Parties You Will Never Get Into

Before Lady GaGa was born, there was already Grace Jones. In the old days, one trusted Grace Jones to put on concerts bordering on disco theatrics and out-and-out madness. At the anniversary bash of Viktor & Rolf’s perfume, partygoers were able to briefly relive her glory days.

Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren arranged for the legendary diva to mark five years of Flowerbomb, their label’s wildly lucrative fragrance. A thousand guests packed the ballroom of Paris’ Le Meurice Hotel — including the likes of Jade Jagger, Renzo Rosso, Anouck Lepere, Afef Jnifen Tronchetti, Provera Lou Doillon, Keziah Jones, Renzo Rosso, Carmen Kass, Gareth Pugh, Daria Werbowy, Elettra Wiedemann, and Liya Kebede — to celebrate with the duo.

Guests were noticeably on the edge prior to Jones’ arrival, jostling for the best seats in the house. The designers had most of them in the VIP section however, which they shared with pals like Jessica Stam and Karolina Kurkova.

Then, around 12 midnight, Jones sashayed into the stage, wrenching an ecstatic cry from the crowd. Wearing a sable unitard with humongous sleeves, a Philip Treacy mask, and a flat-top hairdo, Grace Jones looked every bit the Lady GaGa precursor. She began her set with “La Vie en Rose,” which she proceeded to pepper with booty shakes and provocative commentary.

At 62, Jones still had the fashion instinct of a young, bold pop princess. Halfway into her performance, she tugged her leotard tightly, forming a thong, and yelled, “I’m ready when you are!”

Finally, it was time to sing the birthday song to the perfume, personified as a gigantic box. She sung it with the designers onstage.

“This is the first time I’ve sung happy birthday to a perfume,” she jested to the audience.

Lindsay Lohan failed to catch the Jones gig, arriving from London just as guests were trickling out.

Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb now ranks among the bestselling fragrances in the world. The designers created the scent in collaboration with L’Oréal.

Wonderland bled into the real world on Feb. 25, 2010 as Walt Disney Pictures’ honchos celebrated the world premiere of its hit flick Alice in Wonderland. A coterie of stars came out on the rain-soaked green carpet for the event, held at Leicester Square in London.

Braving the London rain was no less than The Mad Hatter himself, Johnny Depp. He was closely followed by co-stars Helena Bonham-Carter and Anne Hathaway, who played the tyrannical Red Queen and her White antithesis, respectively.

However, the two beauties did not provide the “royal” factor to the premiere; real-life royals actually attended the premiere. Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, attended as guests who truly held court that Thursday evening.

Their royal highnesses eventually huddled with guests at the rabbit hole: the nearby Sanderson Hotel, with its atrium transformed as the evening’s Wonderland. Here, Mia Wasikowska (who sported a cropped mane), the Aussie newbie who portrayed Lewis Carroll’s beloved heroine, held her own among veteran thespians and patrician partygoers.

Bonham-Carter’s husband and the film’s director, Tim Burton, led a menagerie of Wonderland residents to the party. Attending it were Alan Rickman, who played Absolem, the blue caterpillar; Stephen Fry, the Cheshire Cat; Matt Lucas, Tweedledum and Tweedledee; Michael Sheen, the White Rabbit; Paul Whitehouse, the March Hare; Barbara Windsor, the Dormouse; Timothy Spall, the Bayard; and Christopher Lee, the Jabberwocky.

Crispin Glover, Lily Cole, and Sharon Osbourne also joined the mad premiere party, along with infamous “kissers” David Walliams and James Corden. Pop-punk chanteuse Avril Lavigne, who sang the film’s titular soundtrack, was also in attendance, as was Texas vocalist Sharleen Spiteri.

Alice in Wonderland’s Royal World Premiere transpired in aid of The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts. This nonprofit strives to enhance the lives of children in Britain and Northern Ireland, such that they would rediscover and appreciate the arts.

Life is a cabaret. This goes for all the tastemakers in Germany. No slump in the economy is stopping these people from reveling at the Mercedes-Benz Berlin Fashion Week. This year’s Berlin Fashion Week was kicked off by Hugo Boss’ Boss Black runway presentation, which was followed by a post-show soiree at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum.

The likes of Matt Dillon and Hillary Swank gathered inside a massive tent behind the stage. The excitement of the event was mirrored by the ambience of the party. All sorts of beautiful people were impossible to miss as they roamed the L.E.D.-lit dance floors. Apart from that, the place was also filled with high tech digital projections and magnums of champagnes.

