STYLE : Holiday Entertaining : All That Glitters

he easiest way to organize a party is to choose a theme, and this season, glittering

gold sets a festive holiday tone. Stores are radiant with gold tabletop accessories as well as clothes and jew-elry. And no matter whether they’re faux or 24-karat, when seen by candlelight, they all glisten like the real thing.

The secret of wonderful holiday entertaining is carefully orchestrating every detail, so we invited seven Los Angeles design experts, plus Rex Il Ristorante’s owner and chef (she cooked), to the penthouse of the Art Deco Oviatt Building to test our plan. Florist Robert Smith created a cozy setting for the buffet with a dramatic centerpiece made of fall foli-age cut from his yard. His ingenious canopy-like treescape freed table space for interesting display. We draped the table with shawls and fabrics rather than a tablecloth, then we placed food and a few objets d’art on different levels.

Dressing was easy: Party attire reflected gold’s new role as an eveningwear neutral. And when worn with black, it be-came the important accent, adding dash to jewelry, ascots and handbags. Best of all, this mother lode of holiday gilt made everyone shine.