Televisa Publishing hosted a 50th anniversary gala for Vanidades magazine at the Trump Soho hotel Thursday night. The magazine worked with event producer David Stark on the dinner and award ceremony, which honored designers Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, and Narciso Rodriguez, as well as singer Gloria Estefan.
Televisa’s concept was to host an “elegant, chic dinner party to celebrate the occasion in a very intimate way with the people closest to them,” Stark said. And it delivered: “The event turned out to be everything I pictured,” said Alexandra Akshar, head of promotions for Televisa Publishing.
For many of the 260 guests, the evening began with the red carpet. A golden "50" sculpture marked the cocktail area, where votives in red glasses and a variety of red flowers dotted the windows, tables, and bar.
The hotel's hors d'oeuvres included foie gras and goat cheese, and a hot buffet offered pork buns and dumplings. The bar was stocked with bottles of Moët & Chandon, as well as Hennessy, Belvedere Vodka, and Terrazas wines. In the ballroom, where M.C. Daisy Fuentes held court, the tables glowed with gold glassware and bunches of red flowers.
Vanidades was the first Spanish-language magazine launched in the U.S. During the evening, covers from each decade were displayed on screens in the ballroom. Estefan was presented with the Mujer Vanidades Award.
The night was presented by Estée Lauder and Sprint, with additional sponsorship by Moët & Chandon, Continental Airlines, TechnoMarine, Mahatma Rice, Air Europa and Transitions.
