I've Got A Little List

We know nothing’s easy these days, particularly when it comes to fundraising. So an extra huzzah to those who make sure that our nonpareil nonprofit organizations can continue to survive and thrive. And what better way to appreciate our abundance than to share it with a celebration? Parting with pennies often precipitates a party…

THE VERY MODEL

Hearts and wings were fluttering in the Garden Court of the Palace Hotel when the San Francisco League of the SF Symphony held the A Grand Affair with Gilbert and Sullivan to celebrate the semi-staged version of Iolanthe, which the SF Symphony will perform in June. Encouraged to dress in G&S attire, the result was a cacophony of Goldoliers, Pirates of Penzance, Modern Major Generals, Buttercups, and of course, a few interpretations of the faery Iolanthe herself. Treated to a selection of songs by the Lamplighters (and five desserts at each place!), the evening was sweet indeed. Co-chairs Sallie Huntting and Hazel Kawaja were the heroines of the evening, raising essential funds to benefit music programs in schools. Fans by the footlights included SF League President Judy Jorgensen with husband Paul, Symphony Executive Director Brent Assink and wife Jan, Anette & Marc Harris, Patricia & Charles Sprincin, Genelle Relfe, George F. Lucas, Anne & Robert Hamblett, Frederic Smith, Betsy Vobach & Dan Deshon, Helene Edelman, and Diane & Asher Rubin. Indeed. See images online at nobhillgazette.com, May issue.

MY FRIEND FLICKA

SF Opera Guild hosted Springtime in Paris: An Evening Honoring Fredericka von Stade; the honoree, of course, affectionately known by audiences and admirers as Flicka. She has performed twenty-one roles with the SF Opera, beginning in 1971 and continuing enthusiastically to the present. Many of her costumes from those roles were on display—if those dolls could talk, or sing! Flicka’s husband, Michael Gorman, said she genuinely was surprised by the enthusiastic turnout, but Opera Director David Gockley was not, noting that her character and her voice are still so “fresh, youthful, and expressive,” and that she is equally beloved for her talent and demeanor. The Ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel recalled the City of Enlightenment, with tarot card readers and mimes evoking la vie boheme during cocktails. Co-chairs Barbara Walkowski and Lynne Edminster assembled artistic and honorary committees that read like a who’s who of music and philanthropy, and then recruited a topnotch committee to spring forth an arrondissement of delights, including an abundant silent and live auction, a special musical tribute, and, for those who like their music with a backbeat, dancing into the night to Bill Hopkins Rock’n Orchestra. Those making the Seine included composer Jake Hegge, pianist Martin Katz, George & Leslie Hume, David & Joan Traitel, Claude & Katie Jarman, Bill & Mary Poland, Pitch & Cathie Johnson, Lynn Edminster & Brian Atwood, Kathleen McEligot, John Capizzi, and many more. And then, with a flicka the baton, it was springtime in San Francisco once more. See images on page 19 as well as online at nobhillgazette.com

HAVING THEIR CAKE

Tipping Point Community celebrated its third anniversary with a blockbuster fundraiser at Bimbo’s 365 Club which shattered expectations, eardrums, records (and a few fire regulations?). A hip crowd of over six hundred supporters pledged a whopping $3 million dollars to fight poverty through grants awarded to Bay Area grassroots organizations. Founder Daniel Lurie welcomed the crowd to a hilarious Saturday Night Live video custom-made for the event, followed by a veeeery lively live auction and performance by the alternative-rock band Cake. Happy-face décor by Stanlee Gatti and delectables by Paula LeDuc only added to the ebullient mood. Raising a glass and a hand were many multigenerational munificents: Board Chair Alec Perkins with wife Serena and mom JaMel Perkins, Katie Schwab with her parents Helen & Charles Schwab, Jennifer Seibel Newsom with sis’ Melissa Seibel, Lurie’s wife Becca Prowda and mom Mimi Haas, Brenda & Mike Holston, Larry & Pam Baer, Marissa Mayer & Zach Bogue, Kate Harbin Clammer, Carol Bonnie, Hillary Armstrong, and a whole lotta Lotts: a birthday cake was presented to board member Ronnie Lott by wife Karen and kids Ryan, Chloe, Hayley, and Isaiah. Providing purpose with a josh, a bevvie, and a nosh to give poverty the kibosh? Positively posh!

