On Tuesday, January 24, over five hundred tastemakers and top event professionals gathered in New York at Clinton Mercantile. The raw modern space, owned by Bentley Meeker, near Hudson Yards and Midtown, provided the perfect blank space for the realization of this dramatic celebration. The team at jesGORDON properFUN conceived of the Film Noir theme that included many never-before-seen flourishes and offered a unique experience for an industry that has seen it all.
Joseph Wickes of jesGORDON properFUN shares insight into the theme, “First, we knew we wanted the design to feel elegant and thought Film Noir was a theme that would be new to many. Second, we envisioned the design in shades of black and white — easy parameters for each vendor to produce within. Lastly, for guests, the attire would be attainable, universally elegant, and timeless. Also, we wanted to demonstrate that you can achieve a celebratory tone within a dark and moody concept.”
A Glimpse of the Evening to Come
Guests were invited to PartySlate’s first celebration of 2023 by a luxe digital invitation, custom-designed for the gathering by Ceci New York. The designer offered a nod to the gathering’s Film Noir theme with a chic black invitation featuring metallic elements that conjured the silver screen and smoke evocative of the tendrils rising from a femme fatale’s cigarette.
The team also designed the party’s printed materials. Bombshell Graphics created signage to direct guests and honor event partners as well as tie in the theme — including a chic step-and-repeat at the event’s entrance.
Design: A Downpour of Glamour
Wickes of jesGORDON properFUN shares that the “white box venue” of Clinton Mercantile was ideal for a strong event vision. He adds of the design, “We utilized the visual of smoke as a common thread throughout.”
Black & White Palette
Lilli Wright of Mimosa Floral Design says of the event, “We were so excited to partner with Jes Gordon on this one. She’s such an experiential designer, which is right up our alley. When Jes sent us the initial design page, we were so excited by the limited color palette. We wanted to lean into creating a black-and-white film world, one where you really felt like you were seeing in black and white. We selected black and white blooms and balanced them with sculptural dried leaves painted in shades of gray.”
“The flowers were a mix of classic blooms and modern textures,” adds Wickes.
A Dramatic Installation
Wright adds, “We love creating experiential designs and are known for our suspended art installations, so we lit up at Jes’s suggestion of an umbrella installation over the central lounge moment. Our main inspiration was the numerous images of rain streaming down in so many Film Noir pieces. The LED fairy lights over and through a canopy of black umbrellas gave us the vibe of that quintessential rainy image.”
Projections, Lighting & Balloons Add Ambiance
Multiple balloon installations from Balloon Design Studio added interest to the themed design. Undulating balloons in black, white, and silver made for a dramatic entrance. Meanwhile, the black mylar balloons that wrapped the pillars mimicked rolls of film and added a “celebratory texture,” shares Wickes.
Wright says, “We also designed a band backdrop that was inspired by the many images of Venetian blinds that we see throughout the genre. Bentley Meeker Lighting & Staging continued this theme with GOBO projections casting shadows of Venetian blinds throughout the room.” Wickes notes that “lighting in shades of white perfectly complemented the design.”
He adds, “We used modern technology such as the video dance floor from GEO Events Design to showcase old movie clips.” The walls of the venue featured projections as well, creating an immersive experience.
Bolsius Candles also added to the dramatic aesthetic with dreamy candlelight. Additionally, Wickes shares, “The chic furniture complemented the theme, thanks to RentQuest’s selection.” The rentals team provided swanky lounge areas and hightop tables for guests to network and nosh. Nuage Designs outfitted tabletops with glamorous linen that furthered the vintage aesthetic.
Entertainment: Memorable Moments
Attention-Getting Opener
Aragon Artists provided floor-filling entertainment for our stunning New York affair. Andrew McLaughlin of Aragon says, “The first performance moment of the evening featured a custom remix of Adele’s ‘Set Fire to the Rain,’ produced by Aragon’s Grammy-winning producer DJ TK and flagship NYC party band Village Theory.
“Moody, dramatic, mysterious, and exhilarating, this performance was a true 2023 take on Film Noir. It began with a cinematic film montage, featuring the most timeless Film Noir scenes and dialogue, created by Aragon’s video team.
“This fanfare set up an epic vocal cadenza featuring lead vocalists from two of Aragon’s party bands (Soirée and Village Theory), integrated with captivating choreography by our Immersive Dance Ensemble. Fuse all of this with GEO Events Design’s LED dance floor, special effects, and lighting by Bentley Meeker, and bespoke period costuming from Aragon’s style team, and you have the ultimate kickoff to an evening that had every eye in the room glued to the dance floor.”
Creative Introduction
McLaughlin of Aragon shares of the next moment that will have guests talking for a long time to come. “The second memorable sequence of the evening was inspired by our initial conversations with Creative Director Jes Gordon, where we discussed a modern take on Film Noir. She referenced Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’ as musical inspiration. Themes of rain, mystery, shadow, and stormy weather entered our creative brainstorming, as well.”
The collaboration resulted in a creative prelude to PartySlate CEO Julie Roth Novak’s welcome to the stage. McLaughlin shares that DJ TK and Village Theory created “a custom ‘Smooth Criminal’ underscore with overlaid Film Noir dialogue, a raging thunderstorm, cacophonous video montages, screeching cars, and ending with ‘camera…ACTION!’” — effectively bringing all eyes to the stage for an important moment honoring all of the vendors who produced the gathering.
“As Julie’s speech concluded, Aragon’s Immersive Dance Ensemble once again took to the dance floor dripping in crystal fringe, inspired by a rainy vision of Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s iconic music video for ‘Rain on Me,’” says McLaughlin.
