Celebrating With Style

The Scene: Fifth anniversary party of L.A. Style magazine Tuesday night. All the magazine’s best friends--about 3,000 of them--came early and stayed late for what has developed into one of the finest annual people-watching opportunities. They also arrive hungry and leave stuffed based on what has turned into one of the year’s most extensive foodie outings.

--The Buzz: The people and the food.

--The Site: The newly refurbished Chapman Market on Sixth Street near Vermont, an architectural wonder built in the ‘20s. Its open-air courtyard no doubt will become the scene for future L.A. mass social events because it is the closest thing in town to an Italian piazza.

--Who Was There: Photographers (Greg Gorman, Mark Hanauer); fashion designers (Leon Max, James Tarantino, Claudia Grau, Connie Cappos, David Cline, Nina Kolarek); restaurant stars (Mario Tamayo with his mother, Mary); retailers (Camp Beverly Hills’ Jeff Stein, Saks’ Patty Fox); famous couples (Cyndy Garvey and Bill Lagattuta); plus Julia Child, Cheech Marin, developer Wayne Ratkovich, American Express Publishing president Tom Ryder, fashion types, actor types, artist types, decorator types.

--Quoted: “People here are in three categories. We have the straight polyester scene, the underground clubbers and the artsy types, who are really up-end clubbers,” said David Lewis, a self-described decorator and artist.

--Overheard: “We’re on gorgeous boy watch. Even if you don’t meet them, the aesthetics are so pretty. This is a physical museum,” said a young woman with bright red lips to her girlfriends.

--Fashion Watch: The ‘60s debutante look for women, pirate looks on men (several hoop earrings, a head scarf and black hip-hugger jeans imprinted with skull and bones). Also bicycle shorts, anything black Lycra, beehive hairdos, see-through black chiffon dresses that showed off lacy black underwear. The women of L.A. Style opted for the conventional look: Founder and editor Joie Davidow wore a hot pink dress by Ungaro, while its social arbiter, Anne Crawford, chose gold lame.

--The Chow: About 50 restaurants (from Angeli to Yanks) provided little tastes of everything from shellfish soup to pressed duck.

--Social Deja Vu: Alcoholic beverage stations were so plentiful (the vodka samples alone included Absolut, Tanqueray and Smirnoff freebies) that hangover remedies were debated and discussed. (“Try Mexican food,” someone said. “No, eat an apple,” said someone else.)