Black Tie & Tales

‘Wow, wow, wow!’ take two

Patti Wertheimer, president of the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota Manatee, graciously credited Brian Lipton for originating the phrase she borrowed to kick off the Women’s Day luncheon Dec. 7. One wow was for the speaker: Marlee Matlin. Another was for the record number of guests: 430. A third was for Susie Steenbarger, who created the table décor but didn’t get to see it because she was ill. Matlin told her story of not letting her deafness stop her — ever — with the help of her interpreter, Jack Jason. Matlin also FaceTimed Spring Awakening co-star Camryn Manheim, the previous year’s Women’s Day speaker, who wanted to give a shout-out to the Sarasota crowd.

In Triplicate

Peggy Abt, Pat Baer, and soon-to-be-birthday girl Judy Zuckerberg (75 on Dec. 30) discovered last year that they had purchased the same beautiful blouse by designerCatherine Bacon. Baer got hers at a boutique in Arizona and the other two ladies bought atJoan Morgan’s Dream Weaver in St. Armands. They took care to consult each other and not show up at the same event in the same garb, but then decided to do exactly that. Their choice was the aforementioned Jewish Federation of Sarasota Manatee’s Women’s Day Luncheon. The stunt was a hit, to say the least.

Tidbits …

She’s back …  and are we glad. Heather Merriman Saba has completed her maternity leave and is back on the job as of Dec. 14. We are also grateful to Cliff Roles, who did a great job for the section while she was gone and will continue to handle some assignments… Happy Holidays … This is the last appearance of this column for 2015. Thank you for your ideas, your contributions and your readership. We’ll be back in the Jan. 7 edition and we hope you will be, too.

‘Night at the Moulin Rouge’ revisited ...

Standout accessory … John Simon wore a Moulin Rouge souvenir tie that his father,Abbie Simon, bought at the famous club 70 years ago when he was a G.I. The Designing Women Boutique Fashion Show was the first time he wore it — obviously the perfect occasion ... Another first … The gala was extra special for Nancy Markle, a founding and longtime board member of DWB and its guiding light in the computer world. She reported, “This is my first time out without a back brace (after major surgery in Atlanta this summer).”... The heir apparent … Many of us remember Behta, the gorgeous apricot standard poodle who shared his life with Janet and John Hunter and even strutted the Designing Women Boutique runway with John. It’s been some time since Behta died, but now there is Oliver – a 9-year-old black poodle rescue (of course), who made his debut at “Night at the Moulin Rouge” and is every bit as much a “daddy’s boy” as his predecessor.

La Musica turns 30

To kick off its 30th year, La Musica took its season-opener, “Sonata a Due” to a new location — Michael’s On East, which was an amenable venue for an intimate chamber music concert. Federico Agostini, violin, and Derek Han, piano, dazzled with pieces by Mozart, Schumann and Beethoven in a performance dedicated to the memory of Joseph Silverstein. Board Chairman Frederick Derr announced new board members: Nancy Goldand Linda Bento-Rei. Kim and Kevin Kalkhoven, who are relocating from northern California and purchasing the home of Renee Hamad, were among her guests. Edward Hupton, pianist, and Veronica Schoenewolf, singer, recently became neighbors of and attended with Janet and John Hunter. One extremely happy guest was composer Jerry Bilick, basking in compliments for the Sarasota Orchestra’s weekend premiere of his Symphony in M-L. Happiest of all was La Musica president and mother superior, Sally Faron.