Winter seemed to extend well into spring in New York this year, but guests of the March of Dimes' 29th annual Million Dollar Beauty Ball at the Waldorf=Astoria got a break from the elements for one evening thanks to this year's sunny theme: black tie with a touch of beach. A crowd of 1,000—mostly cosmetic and beauty industry bigwigs—dug deep into their Murakamis to the tune of $1,200 a seat to support the charity.
March of Dimes director of special events Jennifer Rosenblatt coordinated the swiftly moving program. Before dinner, Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder presented awards to the evening's two recipients: Bobbi Brown and Nordstrom executive vice president of corporate cosmetics Dale Crichton. (A slightly annoyed Brown had to tell the networking-obsessed crowd to "lighten up" after they appeared too distracted to respond to an "I'm retiring!" April Fools' joke she made during her acceptance speech.)
Beachy decor provided by Monroe Alcheman of Estee Lauder included potted palms lining the dance floor and sea-blue table linens. The surf-and-turf dinner of steak and skewered shrimp was followed by an almost-too-pretty-to-eat dessert: a chocolate palm tree on a beach of white chocolate sand beside a chocolate treasure chest containing three tiny scoops of sorbet. On stage, a steel band accompanied by brightly outfitted vocalists provided upbeat entertainment when guests moved onto the dance floor after dinner.
While a small tote containing some Bobbi Brown essentials sat atop each guest's chair, the real gift bag was so highly coveted it could only be claimed with a ticket that each registered attendee received upon check-in. The prize was a pink flower-printed Nick & Nora plastic tote containing gifts from cosmetic sponsors including Revlon, BCBG, Stila and Nars. Extra gift bag items were donated to disadvantaged women participating in March of Dimes' prenatal care programs.
—Alesandra Dubin
Read our coverage of last year's ball...
Read our coverage of the 2002 ball...
Read our coverage of the 2001 ball...
March of Dimes director of special events Jennifer Rosenblatt coordinated the swiftly moving program. Before dinner, Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder presented awards to the evening's two recipients: Bobbi Brown and Nordstrom executive vice president of corporate cosmetics Dale Crichton. (A slightly annoyed Brown had to tell the networking-obsessed crowd to "lighten up" after they appeared too distracted to respond to an "I'm retiring!" April Fools' joke she made during her acceptance speech.)
Beachy decor provided by Monroe Alcheman of Estee Lauder included potted palms lining the dance floor and sea-blue table linens. The surf-and-turf dinner of steak and skewered shrimp was followed by an almost-too-pretty-to-eat dessert: a chocolate palm tree on a beach of white chocolate sand beside a chocolate treasure chest containing three tiny scoops of sorbet. On stage, a steel band accompanied by brightly outfitted vocalists provided upbeat entertainment when guests moved onto the dance floor after dinner.
While a small tote containing some Bobbi Brown essentials sat atop each guest's chair, the real gift bag was so highly coveted it could only be claimed with a ticket that each registered attendee received upon check-in. The prize was a pink flower-printed Nick & Nora plastic tote containing gifts from cosmetic sponsors including Revlon, BCBG, Stila and Nars. Extra gift bag items were donated to disadvantaged women participating in March of Dimes' prenatal care programs.
—Alesandra Dubin
Read our coverage of last year's ball...
Read our coverage of the 2002 ball...
Read our coverage of the 2001 ball...
Beachy decor at the March of Dimes' Million Dollar Beauty Ball included potted palms lining the dance floor in the Waldorf=Astoria's grand ballroom.
The almost-too-pretty-to-eat dessert was a chocolate palm tree on a beach of white chocolate sand beside a chocolate treasure chest containing three tiny scoops of sorbet.
Sea-blue table linens matched the "black tie with a touch of beach" theme.
A steel band accompanied by brightly outfitted vocalists provided upbeat entertainment when guests moved onto the dance floor after dinner.
