| EVENT REPORT 03.23.09 11:11 AM |
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Colleagues' Sold-Out Spring Luncheon Surprises Guests With Impromptu Live Auction
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 | Kevan Hall's fashion show at the Colleagues' luncheon
Photo: Alex J. Berliner©Berliner Studio/BEImages |
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When women's group the Colleagues chose Wolfgang Puck and his wife, Gelila, as honorees and designer Kevan Hall to show his collection at its annual spring luncheon, the result was a distinctly California celebration, an homage to Los Angeles-based talent. Whether it was that local appeal or something else, it must have worked: The Colleagues luncheon sold out this year, recession notwithstanding, for a full ballroom of about 700 overwhelmingly female guests at the Beverly Wilshire on Thursday. The event benefited kids' relief org Children’s Institute Inc.
"As far as keeping [a two-decade-old event] fresh this year, I'd say that a lot of it had to do with our designer, who is really hip with the media right now, and has had a lot of red carpet dresses. And it had to do with the Pucks. Wolfgang is so loved by so many people, as is Kevan," said Colleagues president Nettie Dart. "We were in a sell-out position this year, and we we're so excited about it. [Per] the tradition of the Colleagues, we have a lot of women that buy two and three tables and they've been buying them for years. That's our core." Longtime event chair Anne Johnson added, "Our members are really committed."
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RELATED TOPICS
The Colleagues, Angie Harmon, Kevan Hall, Children's Institute Incorporated, Saks Fifth Avenue |
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| TED KRUCKEL 03.04.09 1:45 PM |
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How to Launch a $7,000 Suit Shop
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 | Kiton's grand opening at Saks on Thursday night
Photo: Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue |
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FROM NEW YORK
I have been riveted, just riveted, to news stories about the impending launch of Italian menswear manufacturer Kiton (kee-tun) at Saks Fifth Avenue, which has been in every major paper, including a piece on the front of the Business Day section of The New York Times, announcing Saks’s recent billion dollar loss.
But despite the challenging environment, Saks is embarking on its most ambitious foray into menswear ever: a seven-figure boutique for Kiton. The rub? This is a luxury brand to the extreme. Nearly every story mentioned that they were known for custom $7,000 suits. People were aghast that the store was going ahead with its plans, likening Saks suits with bailed-out bankers drunk on life at a Vegas bordello. One young lady friend of mine, disdainful of my interest, called the move “irresponsible.”
Would angry Main Streeters storm the boutique, shouting “aux les barricades"? Or maybe no one would show up, leaving the Saks and Kiton executives lonesome, fingering their finery and damning the gods. I was on my tippy-toes with anticipation.
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RELATED TOPICS
Saks Fifth Avenue |
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| EVENT REPORT 06.03.08 6:27 PM |
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Chrysalis's Butterfly Ball Handles Last-Minute Swell at Brentwood Manse
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 | The scene at Chyrisalis's bash
Photo: Andreas Branch/Patrick McMullan |
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Any event producer who can harness the evening sky as part of his or her decor is a step ahead of the game, and Laney Kapgan, director of special events for Chrysalis, had that and more—a beautiful June night—as the backdrop for the seventh annual Butterfly Ball on Saturday.
The benefit for the organization, which helps homeless people find jobs, is one of young Hollywood's pet events, started by actress Rebecca Gayheart and her ex-fiancé, director Brett Ratner. Dana Walden, president of Twentieth Century Fox TV, co-chaired the event.
The Butterfly Ball's youthful pedigree, its awards to entertainment industry leaders, and its outdoor venue far from hotel ballrooms—the Brentwood home of litigator Hayward Kaiser and Susan Harris—help it attract a substantial following from young Hollywood. But this year, organizers were bracing for dwindling attendance in the wake of the writers' strike. Instead, the event outstripped past years in both fund-raising and turnout, bringing in $1.1 million and 820 guests—with 200 of them joining the rolls not two days before the event.
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RELATED TOPICS
Chrysalis, Mercedes-Benz, Smashbox, Jurlique, Saks Fifth Avenue |
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| TOP 100 EVENTS 02.29.08 11:15 PM |
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Southern California's Top Benefits 2008
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 | The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Dinosaur Ball
Photo: Lee Salem Photography |
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1. Carousel of Hope
Usually called the Carousel Ball, this red-letter event on L.A.’s social calendar is such a production that it’s held only once every two years. The host is Barbara Davis, half of a Hollywood power couple with her late billionaire husband, former 20th Century Fox owner Marvin Davis. Their A-list friends will turn out in droves at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in October for this fund-raiser for children’s diabetes.
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RELATED TOPICS
Southern California's Top 100 Events, Nancy Davis Foundation for MS, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Saks Fifth Avenue, Mercedes-Benz, Unicef, U.C.L.A. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, HollyRod Foundation, Chrysalis, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Friends of the USC Libraries, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, Concern Foundation, Los Angeles Magazine, California Science Center, Fulfillment Fund, Geffen Playhouse, Tiger Woods Foundation |
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