SPOTTED ON THE SCENE

There were an oce-lot of fortunate children at the ZooFest for Kids Preview Party held at the Juicy Couture boutique. The LA-la lifestyle brand ran up a special edition of their signature sweat-jackets in animal print just for the party. Sipping and nibbling the (thoughtfully allergen-free) treats: event co-chair Mireille Schwartz and her daughter Charlotte, co-chairs Cecelia Fisher and Charles Zeches, Princess Fati Farmanfarmaian, Claudia Ross, Susan Dunleavy with twins Paige and Gwyneth, SF Zoo Auxiliary President Mindy Henderson, Carol Goldberg, Melody Johnson with son Reese, Betsy White, Peter Brandenhoff, Kelly Sulprizio, and a pride of other social lions. Julie Fernandes made it a family affair—daughters Danielle, Loren, and Julie twinkled their tootsies trying on shoes of many hues. ZooFest for Kids debuts on June 5.

   The packs of party animals at ZooFest! (for grownups) showed their true spots and stripes as well, raising fodder for San Francisco Zoo programs. Event co-chairs Rosemary Baker and Jacqueline Erdman planned the evening to honor the contributions of Connie & Bob Lurie. The highlight of the evening was the live auction, which offered the rare opportunity to name a red panda, a howler monkey, and/or a pair of pied tamarins, an endangered Amazonian animal that is primarily tended by the father (think of the naming possibilities on that one!). Enjoying Robert Fountain’s sustainable décor and Dan McCall’s sustenance: Martha & Barnaby Conrad, Karen Caldwell, Sandy Hill (of Santa Barbara and New York), Executive Director Tanya Petersen, Martin Muller, Layne Gray, Lindsay Bolton, Tom Perkins, Mike & Cathy Podell, Jamel Perkins, Patrick & Melissa Barber. A few animals on display during cocktails mimicked the minglers, including an American alligator, a bald eagle, and an adorable barn owl that ruffled its feathers as a sign of pleasure. Let that be instructive to those of us whose feathers get ruffled! See images online at nobhillgazette.com, May issue.

GETTING AND SPENDING

In these times of fashionable frugality, retailers are ringing in the new. Banana Republic has launched the new Edition accessories boutique in the Westfield Center, offering high-design/low-dollar jewelry, bags, belts, and shoes that are truly deceptive in their pretty price points. Many covetable items are exclusive to this concept store; the first collection includes capri-ready woven leather totes in tangerine and turquoise, Raj-inspired bib necklaces set with carnelian or crystal, and the most divine Swarovski-studded sandals this side of St. Barths. Perfect for va- or stay-cation chic.

These days, exclusivity often leads to desirability, in perfumes and other affairs of the heart. (Your mother was right!) Saks recently introduced Kilian Perfumes, ten sensuous scents developed by LVMH cognac heir Killian Hennesy. Over a glass of Veuve Clicquot Rosé at the Sorokko Gallery, the gallant Gaul explained that his perfumes were inspired by “the angel’s share” of cognac that evaporates while aging in barrels. Named after temptations, paradises, and prohibitions, the perfumes are complex and distinctive, leading knowing noses to wonder if they would provide “the devil’s share” of allure to the wearer. Crystal bottles are refillable, and the luxe wood and velvet packaging is designed to be repurposed as a jewelry box. Divine.

Of course if you’re shopping at Boucheron, you might be able to spare a sou’, but you want jewels to be worn on the Rive Gauche as well as the Rive Droite. The brightly hued “macaron” collection has a reversible pendant or earrings that switches from pave bling to a lovely clear colored stone—utterly delectable, like the Laduree confections beloved by so many. Asian Art Museum Patrons including Carol & Dixon Doll, Letitia & Michael Kim, Masaaki Tanaka, Philip Yau & Cynthia Kop, Japanese Consul General Yasamusa Nagamine, and Museum Director Jay Xu got a taste of both treats at an after-hours cocktail party to celebrate the upcoming Samurai Exhibit and Gala. Who wouldn’t swoon for a macaroon?

FASHION TRIBUNAL

The International Herald Tribune’s esteemed and estimable fashion editor Suzy Menkes made a rare SF appearance with AAU Fashion Department Director (and frequent NHG contributor) Gladys Perint Palmer. The informal interview was held in front of a full house of students and a few fortunate followers, including couture collector Christine Suppes and Fine Arts Museums of SF Textile Curator Jill D’Allessandro. Four times a year, Menkes covers 180 shows over 29 days in New York, London, Paris, and Milan and produces 350,000 pithy, provocative, and pitch-perfect words a year as a result. Menkes is well known for her brioche bangs, pouffed up over the top of her bob, and her equally distinctive ability to capture the essence of a designer’s idea or a season’s zeitgeist. Her ideal collection? “I look for originality, but also execution.” At the top of the heap? She believes Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel is “genuinely irreplaceable, the only one left who goes to the roots of haute couture.” She states that the luxury is moving toward craftsmanship and materials, the creation of something worthy of keeping for a lifetime, something that evokes beauty and emotion. Asked for advice to budding journalists, she was clear: “Grab opportunities where you are. Be curious. And be accurate.”

Jennifer Raiser is moving and shaking.