Another Wedding in Another Hall

I must be in a romantic mood!  This wedding came to mind after my last posting on Friday.  I created this reception for 700 guests at the Four Seasons, outside, along the Bosporus during a late summer evening.  The challenge for this affair was keeping the enormous outdoor area from feeling flat.  I solved the problem by lightly tenting numerous tables and keeping the theme in black and white: I actually covered the entire floor with 4m squares of black and white carpet rolls and filled the tables with long white orchids and clear Belgian hurricanes.

Love is in the Air

Most people believe Spring to be the most magical time for romance, and while maybe this is true I always find autumn to be full of romantic possibilities.  Perhaps it's that time of year when people begin gearing up for the cold winter months ahead, of staying indoors with that special someone.  As the air is getting crisper, I thought of this wedding that took place at Esma Sultan.  The couple seemed to be so in love and I found the atmosphere I created to be both ethereal and sexy, all contained inside a fairy tale setting.

The palace was built in the late nineteenth century.  Its namesake Esma Sultan was married at the age of fourteen to Mehmed Pasha, a leading statement.  He died when she was twenty six and she never remarried.  According to legends, she became a maneater, touring up and down the Bosporus in a golden gondola, picking young boys and bringing them back to the palace.  After one night with them, she had her staff dispose of the bodies to destroy any evidence of her sexual escapades.  There goes the romantic setting I composed.  Enjoy these photos and all the best to the fall season!

Creating an Ocean Kingdom for Sir McCartney

I'll leave it to the critics to judge Sir Paul McCartney's new ballet "Ocean's Kingdom", but the dinner that celebrated its world premiere was quite amazing.  And I had a great time designing it.  Although there were countless inspirations--Paul McCartney's music, Stella McCartney's costumes, Peter Martin's choreography, an ocean theme--the challenge was working with a not-for-profit budget using the fashion tents at Lincoln Center.  After imagining what it would be like if The Little Mermaid met Waiting for Godot, a modernist theme developed.

With the entire room awash in an undulating watery filter, I used aqua, sapphire, ice blue, and silver Lucite mirrors; color-blocked tables; a turquoise-mirrored dance floor reflecting trays overhead holding hundreds of small votives; sheer green-blue iridescent fabric panels on the ceiling, which moved so beautifully in the air conditioned space; and pools of water with floating candles (maximizing the sexy lighting effect).  The celebs, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Gilles Mendel, Lorne Michaels, Naomi Watts, Alec Baldwin, and Alicia Keys, seemed to enjoy the dinner and atmosphere, but it was the chair woman of the event, who told me that I had taken her breath away, which made me feel the event was a success.  Enjoy some of my pre-party photos.

Up the Garden Path

I recently discovered for myself the beautiful town of Ravello while attending my friend Seyhan Ozdemir of Autoban's wedding.  Perched above Italy's Amalfi coast, life here is sublime . . . the architecture, the gardens and views, the airy villas and palazzos.  I found myself quite happy inside the fairy tale setting.  After arriving by boat, I wandered through the town, and was instantly charmed by its subdued glamour.  The wedding took place in the gardens of Villa Cimbrone, best known for once being owned by Ernest Beckett, who hosted so many famous guests including T.S. Elliot, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, D.H. Lawrence, Greta Garbo, and Jean Piaget.  The elegant wedding and dinner echoed the talents and intrigue of all those visitors past . . . a wonderful summer experience, as the season soon draws to a close . . .

Sunglasses at Night

Last night my friend Katrina Pavlos invited me to the opening of the exhibition “Persol Magnificent Obsessions: 30 Stories of Craftsmanship in Film” at Center 548 in New York.  Persol is one of my favorite sunglasses brands, so I was super excited about this event.  The evening included a beautiful exhibit, rooftop cocktails, music spun by DJ Ryan McGinley, and plenty of celebrities like (and some personal favorites) Sir Ben Kingsley, Terry Gilliam, Mira Nair and Rupert Friend.  The exhibition is open to the public all this weekend and celebrates the stories of obsessive craftsmanship behind some of cinema's most iconic on-screen moments.  Just as it takes 30 manual steps to create the perfect pair of Persol frames, Persol Magnificent Obsessions showcases how each instance of cinematic perfection takes painstaking research and craftsmanship to develop.  Some really fantastic films are featured in the exhibition, including Blue Velvet, Gandhi (model of the palace below), Marie Antoinette (I took shots of the amazing jewelry and accessories), The Darjeeling Limited, and Vertigo.  If you’re in New York this weekend go check out this outstanding event at 548 West 22nd Street.  Entrance is free.

Being with You

Earlier I posted some images of Karaköy, where the welcome dinner for Istancool took place.  My hope was to share some photos from that night, but because of lack of time that day, I was unable to photograph anything decent to post.  Instead, you can visit the Billy Farrell Agency website and see some pics from the dinner, which was super relaxed.  We wanted to keep it simple and low key for all the celebrities who would be participating in the weekend's exhilarating activities.  It was a perfect spot to eat and relax after a buzzing art opening for the charming and serene Sandro Kopp, who my friend, photographer Daniela Federici, and I had the opportunity to meet.  I look forward to seeing more from this very talented man.

Light Ascending a Staircase

I'm very proud to finally present some photos from the Istancool 2011 gala dinner, which included celebrity guests Kirsten Dunst, Michael Stipe, Stephen Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Tilda Swinton.  Cem Hakko, owner of Vakko company was the generous sponsor.  The stunning location was chosen a long time ago, so upon seeing it, I knew that I had to bathe the space in candlelight.  The mood was quite extraordinary.  Held in one of the oldest institutes of higher education in the world, Istanbul University--which has helped shape the cultural landscape of the city--the space, the design, and the event truly meshed well.

 

 

 

Türkiye Dinner

I am a bit behind on my postings.  The idea was to show you before and after pictures of locations I used for some dinners this past weekend for Istancool. Saturday I had the good fortune of recreating the amazing space you'll see in images below for a dinner hosted by Jefferson Hack amongst others.  Located in the middle of Istanbul University, this fantastic lofty atrium felt perfect for the dinner I envisioned for the 200 guests: long black lacquered table and chairs, branches from fig trees, hundreds of candles, and dramatic architectural lighting.  See what your imaginations come up with before I post the party photos in a few days.