Sea of Celebrity

When Leonardo DiCaprio is your guest of honor, you’re almost guaranteed a successful event. And Oceana’s SeaChange Summer Party was an evening to remember—in a setting almost as grand as a scene from The Great Gatsby. Some 400 guests—Ted Danson, Laura Dern and Miranda Cosgrove among them—strolled through the private Laguna Beach villa to the tiered patio, pool and lawn overlooking the Pacific at sunset. Bespoke prizes like Corum watches and bags from the likes of Gucci, Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta kept silent auction bidders on their toes (as did a rousing live auction in which DiCaprio scored a cruise through the Great Barrier Reef aboard the Hemisphere yacht for a cool $175,000). After the sun sunk below the horizon and diners took their seats, DiCaprio was credited for his support of Oceana’s mission to preserve the world’s oceans. It’s a cause shared by many in O.C., including power players Eve and Mike Ruffatto, Harriet and Sandy Sandhu, and Danni Sun, all of whom helped make the night happen. And when it was all said and done, $1.4 million had been raised. Truly honorable. -Photography by Ann Chatillon, Anna Gutierrez, Nick Koon, Ryan Miller and Tom Vickers