Picnic tables, kites, and lawn games like badminton and croquet set the scene for Windfall's seventh annual Buy Design benefit, a 1930s post-Depression-inspired party held Saturday at the Fermenting Cellar. Windfall Clothing Service event manager Kelly Carmichael worked with an event committee, headed by co-chairs Andrew Sardone and Tralee Pearce, to create the feel of a country fair for the fund-raiser, dubbed the Spring Social.
"The idea came from the economy. The '30s was this era where you had to make do with what you had, and that's the mentality we're in now," Sardone said. "I think the message really connected with the sponsors and the guests. It's a head space people can get into. It feels wholesome, it feels honest, and it feels authentic."
The event committee used red, white, and blue fabric to divide the Distillery District venue into two spaces. The main room included a lawn with badminton and croquet games, a tented stage, a parquet dance floor, picnic tables, concession stands where guests could find hamburgers and French fries, a bar where servers offered a signature cocktail called the Lemon Vodka Sidecar, and a Beauty Balloon Buster game that gave attendees the chance to win prizes.
The second area featured a hair and makeup area staffed by stylists from Green Beauty, a bake sale, a candy stand courtesy of Allan Candy, and a mess-hall-style silent auction. "This is a signature part of the event, people come to shop. It's in the name. It's the part we never change," Sardone said of the silent auction.
Fashion File's Adrian Mainella hosted the benefit, DJ Andrew Karis spun tunes, singer Alex Pangman performed, and Jay Mandarino led the live auction. Guests also had the chance to bid on a series of boater hats designed by five of the city's top style editors, who each partnered with a local milliner.
As in the past, organizers promoted the event, which drew 500 guests, through social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. The committee also distributed promotional materials (bearing images from a photo shoot held at Ward's Island last fall) at LG Fashion Week. "We had a team of volunteers go down. They got all dolled up. Green Beauty did all the hair and makeup for the girls and H&M dressed them. They handed out a couple of thousand postcards promoting Buy Design," Carmichael said.
