Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Oscar Inspiration for Gowns and Events!

When I want to know about the hottest fashion trends, the first place I look is... Hollywood. That's the reason I enjoy watching or reading about celebrity events--well, among the reasons I like it! Who doesn't like a little celebrity gossip? :)

I may have told you this before, but it's fascinating to see how it always holds true: The development of wedding trends follows this sequence: They always first appear in fashion, then in home decor, and finally make their way to weddings.

Anyway, while watching the Oscars last Sunday, I couldn't help but imagine some of those gorgeous gowns as wedding dresses (I love my job!). Then, when seeing photos of all of those fabulous after-parties, I could help feeling that I was also staying current (or even slightly ahead of the curve) with wedding and event ideas! So here's what seems to be happening...


in DRESSES:

Since dresses have been on my mind lately, we'll start here: check out this very chic navy mermaid gown by Monique Lhuillier.. I imagine it in white or ivory, but I'd like to make that satin "belt" in black... that would keep with the Black & White dress trend for 2010. So sleek!

Another dress I imagined as a wedding gown was Queen Latifah's sparkling asymmetrical soft pink gown. This dress is actually part of a trend we're seeing right now (as mentioned in one of my Favorite Things of 2009 posts): see the asymmetrical shoulder strap? This trend is on the move, I tell ya. (For this gown to be bridal, I'd keep the shoulder and waist sparkle exactly the way it is, but just change the color to ivory.)

Now, my absolute favorite dress from the Oscars was worn by Demi Moore (Elizabeth Banks wore a similar type dress by Versace). I love the tight bodice drop waist with ruffle skirt and short train. Can you picture this as a bridal gown? GORGEOUS!


In Demi's Atelier Versace gown (a closer look below), I love the 2 toned bodice that intermixes darker and lighter shades of nude... can't you see this in 2 shades of soft ivories? The ruffles are so feminine and I love how they gather at the hip into a loose floral shape.


So, those were my inspirations for gowns... onto PARTIES!

In reading about the elements that made up the Oscars' after-parties, I realized most of these are only extensions of what we've already been seeing: comfort food presented in a fresh, modern way, themed decor, bright colors and (mini) desserts galore! Here are some items that really caught my interest...

in DECOR:
At the Governor's Ball (the official post-Academy Awards party), they chose a 1930's, classic Hollywood Art deco design. The theme's title was "Streamline Moderne". The colors were soft, in shades of rose and mauve. A tri-level drop ceiling held fiber-optic chandeliers in swirling patterns - very cool design.
The lighting effects were changed throughout the evening, which is a great way to keep a party feeling interesting and different throughout the night.


At Elton John's Viewing Party, the decor was mostly red with punches of tangerine and a bit of off white scattered among chairs. The carpet was also off white, which made the bold colors stand out even more.

It's really interesting to me that just 2 chairs at the tables are off white. I dig creative, unexpected touches like that! The tangerine orchids are really beautiful as well, and pop on top of the red linens.



in MUSIC:

What really stood out to me, in everything I read, was the 19-piece all-woman orchestra, called Moon Glow, at the Governor's Ball! I also saw that Grace Jones performed at Elton's John's party, which is, again, totally unexpected. Crazy blast from the 80's, and a provocative choice as well (of course, we'd expect nothing less of Elton John)!



in FOOD:

- Trays of In-N-Out burgers in mini boxes of 4 (yum!) served by staff dressed up in the fast food chain's uniform (cute idea... good for marketing, too!), double baked mini-potatoes (MINI- anything is very IN right now!), and corn fritters. Now that's my kind of party!

The more serious menu items were:
- Oscar-shaped smoked salmon and organic chicken
- Yukon gold potatoes and baked truffle en croute (yum!)
- Spring vegetable compote, risotto with king prawns, Wahoo & New York steak



in DESSERTS:

- Baked Alaska with coffee toffee gelato
- Mini Magnolia red velvet cupcakes (with Oscar nominee names printed on top of them), mini brownies, and mini Krispy Kremes
- Godiva chocolates and champagne, served during a cocktail hour (I like this idea! Why don't we serve some fancy chocolates during a cocktail hour at a reception? I love it!)
- Crispy milk chocolate bar (yum, what's a crispy chocolate bar??)


So, hamburgers and donuts at celebrity parties. I say, bring it on!



in DRINKS:

Champagne was everywhere, as you'd expect, but the most interesting drink was the Golden Glamour, a special cocktail with champagne, vanilla liqueur and passion fruit juice - sounds tasty!



in PARTY FUN:

Apparently, the photo booth is still very much in vogue, which celebrities enjoyed at the Vanity Fair post Oscar party. Love that cute belted dress Jessica Seinfeld is wearing below!

Hope you enjoyed the peek into the parties of the rich and famous and can apply some of things into your own celebrations. I know I will...

Governor's Ball photos by Line 8 photography
Cupcake and photobooth images by Jeff Vespa/VF1/WireImage.com
Elton John party images by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"Do not forget to invite evenly.".

 
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