| Thursday 18 December 2008 |
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"Recession chic" to take over lots of fancy balls
While the majority of the (maybe) four million people expected to descend on Washington, D.C., for Obama's inauguration will likely spend January 20th getting shaken down by the secret service, desperately searching for a bathroom, and unable to make phone calls, the Capitol's celebrity guests will be preparing for one of the city's 50 inaugural balls, parties, concerts, and after-parties. Though the big day falls smack in the middle of the Sundance Film Festival, former Daily News columnist Jo(hanna) Piazza (writing for the Daily Beast) insists that D.C. is the hotter ticket this year.
Designers catering to high-profile female guests will likely face a bit of a challenge, as everyone is looking for a dress that is at once "perfect", "one-of-a-kind", and "recession chic". According to stylist Mary Alice Stephenson, we can expect to see "a lot of black, very elegant and very simple". As for where the ladies will be showing off these tasteful ensembles, Ms. Piazza also has a preliminary roundup of the most high-profile happenings, along with lists of potential famous attendees:
Ludacris and Outkast's Big Boi's Urban Ball in the Marriott Wardham Park Hotel will feature performers like Lil' John, T-Pain, Cedric the Entertainer and Fantasia. Also at the Marriott, the Legends Ball will include performances by Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan.
For their bash at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the "Be the Change Inaugural Ball", MTV and the charity Service Nation are rumored to have confirmed everyone from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Bruce Springsteen.
The Recording Industry of America will be at the 30,000-foot D.C. club Ibiza for their party, which is set to include guests like Courteney Cox and David Arquette, Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer, Lance Bass, Mariah Carey, Matthew Perry and American Idol star David Archuleta.
And at the Harman Center for the Arts, the Creative Coalition get-together will boast performances by Sting and Elvis Costello. The audience will include Tim Daly, Tony Goldwyn, Anne Hathaway, Spike Lee, Tim Robbins, Kerry Washington, Susan Sarandon, Jane Krakowski, Alfre Woodard, Barry Levinson, Dana Delaney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Peter Sarsgaard. (The New York Observer)
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