LOS ANGELES — In the midst of the usual Friday night traffic and hubbub in Hollywood, avant garde boutique Just One Eye staged its version of a post-apocalyptic world to fete the arrival of the Ulysses Tier 1 disaster relief kit, which will enable anyone who can afford the $12,500 item to stay alive in the most glamorous way possible.
Developed by 4C’s consulting firm and Half Face Blades (the company is owned by a veteran Navy SEAL), the kit — but more likely the rooftop event and promised live performance, staged by Bureau Betak — attracted guests such as Sienna Miller, Liz Goldwyn, Dita Von Teese and David LaChapelle. Others, like Demi Moore (her BFF Eric Buterbaugh designed the flowers for the event, since even a post-apocalyptic world needs flowers), weren’t quite sure what they were in for.
“I don’t actually know that much,” said Moore. “But I love the store. I’m very intrigued by what we’re about to encounter.” George Kotsiopoulos echoed her sentiment, saying, “I have no idea what’s going to happen. It’s one of those things where you hear people say: ‘You have to go’. You know when certain names are attached, it’s going to be great.”
“Certain names” included Just One Eye owner Paola Russo, who paced restlessly among guests outfitted in metallic ponchos sipping “survival rations” served by men in white jumpsuits. “You caught me at a hype moment right now. This is a big event for me to show people the DNA of Just One Eye, which is a mix of culture and learning how to put different fields together,” Russo said. A representative from 4C’s said, “If something goes left, the kit allows you to survive not in luxury, but comfortably. There are a lot of high-tech items that will make your life easier if something goes wrong.”
A few minutes before 8 p.m., a purple light cast across the crowd and an orchestra marched in single file and positioned themselves along the roofline against the night sky. In complete silence, guests like Mary-Kate Olsen stood on concrete blocks and pulled out their cell phones waiting for the right moment to record. As the symphony began to crescendo, three helicopters buzzed in circles around the roof before depositing performers dressed like Navy SEALs. One guest who didn’t have a phone in hand was Von Teese, who quipped, “I didn’t want to miss the moment [trying to record it].”
Meanwhile, a group of dancers in black-face paint and skullcaps scaled the walls before swarming among clusters of unsuspecting guests to continue their military-influenced routine. The performance came to a close when a white light in the center of the floor drew the crowd to examine the kit. “I’m trying to get a look at it,” said Goldwyn. “I heard there was a $25,000 blanket and foie gras.”