Sparkly tutus and miniature top hats aren't the typical guest trappings at a black-tie gala, but they were par for the course at Saturday's Fur Ball. The fund-raiser for Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS) took place at the Drake and drew more than 600 guests, many with gussied-up dogs in tow.
Tickets to the event went for $400 a pop; the invite also requested a "$100 per pooch" reservation fee. And since the pets were technically paying customers, PAWS special events manager Jessica Busch said she and her team focused on creating an evening that would cater equally to its two- and four-legged attendees.
A cocktail hour that took place in the Drake's French and Walton rooms featured Kehoe-designed lounge areas filled with couches and floor pillows. Crystal water bowls sat on the floor beside each bar, and while hotel staffers circulated with puffed mushroom pastries and chicken skewers for the humans, tables labeled "pet buffet" offered crystal goblets filled with mashed chicken, carrots, and peas.
While guests headed toward a buffet dinner in the grand ballroom or the Gold Coast Room (sponsor tables filled the latter space, while regular ticket-holders dined in the former), dogs received massages and manicures in an upstairs area that housed a temporary pet spa.
Throughout the evening, guests posed for pictures with their pets on a red carpet that ran down the hallway. The photo ops proved popular, and even those without dogs crowded in to look on and coo. The scene caused one guest to joke, "Is this the line for Santa?"