Berlin’s merrymaking throng had continued to party their way to Friday at the historic Friedrichstadt Palast Theater, where the second-annual Style Nite was held. The event showcased three of Berlin’s most talked about labels: Kaviar Gauche, Michalsky, and Lala Berlin. The event had taken the conventional flashy display of fashion up a notch. The event, which went on for about four hours, kindled the love for musical theater among these Berlin fashionistas. The event welcomed all 2,000 martini-swigging guests with a presentation of Lala Berlin’s collection for the season.

Right after Lala Berlin presented his final fashion masterpiece, a dancer clad in a Kaviar Gauche mirrored bodysuit took the crowd’s attention as she swiveled under laser beams. What came next was Bella Berlin the Dancer followed by Michalsky’s Heinrich Zille-inspired couture collection. The event, which was far from disappointing, was sealed with a timeless performance from Spandau Ballet.

After showcasing all the creations of Berlin’s biggest names in Fashion, the crowd of revelers moved to a more sedated party scene at the Bebelplatz, where they partied on with pyrotechnics, booze and gossip aplenty.

That night at Horseferry House, the Burberry head-quarters, was flowing with Snow Leopard vodka cocktails and Champagne as the Burberry chief executive officer Angela Ahrendts and creative director Christopher Bailey invited celebrity friends and fashionistas to celebrate its homecoming and end of the London Fashion Week.

Following its glamorous show of color and high fashion outfits, Bailey proposed a toast to 25 years of London Fashion with his invited guests. Some of these include Harry Potter franchise star Emma Watson, Lord of the Rings co-star Liv Tyler, singer-actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Posh Spice aka Victoria Beckham, Agyness Deyn, Alexa Chung, Mary-Kate Olsen and Erin O’Connor. Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel and Freida Pinto were seen being intimate with each other as they held hands entering the party.

The Burberry fashion house went all out as it offered five types of classic cocktails, with bottles of Moet and Chandon champagne filling every empty glass in sight. Aside from having these drinks, the party, which was held in Westminster, London, also had a stream of canapés such as mini Welsh rarebits, fish pies, bite-sized burgers and even little Yorkshire pudding swirls with horseradish and beef.

The live performance of The Kooks kept the crowd on their feet, then Deyn and Chung were taking turns on the DJ’s deck in playing for a dance floor that was jam-packed with prominent figures in the entertainment, film and fashion business. Bailey, who was wearing a white blazer, was even spotted making shapes before the marble dance floor were owned by two models who attempted to do some freestyle break dancing.

When the 80s sound of Take On Me by new wave band A-ha had reached its outro, the crowd disbanded late in the evening, with every event participant on a natural high as the London Fashion Week came to a close.

London Fashion Week ran its course in 2009 with a bang. A day before it concluded, British luxury brand Burberry put on a homecoming fashion show to top all others.

Burberry—which had chosen to mount its shows in Milan for the last eight years—was home in London on Sept. 22. Such message resonated well among stars and socialites, many of whom had come from both sides of the Atlantic to see the show.

Burberry’s return to UK was enough to induce frisson among the U.S.’ fashion-forward British expatriates. American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour led uprooted countrymen—like Harry Potter witch Emma Watson, Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and New York-based model Agyness Deyn—back to their motherland for the rare engagement.

Showcased in the show was Burberry’s highly anticipated spring/summer 2010 Prorsum collection. Chief designer Christopher Bailey commanded everyone’s attention with show-stopping pieces, including stylized revisions of the brand’s iconic trench coat.

More than 1,000 guests saw the show, which was timed with London Fashion Week’s 25th anniversary. Lucky witnesses included the editors of French Vogue and American Harper’s Bazaar, Carine Roitfeld and Glenda Bailey, respectively. Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Erin O’Connor, and Hannah Marshall also viewed the collection.

Yankee fashionistas like Mary-Kate Olsen and Liv Tyler jetted to the English capital especially for the event. Gwyneth Paltrow, one of Britain’s famous American expats, was another estimable presence, along with UK-bred aristocrats Sir Philip Green, Lady Victoria Hervey, Lord Peter Mandelson, and Samantha Cameron. Read more here.

Once silver confetti poured unto the catwalks in the Chelsea College of Art & Design, attendees moved to Horseferry House, Burberry’s new London headquarters. Inside, Bailey and company had cooked up a party for the ages.

One of the first things that greeted guests, which included movie magnate Harvey Weinstein and photographer Mario Testino, was a high-tech light show in the atrium. Nearby, somewhere in the ground floor, online terminals invited guests to update their Twitter and Facebook statuses.

There were other diversions as well. Burberry had tapped The Kooks for entertainment, but others could dance to tunes by amateur DJs Agyness Deyn and MTV hostess Alexa Chung. Meanwhile, everyone had Snow Leopard cocktails and Moët champagnes.

