savory hors d’oeuvres.
The surprise boxing match followed, and afterward guests networked with magazine subjects, contributors, and celebrities. A photographer with an eye patch snapped photos of guests’ eyes in exchange for a secret pass to The Villa’s taboo Peep Show. As the night wound down, guests entered a private upstairs boudoir with a makeshift glass wall, configured with peepholes for peeking in on models and event guests.
On the way out, Barton G. confections including whimsical meringues, colored chocolates and a wheelbarrow filled with oversize chocolate chip cookies were a sweet, nostalgic ending.
Peep Shows, Drop-in Boxing Match Surprise Guests at Barton G.'s 'Vault' Launch
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
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