Here's one way to entice a large crowd to a diminutive venue for a party: put the names Vanity Fair and Lauren Bush on the invitation. Technically, the party was for the Feed Health backpack—the proceeds of which go to fight poverty in sub-Saharan Africa—from Kenneth Cole's fund-raising entity Awearness, with the magazine and Discovery's eco-lifestyle network Planet Green as media partners. And the venue was a Santa Monica home by Living Homes, which brokers factory-made, sustainable, eco-friendly properties.
A throng of about 250 guests (many of them celebrities—like actresses Ali Larter and Shenae Grimes—who arrived amid a sea of flashbulbs) filled the multi-story home in a subdued residential neighborhood. Passed hors d'oeuvres from Bite Catering Couture included mini cheeseburgers, truffled fries, fish tacos in crisp cone shells, and quesadilla duos—all organic and locally made—and a bar offered organic beer and wine plus cocktails from Veev.
Crews from the Planet Green network captured comments from guests. Guests mingled on the home's many balconies and terraces, from which wafting smoke from the fires burning in the Angeles National Forest was visible. Lighting on the rooftop came from hurricanes filled with soy candles.
The event's invitation was made from the regenerating bark of the Daphne bush, and will eventually yield wildflowers if planted and tended.
