High Style

(LOS ANGELES) There was no shortage of glamour at Monday night's private dinner party and photo exhibition held at the Wallis Annenberg Cultural Center in Beverly Hills hosted by Christina Aguilera and sponsored by Louis XIII Black Pearl de Rémy Martin. The occasion? Honoring photographer Matthew Rolston and his new book, beautyLIGHT. The tome features portraits of celebs like Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Lindsay Lohan, Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Lucy Liu, Oprah and Hilary Swank--all in all, two decades worth of work.

"Matthew is incredibly interested in making women look beautiful. When I shot with him, I had to wear a belt made of World War II bullets cobbled together with hinges, and by the time we were done, I had deep bullet-shaped bruises circling my entire waist for about two months!" recalled Rose McGowan with a laugh. "Not very sexy, but the photos looked amazing. Beauty is pain!"

A seductive, dimly-lit exhibition area set the stage for the cocktail reception as guests including Emmy Rossum, Martha Stewart, Monique Lhuillier, Jordan Bratman, Cameron Silver, Carla Gugino, George Kotsiopoulos and Glynis Costin admired exquisite photographs. After properly digesting the works, the crowd moved to a customized formal dining area beautified with lush peony centerpieces, romantic candlelight and live opera performances throughout the four-course dinner. "This was my old post office growing up as a kid," said Silver. "It's quite curious to see it transformed into a high-fashion celebrity event!"

Rolston worked the room. "To be home tonight surrounded by my muses and dear friends is the greatest luxury in the world," the photographer said. "I actually directed Christina's music video, "Candyman," and it had some very elaborate dance numbers. Christina's not really a professional dancer, so to say, and only came to rehearsal for about 30 minutes to learn the routine. We were a little nervous...but guess what? She was flawless! That young lady has many talents."

Aguilera showered Rolston with endless flattery before divulging a scuffle the duo encountered during their last project. "Matthew wanted me to have long, pointed nails for my shoot, and I always keep my nails short and rounded. We kept going back and forth-and that was one creative concept we didn't compromise on!"
JENNIFER CHAN