Fresh Fare: Creative Cuisine & Champagne
Delectably Vegan Menu & Luxurious Caviar Bites
Joseph Wickes of jesGORDON properFUN says of the party’s inspired fare, “The food was a mix of luxurious elements like caviar balanced out with a plant-based menu that was inspired by studio cafe and steakhouse cuisine a la Musso + Franks.”
Shaun Roberts of esteemed caterer Great Performances shares, “We own and operate our own plant-based café in Mott Haven (The Bronx) and love bringing it to an area of the city where that hasn’t really existed. With how vital it is to the environment and our bodies to switch from a meat-centric diet, we thought it would also be a great way to kick off the new year and lean into a few New Year’s resolutions, too.
“There’s always a little bit of risk in designing a menu for a large group of guests that speaks to one very specific cuisine, but we chose not to emphasize that the menu was plant-based, and rather leave it to the guests to notice, and to decide if meat was a missing element. Once we had Jes Gordon’s and Joe Wickes’s buy-in on the concept and the menu, we knew we could go all the way with it.” He also notes that the pumpkin risotto and beet wellington were new items from his team and that guests loved them.
Meanwhile, Party Rental Ltd. ensured that all of the carefully-prepared fare was stylishly served with their catering rentals.
Nothing says a celebration is special like pampering guests with caviar. Sterling Caviar once again wowed with delectable, sustainable caviar from their Sturgeon farm, the first of its kind in the United States. They paired the elegant bites with perfect accoutrement and offered bits of education on the elegant fare as they served guests.
Espresso Cocktails & a Champagne Tower
Wickes shares that the party’s creative sips mixed “the classic elegance and extravagance of a Champagne tower with nuevo chic cocktails from The Cup Bearer.”
Indeed, The Cup Bearer team brought the buzz with a 500-glass Champagne tower that was filled from a ladder with flair while guests clamored to watch. The talented team also created the cocktail menu and served the cocktails (they put on quite a show behind the bar!).
Partygoers also enjoyed a new take on an espresso martini from Dolce & Gelato Catering Inc. The team brought their epic Electra Belle Époque machine (of which there is only one in the United States) to offer coffee, espresso, or lattes to guests. But the real treat was their espresso martini which merged the cocktail concept with a s’more, with a graham cracker crumb glass rim and a marshmallow garnish toasted upon serving.
Acrylic Sticks again wowed guests with stirrers that perfectly encapsulated the Film Noir theme with black stirrers featuring wisps of smoke and PartySlate branding. We always look forward to seeing how they will embody our events’ creative themes. MY DRAP offered custom eco-conscious cocktail napkins with a chic black background with white PartySlate branding.
In a fitting end to a special evening, Fresh Flours LLC. offered guests sweet take-away bags for their ride home or next-morning coffee treat.
All of the Memories Made (& Captured)
Guests love capturing memorable moments in two special photo spots that evoked the vibe of the celebration. First, Banga Studios created a totally unique photo activation inside of an elevator. Wickes from jesGORDON properFUN says, “Using shadows and light, the photo booth experience was effective in evoking the theme of mystery that is classic in Film Noir.” The resulting images were dramatically lit masterpieces.
Partygoers also loved the opportunity to capture themselves against another vintage-style backdrop: a bright yellow antique car prop with a custom PartySlate license plate from the innovative team at GEO Events Design.
It was definitely an evening worth remembering, and we are grateful that Sara Wight Photography was on hand to beautifully capture the dramatic soirée. The team shot gorgeous black and white (in fitting with our theme) candid pictures of guests interacting and having fun. Meanwhile, Storybox Cinema captured moving images that told the story of the celebration with a video, which will remind the hundreds of guests of their good time (and will make those who weren’t there, wish they were).
And More Thanks
Producing a beautiful celebration — like PartySlate’s Film Noir-inspired New York gathering — requires a talented team of partners. In addition to the vendors listed above, we also want to thank Lauren DeCosimo for our party-ready hair and Erica Ryan Makeup for makeup that was picture-perfect. They made sure that our PartySlate team looked (and felt) our absolute best.
And to ensure that all guests looked their best, thanks go to Francesca DiSpirito Styling who created a fashion mood board to inspire elegant on-theme attire — as well as got guests excited for the celebration.
We also want to express our gratitude to Ink 48 Hotel. The hip hotel provided the PartySlate team with welcome surroundings for our New York stay.
event planner + creative director: jesGORDON properFUN
venue: Clinton Mercantile
catering, beverage + staffing: Great Performances
production + AV : Bentley Meeker Lighting & Staging
floral + décor: Mimosa Floral Design
entertainment + video content: Aragon Artists
rentals + lounge: Rentquest
mixology: The Cup Bearer
photography: Sara Wight Photography
videography: Storybox Cinema
dance floor, draping, stage + vintage car: GEO Events Design
balloon installation: Balloon Design Studio
photo activation: Banga Studios
candles: Bolsius Candles
signage: Bombshell Graphics
invitation + graphic design: Ceci New York
espresso martinis: Dolce & Gelato Catering Inc.
linen: Nuage Designs
catering rentals: Party Rental Ltd.
caviar: Sterling Caviar
favors: Fresh Flours LLC.
linen PartySlate cocktail napkins: MY DRAP
acrylic stir sticks: Acrylic Sticks
team makeup: Erica Ryan Makeup
fashion inspo + styling board: Francesca DiSpirito Styling
team hair: Lauren DeCosimo
hotel: Ink 48 Hotel