Harry Potter actress Emma Watson enjoyed her 18th birthday with a magical night-out April 19, 2008 in London. Celebrating unprecedented freedom, the onscreen sorceress reveled well beyond the witching hour.

Garbed in a tailored black silk dress, the debutante was surrounded by a coven of well-wishers, including some of her Harry Potter co-stars. Her onscreen chums Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the titular character, and Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, were visibly absent that evening. Tom Felton, a.k.a. the villainous Draco Malfoy; Katie Leung a.k.a. Cho Chang; Evanna Lynch a.k.a. Luna Lovegood; and Bonnie Wright a.k.a. Ginny Weasley made up for the duo’s absence.

From kindred came Alex, her 15-year old brother. Emma’s banker-boyfriend Jay Barrymore, 25, also showed up.

Ms Watson only set for home in Oxfordshire at four in the morning. Her father brought the rear with a mountain range of presents, including a tree.

Of all the gifts, the most important was probably the full access to her £10-million fortune. Emma accumulated these riches from portraying Hermione Granger in five film adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels since 2001. According to reports, Watson would receive £2.5million more for starring in the newest Harry Potter film.

Emma Watson’s wealth lies in Coutts, the same bank as Queen Elizabeth II and Daniel Radcliffe. For her to withdraw money freely, Ms Watson first had to undergo a crash course on managing wealth. She underwent three days of lessons alongside Tom Felton and other young Harry Potter actors.

Even so, Emma Watson could not pull a Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, or Lindsay Lohan just yet. Her contract with Warner Brothers, Harry Potter’s studio, clearly stipulates a provision regarding good behavior.

She plays Hermione Granger yet again in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which launches in July 2009.

For the luxury empire Bulgari, all roads indeed led to Rome. But they did not lead to just anywhere. Celebrities and society types jetted for dinner May 19, 2009 to Castel Sant’Angelo, a second-century fortress in Rome.

Nicola Bulgari, the company chair, heralded the affair with “Between History & Eternity,” an exhibition of the brand’s most famous jewelry since 1884. Over 1,400 guests marveled at the baubles, showcased in six lacquered black rooms at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni. The most impressive included an American flag-inspired choker, a 321-karat sapphire, and a giant emerald brooch given by Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor.

Guests moved thereafter to the Castel Sant’Angelo, at whose courtyard a live orchestra played. Zucchini, fried mozzarella balls, and other dishes wound its way among moneyed names like Cameron Silver, Carla Fendi, Santo Versacé, Ferruccio Ferragamo, Ilaria Ferragamo, and Margherita Maccapani Missoni. All the while, a Fabrizio Ferri tribute to Bulgari played on a flat-screen monitor.

High society literally went higher later, as the celebration progressed to a candlelit Roman buffet atop the fortress. Gina Lollobrigida rose from the courtyard’s lone seat to join Patricia Field, Fern Mallis, and the rest of the attendees in the ascent to the feast. Spectacular vistas of Rome and the Tiber rewarded the climbers.

Roman mayor Gianni Alemanno continued socializing in a crowd that included Hollywood actors Chloë Sevigny, Jessica Alba, Selma Blair, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Lewis, and Alain Delon. Diners guzzled cocktails, wines, and sparkling water. Into the wee hours, DJs upped the dinner’s hedonism factor with high-energy sets.

Bulgari’s 125th anniversary dinner also celebrated its philanthropic campaign with Save the Children, called “Rewrite The Future.” The project expects to raise €10 million for the charity by 2010, with hopes of educating eight million destitute children.

World-venerated fashion designer Domenico Dolce turned half a century old on September 25, 2008. On his golden anniversary, he got his Midas touch out, not to make clothes, but to throw a celebration bespeaking a great era.

Hollywood and the fashion world’s brightest stars lent their wattage to the party, held in Milan, Italy. All roads in the city seemingly led to Club Prive, located beneath the plush Principe di Savoia hotel.

Designer Stefano Gabbana, the other half of the Dolce & Gabbana fashion empire, came in an antiquated carriage drawn by four horses. He was escorted by supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova.

Multimedia celebrity Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony arrived in a black carriage, while another carried burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. Actor Mathew McConaughey came aboard a Rolls Royce, with Camilla Alves in tow.

More than 200 dropped by to party with the designer. From fashion’s corridors of power came the likes of Anna dello Russo, the majestic fashion director-at-large of Vogue Nippon; Rachel Zoe, celebrity stylist; and Stefano Tonchi, New York Times fashion editor. There were models galore, too, as vintage as Marpessa Hennink and as contemporary as Lily Donaldson. British talent David Gandy was just one of the many male mannequins that night.

