Black Tie & Tales

+ Ice, ice, baby
Confession: BT has never worn fake eyelashes. Thank goodness Cutting Loose salon makeup artists were hired to assist in placing them on the eyelids of the models for the Designing Women Boutique gala, otherwise BT would probably have accidentally glued them to her forehead. The makeup artists also used eyelash glue to give models a sexy “It just snowed in Sarasota, but only on our eyebrows, temples and forehead” look. If anyone knows the secret to removing the stuff without removing your eyebrows in the process, please call The Observer office. BT has also never been laced into a corset, hence Anne Chauvet’s lovely corset quote below. What’s more, not only did BT wear the corset, she also wore a spiked dog collar!

+ Lean, mean snow queen
Vicki Hornberger stirred up quite a reaction from Designing Women Boutique supporters when she hit the runway Friday, as the gala’s snow queen. Her costume came from Sarasota Ballet costume designer Bill Fenner, who had the costume unused and just hanging around.

“Jean (Weidner-Goldstein) put it up on a ladder and cut the whole front out of it,” said Lauren Walsh. “She was cutting and cutting and cutting. She just had this vision of how she wanted it.”

Hornberger took the costume home to embellish it even more by spraying it with fake snow and glitter and designing a cape. “We had glitter everywhere!” Walsh said.

+ Tidbits
Multi-purpose man … Guests at Designing Women Boutique’s 10th Anniversary Gala might have done a double take when Brent Greeno, the much-admired audio-visual director of the production, came out of the kitchen with both arms loaded with dinner plates. No need to worry … in an earlier life, Greeno learned the restaurant business from the ground up, and he was more than qualified for his volunteer task …

Goo goo for Gaga ... Planet Togs owner Lyne Butterworth constantly has her eye on up-and-coming designers. Beyond Paris, Milan and New York, she likes to jet to Singapore for fashion week and bring back to Florida boatloads of funky pieces. Designs for her most recent affair, during which she outfitted women for a Designing Daughters fashion show, included what she calls “the Gaga dress” — basically what Lady Gaga would wear on her day off — and even dresses made from medical gauze!

Sold-out magical moment … a new record of attendees has been set for the JFCS annual gala, “Magical Moments.” At the sold-out Dec. 16 gala, to be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, guests will be entertained by Ilan Smith, two other roving magicians and singer Maria Wirries. The gala benefits Jewish Family and Children’s Services and will feature cocktails and dinner, plus a special musical performance by the Sarasota Orchestra.

Black Tie Affair
Christmas in Candy Land
When: Noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9
Where: Michael’s On East
Tickets: $35 for adults; $10 for children age 12 and younger.
Contact: 952-WISH or visit christmasincandyland.kintera.org

Join Santa Claus and your favorite holiday characters as you decorate holiday cookies, get bedazzled with glitter tattoos and satisfy your sweet tooth with mountains of candy!

The event benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida, Sarasota region. 

Quote Box
After Hot Dogs and Cool Cats …
“Yes, I’m quite the embroiderer. I embroidered all of these sailboats myself” — John Chapman joking around about his Lilly Pulitzer pants at State Street Eating House & Cocktails

Sarasota Orchestra’s Season Opener Brunch and the Sarasota Jewish Federation Women’s Day
“Look at my new shoes!” — Bunny Skirboll

Designing Women Boutique’s 10th Anniversary Gala …
“Loren, do you need help? Come here with that corset. OK, now pull everything up and inhale. Suck in. It’s going to be tight — really tight. But that’s how we do it” — Anne Chauvet