Things have gotten awfully serious in Hollywood in the past year. Last fall, the world saw members of the industry mightily fall with the drama and suspense of a Martin Scorsese film. Women throughout the industry used this opportunity to stand up and be heard, as well as reassess what was most important to them: how they wanted to position themselves professionally, pave the way for greater inclusion in male-dominated industries, and create a stronger family life.
In contrast to earlier social media memes capturing the mood of Hollywood (remember #OscarsSoWhite in 2016?), this year’s #MeToo hashtag is unifying rather than polarizing. With prominent Globes’ invitees announcing their intention to get back in black for the red carpet to drive the message home, it made sense for the women behind the Secret Room Golden Globe Style Lounge Gift Suite to curate a collection that could be used and enjoyed in daily life. For example, there were fine jewellery lines like Mabel Chong (mabelchong.com) and Vitolo Jewelry Artisans displaying hand-crafted pieces that would look gorgeous against an LBD, as well as couture shoes by Exotics by Cedrick to add the all-important completion of an outfit.
On the other hand, a Passion Planner with a gold-embossed leather cover would bring both a little extra glamour and mindfulness to keeping work and family commitments organized. Hadron Epoch’s Los Angeles-based line of stationery also endeavored to bring back the lost art of letter-writing and journalling. Acera-Liven, a Taiwanese company, offered a new breakthrough in water bottles—really! While the award-winning ceramic designs look great and keep water cold, the company also threw in ceramic tourmaline “treasure” discs that miraculously make any beverage even more refreshing.
Another thing 2017 brought the public was an impetus for all to plan more family time and dialogues about what’s happening and changing in the world. Several vendors offered up a few nifty things to get the conversation going. Adventuretown Toy Emporium was conceived to help busy Moms find ideal Fair Trade toys for their children, organized into categories based on ages and interests. Wholesome treats from GoGurt, Maddy & Maize Popcorn, and the recently launched So Fruity vegan fruit pops offered some inspired ways to make the Golden Globes’ viewing experience a bit more fun for the whole family. Studio 67 meanwhile, rolled out their new line of whimsical floor mats, running the gamut from welcome mats to kitchen floor coverage.
Vero Pasta and Pizza made Golden Globe home entertaining a touch more elegant with its exclusive mushroom risotto kit, complete with golden parmesan and some edible gold for the finishing touch. Anybody planning to serve meat or poultry could add a dash of wine country flavour with rose and sangria jellies from Better Than Average, fudge from Mama Taylor’s Treats, and Ethiopian coffee brewed with the sleek and scientific Behmor Custom Temperature brew system, designed by its founder, Joe Behm, during a 12-hour layover in Hong Kong.
Mighty Maglites were distributed to the celebs that merged safety with chic metallic casings (making them appear as if they were designed to accessorize the Behmor). That said, there were also plenty of reminders around the SLS Hotel ballroom for women to allow themselves a little extra TLC and downtime, whether via a mani–pedi with Morgan Taylor nail lacquer, a total home spa experience in a box courtesy K-beauty brand Kokostar, finding the perfect dark lip colour in the Nudestix line, or a complete marine collagen-based daily skin care regimen from Clayton Shagal.
For the “post season”, Winecountry.com offered VIPs and their friends a customizable stay in Sonoma and Napa. Porto Vino provided the perfect accessory for a wine country weekend—totes and purses with a secret leak-proof pocket holding and dispensing the equivalent of a 750 ml bottle of wine.
To get through these crazy times, and perhaps what may end up being another offbeat awards’ season, one needs a sense of humour. Sophistication Is Overrated, penned by gourmet caterer Babs Horner and interior decorator Susan Palma (a.k.a. the Slageter Sisters) was the perfect tome to get that message across. Regardless of whether one wants to entertain or be entertained, the sisters presented as the aunts you wish you had, both with their physical presence and their tongue-in-chic approach to home entertaining in the vein of Town & Country or Vogue.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor
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