Celebrity Lounge Pairs Oscar Season Glamour With Dog Rescue Adoptions

Wagmor Pets rescue dogs moved through the same rooms as actors, stylists, and media insiders at Debbie Durkin's 19th Annual ECOLUXE Pre-Oscars Luxury Lounge, held at a private Beverly Hills estate this past Oscar season. Some of those dogs left with new homes.

The invitation-only daytime event, which Durkin has produced annually for 19 years, benefited Wagmor Pets Dog Rescue and drew celebrity guests, media VIPs, philanthropists, and brand partners through a series of curated activations across beauty, wellness, fashion, and culinary. The format was deliberate: rescue dogs and puppies weren't staged as décor but as the event's central reason for existing, held, photographed, and, in some cases, quietly claimed by guests between fittings and press runs.

At the center of the afternoon, celebrity photographer David Christopher Lee ran a pop-up portrait studio that functioned as a steady throughline. Guests stepped in and out across the day, with the rescue dogs appearing alongside them in a separate portrait installation presented by Pet Couture by Minky Couture, which also showcased its luxury collection of plush pet beds and vests.

The culinary program was anchored by Asakura, whose owner Makoto Okamoto and sous chef Masaki Ishiba served elevated Japanese cuisine. Matcha beverages and pastries came from 85°C Bakery Cafe. On the beverage side, guests sampled 7 Deseos Mezcal and Don Felix Tequila, cocktails from Above Board Liqueurs, and alcohol-free functional cocktails by Tipsy AF.

Fashion activations included Fayah Athletics, which used the event to debut its FAYAH x ADURA Apparel men's and women's luxury golfwear line alongside designer sunglasses and faux fur jackets. VIP gift bags carried wellness and lifestyle products from TIDL Sport, the brand founded by Conor McGregor, alongside Everyday Dose, Marcy's Pet Kitchen, and information from Idyllwild Arts Academy.

ECOLUXE's charitable footprint extends beyond the Oscars calendar. At the pre-ESPYS Sports Lounge on July 15, 2025 in Beverly Hills, the event benefited Marley's Mutts Dog Rescue Ranch, drawing celebrities, pro athletes, and Olympians. "The Chi" star Jasmine Davis was among those photographed at that event. The two lounges share the same producer and the same structural commitment: a rescue organization as beneficiary, adoptable animals on-site, and a room full of people with both visibility and reach.

For Wagmor Pets, the Pre-Oscars lounge translated directly. Dogs left with new homes. Others gained the kind of attention that follows when someone with a platform holds a puppy and doesn't put it down.