Stretch limo after stretch limo delivered guests to the New York premiere of What a Girl Wants, but when the film's star Amanda Bynes arrived, she stepped out of an authentic British cab flanked by two men dressed as Beefeaters to an explosion of camera flashes. The moment was masterminded by Daphne Shirley of event and design firm ShirleyGirl, who worked with Warner Brothers to plan a film screening at the Ziegfeld Theater and an after-party at Osteria Del Circo.
The cab—borrowed from West Village tea shop Tea & Sympathy—was just one of the touches Shirley added to anglicize the premiere of the film, which is about an American girl who goes to England to meet her British father. (Shirley was brought in by the film's director, Dennie Gordon.) Younger guests who came to get a glimpse of Bynes in person were given American and British flags to wave, and red Swedish Fish candies and red M&M's were handed out for guests to munch on during the screening (both confections are mentioned in the film). At the after-party, Cocoa Puff-tinis (chocolate milk spiked with liqueur) were handed out to adult guests in honor of the cereal's prominent role in the movie.
The after-party featured a silent auction of British products—like Lulu Guiness handbags, Ted Baker London apparel and BlissSpa London gift certificates—that benefitted the Rainforest Alliance. And while the gusty weather made it a challenge to light a cigarette outside, a few die-hard smokers took advantage of free red, white and blue cigarettes.
—Suzanne Ito
The cab—borrowed from West Village tea shop Tea & Sympathy—was just one of the touches Shirley added to anglicize the premiere of the film, which is about an American girl who goes to England to meet her British father. (Shirley was brought in by the film's director, Dennie Gordon.) Younger guests who came to get a glimpse of Bynes in person were given American and British flags to wave, and red Swedish Fish candies and red M&M's were handed out for guests to munch on during the screening (both confections are mentioned in the film). At the after-party, Cocoa Puff-tinis (chocolate milk spiked with liqueur) were handed out to adult guests in honor of the cereal's prominent role in the movie.
The after-party featured a silent auction of British products—like Lulu Guiness handbags, Ted Baker London apparel and BlissSpa London gift certificates—that benefitted the Rainforest Alliance. And while the gusty weather made it a challenge to light a cigarette outside, a few die-hard smokers took advantage of free red, white and blue cigarettes.
—Suzanne Ito
Amanda Bynes, the star of What a Girl Wants, arrived at the New York premiere of the film in an authentic English cab flanked by two men dressed as beefeater guards.
A few die-hard smokers took advantage of the free red, white and blue cigarettes that were placed outside with matches and ashtrays.
Osteria del Circo created Cocoa Puff-tinis in honor of the cereal's prominent role in the movie.
