- April 16, 2024
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+From WWS to NYFW
We know our Black Tie people give graciously at our events (both the donating sides and the bidding sides), and it’s always fun to see a good auction item fulfilled on Facebook. Back in November, Ali Miller bid on a New York Fashion Week trip (provided by The Met) in the silent auction at Wine Women and Shoes, and last week she and her husband, Eric, traveled to the Big Apple to attend. They were in the second row for the debut of Ralph Lauren’s fall collection, and Miller was decked out in the designer’s clothes (styled by The Met, of course) for the show. “We also had dinner at the Polo Bar, which is impossible to get a reservation at,” says Miller. “It truly was a once in a lifetime experience.”
+Happy Birthday, Grandpa Cliff
With about two dozen bold-faced names gussied up for his 63rd birthday luncheon on the porch of Margaret Wise’s home in Harbor Acres Feb. 17, photographer Cliff Roles had eyes only for the youngest guests, his twin, 16-month-old granddaughters, Emery and Aslin Bikfalvy, daughters of Alana Opie and Cliff’s stepson Steve Bikfalvy.
Mollie Nelson and Wise co-hostessed the luncheon, and the weather gods smiled on them, as did Wendy Feinstein, who created an impressive bit of doggerel including this couplet:
He’s our own paparazzi, his photos are top
And we thank him over and over for this thing called Photoshop
He makes us look like beauty queens, thrown into photos with folks we don't know
I'm always so shocked when I look in the mirror to find that it just isn’t so.
+‘They outdid themselves …’
If you heard it once, you heard it a dozen times at the Feb. 13 Orchid Ball as a capacity crowd of 535 guests oohed-and-aahed over a party that was virtually perfect in every detail, right down to the gold dragees on the champagne cupcakes. Some highlights … Happy anniversaries … the party celebrated the 40th anniversary of the garden and the first for its president and CEO, Jennifer Rominiecki, whose impact in that brief period of time is little short of amazing. … Raising the bar … Roger Capote, the garden’s director of events since August 2014, says, “I love creating beautiful memories and experiences. That is my passion, creating an environment that can’t be experienced anywhere else.” Overachiever! The amazing garden girls he conceived and created on mannequins donated by sponsors Geoffrey and Brenda Michel and The Met are one example … Above and beyond … also describes the performance of Phil Mancini, Michael Klauber and their 70 staff. The bottle that was on each table wasn’t just champagne it was Veuve Cliquot! … The bottom line … The Orchid Ball raised $250,000 for the garden and rave reviews. Last words go to Christopher Thorpe, “The Orchid Ball rivals an Oscar party I attended last year” and Dick Matson: “I have been to 30, and this is the most beautiful yet.”
+Tiny steals the ARC show
Hayley Wielgus (a self-identified “crazy dog lady”) kicked off the Animal Rescue Coalition’s “Unconditional Love” gala by reporting that the organization has neutered 46,322 animals since its founding in 2002 and is now doing 30 surgeries a day. Executive Director Gisele Pintchuck announced a record amount of sponsorship dollars from a mix of old and new supporters. But the star was a shelter dog, an 80-pound pit bull named Johnson. A video told how ARC treated him, neutered him and fostered him out to a family that fell in love, adopted him and changed his name to “Tiny.” Then he made a personal appearance on the dance floor. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
