| MY FAVORITE VENDORS 06.12.08 7:20 PM |
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| Saks Selects Sonnier & Castle, David Stark |
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Saks Fifth Avenue's Marguerita LaCorte Deluca
Photo: Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue
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In 1968, when the New York flagship store of Saks Fifth Avenue had yet to install an escalator service, Marguerita LaCorte Deluca was entering her first postcollege job as an assistant to the director of publicity. Today, Deluca is the senior director of special events and special projects, planning more than two dozen parties every year, including Key to the Cure, Brushes With Greatness, the annual holiday window unveiling, and Tuesday night’s 1,000-guest Charity: Water soiree, which Saks hosted, helping to raise more than $100,000.
Catering: “When we want food that is more than just great, that it is also detail-oriented and inspiring, we use Sonnier & Castle. Russ Sonnier and Cornelius Gallagher are so meticulous, and the end result is consistently delicious. Guests always appreciate how much Sonnier thinks outside the box, be it French, Italian, or tapas.”
Flowers: “Doro’s Annex immediately comes to mind. Sung Jung is extremely creative, and their flowers are absolutely beautiful—[and they] have stayed that way over the many years we’ve worked together. At the Four Seasons, we hosted an event for Victoria Beckham, and Sung’s presentation was stunning, so much so that Victoria was quite taken back. She loves purple, so the candles and purple floral arrangements were just the perfect touch.”
Design: “You must get this a lot, but I love David Stark. He is unbelievable. He is such a visionary, which is what you want when you’re producing so many events and can trust someone to handle a big project without holding their hand. We’ve worked together at 620 Fifth Avenue [Rockefeller Plaza], and he’s designed our in-store events, our black-tie dinners. A few years ago, for the Key to the Cure event, he made everything pink. There were gorgeous table settings and a pink flower wall with an imprinted logo of a key inside the flowers; guests kept coming back to that wall again and again.”
Lighting: “I use Frost Lighting for bigger events with higher-profile clients. The team works well, and it’s easy to get things done; they don’t fight you on anything. For Key to the Cure at Rockefeller Center, we took over the ice rink and the Sea Grill. We rolled out a 40- by 40-foot carpet and turned the rink space into a lounge. The event was swathed in a memorable bright burst of pink light.”
“Same with Strohmeier Lighting—[they are] very easy to work with. I call on the company for a lot of charity events like the Mount Sinai benefit at the Waldorf-Astoria. And a few years ago, we did a big show for Blumarine. Working with Kadan Productions, we did a Lucite-lit runway, which was spectacular. Their design schemes are always bold and creative.”
—Lauren Matison
RELATED TOPICS
Saks Fifth Avenue, Key to the Cure, Brushes With Greatness, Charity: Water, Mount Sinai Hospital, Blumarine
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