While the overall casino theme is always the same, each year the event takes on the look and feel of a different region. Last year's event had a Venetian theme; before that it evoked Havana. Diffa creative director Anneliese Estrada came up with the Shanghai idea for this year's bash.

"I've wanted to do Shanghai for two or three years," Estrada said. "I was telling that to [fashion designer] Cathy Hardwick and she said that [fashion model] Tina Chow actually turned Studio 54 into a Chinese street market in the 70's. I thought, 'My god, that's fabulous.'" Estrada then asked Chow's daughter, China, for her blessing and involvement, and acknowledged the legacy and inspiration of Tina Chow, who died of AIDS in 1992, in the event program.

Jerry Schwartz of House of Schwartz created the Chinese street market scene that served as the entryway to the event. Paper umbrellas, old photos, flowers, banners with Chinese lettering, and even a rickshaw all helped set the scene of a 1920's-era bazaar.

Once inside, guests were swept into Beahm's chic, modern-day interpretation of Shanghai-theme decor. He scattered gaming tables throughout the room, and draped red cloth and strung yellow paper umbrellas from the ceiling to denote the cashier's quarters. Red cloth-covered cocktail tables dotted the floor, along with two long white Lucite tables with red votive candles lined up in rows as centerpieces. A large, colorful paper dragon hung above them. Along the back wall, models in body paint in Chinese-inspired designs posed in front of matching backdrops.

But Beahm didn't let decor get in the way of the evening's real purpose: raising money. "Frankly, we want people to gamble, and that helps us focus," he said. "We keep the gaming tables front and forward and in everyone's faces."

Canard's hearty Chinese fare included passed trays of curried wonton shrimp with lime yogurt and mini-sandwiches of Chinese barbecued pork on sesame seed scallion buns, as well as a rice and noodle table and carved Peking duck and dim sum stations.

—Erika Rasmusson Janes

Posted 06.21.06

Photos: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan Company (Renwick Street, poker tables, models)

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