Italian-American actress Monica Bellucci of The Passion fame and Italy’s Olympic swimmer Paolo Bossini partied there, too. Artist Marco Perego and the dancer Emilie Fouilloux were also invited.

Italian pop singer Tiziano Ferro was also present, but the cachet for entertainer of the night went to Diana Ross. Hidden from the other guests in a mirror-filled room, the diva surprisingly emerged on stage and whipped the night’s overture, “I Will Survive,” to a tearful audience.

Guests garbed themselves in the best Dolce & Gabbana fashion.

Vienna has always been the land of waltzes and balls like the highly prestigious Vienna Opera ball. Another similarly esteemed event is the Life Ball. Europe’s biggest AIDS non-profit event is an extravagant ball. Turning 16 on May 17, 2008, the revelry pegged its motto on futurism, billing it “Planet Life Ball.”

Otherworldly love was indeed the order of 2008’s event. Still the world’s only AIDS charity event held in a government building, Life Ball featured the Vienna City Hall in space-age décor, belying the building’s neo-Gothic facade. A galaxy of international stars attended the event, too.

Like every other year, Life Ball opened with a waltz, Strauss’ “G’schichten aus dem Wiener Wald.” Then in front of over 40,000 spectators, models and celebrities sashayed on the gigantic Red Ribbon-shaped runway, including X-Men actor Alan Cumming, Peaches Geldof, Lydia Hearst, and Academy Award winner Stefan Ruzowitzky. Agent Provocateur, UK’s lingerie brand, provided the skimpy clothes.

Blondie legend Debbie Harry, Jodie Watley, and the The Feeling belted their hits to the massive audience, while Chicks On Speed sang the official 2008 Life Ball anthem.

Other stars who peppered the opening program included amfAR chair and actress Sharon Stone and supermodel Linda Evangelista. Meanwhile, Kim Cattrall of Sex And The City presented the Swarovski-studded “Crystal of Hope” to CARE.

Over 4,000 partygoers thronged inside the city hall for the actual ball. Perfectprops, Section.d, and Pneumocell transformed the political building into a space vessel of sorts.

Inside, merrymakers played at a special lounge sponsored by Poker-Stars.de, with proceeds going to AIDS charities. Patricia Field, Sophie Ellis-Baxtor, and other stars partied the night away at the “Festsaal,” the VIP section that was illumined by sophisticated pillars of the light.

Guests packed the titanic dancefloor, Arkadenhof, as various DJs played to more crowds at Hof III, Wappensaal, and Stadtsenatssitzungsaal. Revelers enjoyed the world-famous Vienna coffee at the Meinl Coffee Lounge.

Organized annually by AIDS LIFE, Life Ball raised €1.4 million from the 2008 event alone. Since 1993, the yearly party has raised over €10 million.

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To mark her septuagenarian year, Spain’s elegant Queen Sofia had a music-filled night. Spaniards, led by her husband, King Juan Carlos, and a small band of European royals, greeted the monarch in festivities held in Madrid on Nov.2, 2008.

In the Spanish capital, the posh sovereign ushered her night with a ticket to a classical music performance by Indian-born prodigy Zubin Mehta.

Mehta, who hails from Mumbai, is apparently one of the Queen’s favorites. As a gift to the Queen, he capped the concert by leading the orchestra into a special rendition of “Happy Birthday,” played in no less than eight varieties. Afterwards, Queen Sofia received a special flower bouquet, amidst a standing ovation and resounding cries of “Viva la Reina!”

She exited the concert, which was held at the newly opened Albéniz Foundation hall in Madrid’s Plaza de Oriente, to the cheering and adulation of hundreds of her subjects. King Juan Carlos had been by her side the whole concert, and the royal couple proceeded to the Zarzuela Palace for her birthday feast.

Well-wishers of the Queen flew in from some of Spain’s neighboring kingdoms. They included Queen Noor of Jordan and King Simeon of Bulgaria. Princess Alexia of Greece was also there.

Her Majesty’s children were in full attendance, from Princess Elena to Prince Felipe to Princess Christina. Their spouses, Princess Letizia and Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma de Mallorca, were likewise present. Princess Pilar and Princess Mararita also paid tribute to the celebrant. Present too were some of the country’s most well-to-do commoners such as Paloma O’Shea, Farath Diba, and Maria Zurita.

Sofia is the queen consort of King Juan Carlos, whom she wed in 1962 as a newly baptized Catholic. She was born a Greek Orthodox as Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on November 2, 1938.

Spaniards admire her for her considerable part in reinstating democracy after the collapse of Franco’s fascist government in 1975.