Mirror BallMirror Ball

Silver surfaces at the New Yorkers for Children fall gala reflected the evening's message.

September 20, 2007

2 Min Read

Photo: Joanna Totolici for BizBash

If any of the guests at the New Yorkers for Children gala on Tuesday night briefly forgot why they were there, a reminder was never far away.

Held in the recently renovated 583 Park Avenue, the benefit featured shimmering silver surfaces that reflected attendees' images right back at them, underscoring the evening's theme, "Help starts with you."

Designer David Stark employed mirrored surfaces of all kinds, ranging from silver origami paper and Mylar to metallic sugar cake decorating baubles, to achieve the effect. Flower arrangements crafted from the materials (in silver vases), along with candleholders wrapped in reflective material, adorned tabletops. Delicate white chiffon banners hung overhead to add an element of height, movement, and further sparkle to the space."It's beautiful, and relates to the overall message," Stark said of his design. "It's very simple, and I hope in this environment it's elegant but also concept-on." Stark's creations also included an element of surprise in what he described as quirky materials from real life, such as silver cake decorations and miniature silver baking cups, which served as coronas for the hand-crafted flowers: "Until I tell you that's a baking cup, you may not necessarily know."

Adding another element of sparkle to the fund-raiser, which featured a live auction during the dinner for the first time, was the debut of jeweler Harry Winston's collection "Diamond de Neige."

Known for drawing a crowd of society and fashion types to its fall fund-raiser—Oscar de la Renta and Dayssi and Paul Kanavos were among this year's co-chairs—New Yorkers for Children provides assistance to youth in foster care in the form of college scholarships, tutoring programs, mentoring, and more. Tuesday night's auction benefited the organization's Back-to-School Package Program. The event, overseen by New Yorkers for Children executive director Susan L. Magazine, raised $1.9 million.