NYC's Coolest 4some Shows Us How To Throw A Tasteful Rager
We've thrown a swanked-up dinner party. We've hosted an incredibly intimate cocktail get-together. Now, in part three of our holiday entertaining series, we're going out with a bang — or, rather a bangin' rager. And who better to swipe large-scale event tips from than the four of the most popular kids in town? Enter, Elle.com Editorial Director Keith Pollock, Wren founder-designer Melissa Coker, Steven Alan's head of visuals/merchadising John Guidi, and photographer Thomas Whiteside. The minute the FB invitation to their seasonal blowout pinged our inbox, we knew we had to get this foursome to let us in on their set-up secrets. We stopped by Pollock's East Village apartment the night before the shindig, to snap the process — and snag the quad's tips (quotes below are from Keith and Melissa) — after all, it's not every Saturday-night house party that manages to stay tasteful. Seriously, with an outdoor tent (!), hurricane candles, festive lights, Momofuku cake balls, and a rose punch, this rave was all rad, no bad.
"John, one of the four hosts of the party, had the idea to create a wall of lights. 'A giant Lite Brite,' he called it. Or as I told people at the party, 'it's the new Dan Flavin I just bought.' We painted two boards black and then stapled them with over 100 vintage-style lights in a grid formation. The fun came halfway through this project when we accidentally stapled the cord and blew all of the lights out. Back to Home Depot! Another DIY project? We spray-painted the pine branches white."
"Unfortunately our fourth host, photographer Thomas Whiteside, isn't in this shot. He was at home crafting the party's playlist, which included a mix of holiday standbys, Mariah Carey, and even that Justin Bieber song 'Mistletoe.' Plus, a lot of non-Christmas related music, because it's hard to dance to The Mormon Tabernacle Choir."
"Here is a close-up of our Dan Flavin light installation — or wall of Christmas lights — depending on which host you spoke to about it."
'I'm all for Christmas-y decorations, but I can't with poinsettias. Did you know they can be toxic to pets? We opted for something safer for my dog, and more unexpected than the usual holiday floral arrangement."
"John, one of the four hosts of the party, had the idea to create a wall of lights. 'A giant Lite Brite,' he called it. Or as I told people at the party, 'it's the new Dan Flavin I just bought.' We painted two boards black and then stapled them with over 100 vintage-style lights in a grid formation. The fun came halfway through this project when we accidentally stapled the cord and blew all of the lights out. Back to Home Depot! Another DIY project? We spray-painted the pine branches white."
"Unfortunately our fourth host, photographer Thomas Whiteside, isn't in this shot. He was at home crafting the party's playlist, which included a mix of holiday standbys, Mariah Carey, and even that Justin Bieber song 'Mistletoe.' Plus, a lot of non-Christmas related music, because it's hard to dance to The Mormon Tabernacle Choir."
"Here is a close-up of our Dan Flavin light installation — or wall of Christmas lights — depending on which host you spoke to about it."
'I'm all for Christmas-y decorations, but I can't with poinsettias. Did you know they can be toxic to pets? We opted for something safer for my dog, and more unexpected than the usual holiday floral arrangement."
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