It’s not surprising that menswear designer John Varvatos’s kid-friendly annual benefit for Stuart House has grown every year since its launch five years ago. But who would have expected the fund-raiser, which helps sexually abused children, to feel more intimate than ever in a year when attendance doubled to a healthy 2,000?The secret: Event producer Travis Jackson of Ikus & Company, working with Varvatos marketing and corporate communications vice president Donna Faircloth, simply turned the stage around. The centerpiece of the event was a concert by Macy Gray in a tent on Melrose Avenue adjacent to Varvatos’s flagship boutique, on the 8800 block. Last year, Chris Cornell performed at one end of the tent; this year’s 40- by 80-foot main tent was bigger than its predecessor, but the stage was turned to run lengthwise, so no guest was far from the performers. Also enhanced this year was the children’s tent in Varvatos’s parking lot, which held an array of play for kids, who were admitted for free.
Salt Catering served up buffets of California rolls, pizzas, and turkey on foccacia while waiters circulated with crudités and In-N-Out burgers. TV vets Drew Carey and Heather Thomas helped a Christie’s auctioneer stir up the live auction before surrendering the stage to Gray and her band, who serenaded the gathering for 40 minutes. Helping to grease the afternoon’s many moving parts were Stuart House’s 12-member event committee, chaired by Gail Abarbanel and Joanne Cohen; music wrangler Sharon Ainsberg of Starworks Music Management Group; and sponsors Base Curve, the City of West Hollywood, GQ, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shiseido, United Airlines, Vanity Fair, and Zirh. The benefit raised more than $400,000 for Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center’s rape treatment center for children.
—Irene Lacher
Posted 03.14.07
Photos: John Scuilli/WireImage (tent overview), Donato Sardella/WireImage (Converse, seating, auction)
Salt Catering served up buffets of California rolls, pizzas, and turkey on foccacia while waiters circulated with crudités and In-N-Out burgers. TV vets Drew Carey and Heather Thomas helped a Christie’s auctioneer stir up the live auction before surrendering the stage to Gray and her band, who serenaded the gathering for 40 minutes. Helping to grease the afternoon’s many moving parts were Stuart House’s 12-member event committee, chaired by Gail Abarbanel and Joanne Cohen; music wrangler Sharon Ainsberg of Starworks Music Management Group; and sponsors Base Curve, the City of West Hollywood, GQ, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shiseido, United Airlines, Vanity Fair, and Zirh. The benefit raised more than $400,000 for Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center’s rape treatment center for children.
—Irene Lacher
Posted 03.14.07
Photos: John Scuilli/WireImage (tent overview), Donato Sardella/WireImage (Converse, seating, auction)