| EVENT REPORT 09.11.09 11:16 AM |
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| You Be the Judge |
| Billed as the only fashion show in the nation that lets audience members vote on a winning designer, this year's Gold Coast Fashion Award show comprised a 1,250-member judging panel. |
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On Wednesday afternoon, some 1,250 guests—a large majority of them female—gathered at the Hilton Chicago for the Children's Service Board of Children's Memorial Hospital's Gold Coast Fashion Award show. Comprising a cash-bar-fueled cocktail hour, a three-course luncheon, and a runway presentation that showcased clothing from up-and-coming designers and local retailers, the event is now in its 54th year and "is the only fashion show [in the country] in which the audience votes on a winning designer," said Lauren Pedi, a senior development officer at the hospital.
In the hotel's International ballroom, guests sat to lunch at tables that surrounded a T-shaped runway. At each place setting, strips of bound, brightly colored paper formed small books; each strip of paper bore the name of a fashion designer whose creations would be displayed in the afternoon's show. This year, nine designers participated, all of them roped in by fashion show producer Susan Glick, vice president of women's apparel at Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. Each year, Glick travels to New York with the event's volunteer co-chairs to visit designers and ask them to participate in the show. According to Pedi, designers view the event as an opportunity to showcase their wares to an influential crowd. (Read: local retailers and ladies who lunch at $150 a head.) |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | On the staircase leading to the Hilton Chicago's ballrooms, models posed in jewelry from sponsor David Yurman.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | In the ballroom's foyer, models displayed furs that guests could win in the raffle.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | During the cocktail reception, guests bid items ranging from wine to autographed baseballs and clothing.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | Kehoe Designs provided pink and white floral arrangements.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | In the hotel's International ballroom, tables surrounded a T-shaped runway.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | On the fashion show's set, three arches framed an illuminated backdrop.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | New-York-based designer Romona Keveza showcased her collection of jewel-toned evening wear.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | Some 1,250 guests attended the luncheon.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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 | The Hilton Chicago catered a three-course meal that began with goat-cheese-topped salads and chilled soup shooters.
Photo: Eric Craig for BizBash |
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At the end of the runway presentation, guests handed the strip of paper printed with their favorite designer's name to volunteers, who tallied results on site. This year's winner, Romona Keveza, will accept the Gold Coast Fashion award at next year's luncheon and one of her sketches will adorn all of the event's collateral. (On Wednesday, the same privileges went to last year's winner, Norman Ambrose.)
Pedi said the assembled crowd represented a mix of corporate supporters, local retailers, and friends of about 40 committee members who were tasked with filling one to two tables each. The convivial atmosphere lead to one hiccup: "The ladies who attend the show are all friends," Pedi said. "They're socializing and having fun, and it's wonderful, but sometimes the audience doesn't want to quiet down."
Based on the chatty atmosphere of luncheons past, the host committee eliminated a video component from this year's speaking program. "We had an awesome video about the hospital last year, but it cost a lot of money to produce and it didn't have the impact we'd hoped for," Pedi said. Without the video, this year's program lasted six minutes; last year's was closer to half an hour.
Pedi said that apart from the hospital's annual Children's Ball, the luncheon is one of the organization's top fund-raisers. Though results are still being tabulated, she estimated that Wednesday's event netted $300,000.
—Jenny Berg
RELATED TOPICS
Children's Memorial Hospital, Norman Ambrose, Romona Keveza, Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., David Yurman
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