Daily Front Row

2007 September 27

Let's Hear it for the Girls

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Frank Zambrelli and Vera Wang
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(NEW YORK) BAG LADIES: The Madison Square Boys and Girls Club hosted their third annual “Purses and Pursenalities” luncheon on Wednesday afternoon at The Metropolitan Club. The space was transformed into a bag bazaar, where attendees bid on over 125 new or gently used designer and vintage handbags. This year’s event was sponsored by Eric Javits and honored Vera Wang, Lilly Pulitzer, and Frank Zambrelli of Leiber.

“This is really a genius concept,” said Wang, who donated a Prada and Hermès bag from her own collection. “Who doesn’t love handbags? This way you feel good buying something new because you know how much good it will do.” Though Wang does not currently design handbags for her Vera Wang or Lavender Label collections, she has bags on her mind. “It’s definitely something I would like to do soon,” she said.

Wang can take note from Leiber, who has mastered the evening bag. “We are the Rolls Royce of handbags in a sea of BMWs and Benzs--all luxurious, but Leiber is just a cut above” said Zambrelli as he watched the crowd ogle over clutches and hobos, totes and briefcases. “To stay relevant you need great design that stands the test of time,” he added.

Last year’s honoree, Nicole Miller, checked out the bids on one of her pocketbooks, as other bags from Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Giorgio Armani and Lanvin, among others, sparked a bidding war. “Those two women across the table were just fighting for my bag and that makes me very happy,” said Miller, who hoped the event would raise a lot of money. “My mom taught me to help and I like doing good for organizations I have an association with.” And even Miller couldn’t resist getting in on the auction action herself and won a pink quilted bag from My Flat in London.

After shopping for a cause, guests including Debbie Bancroft, Di Petroff, Somers Farkas, Fernanda Niven, Gillian Miniter, and Tatiana Platt lightly lunched on red snapper and grilled vegetables. Javits, who served as the afternoon's emcee, joked about Vera’s handsome husband and bidding on a good housekeeper. Honorees were then gifted with a framed piece of artwork designed by children from Madison Square Boys and Girls Club. Even if a luxe purse slipped through some fingers, no one left empty handed--a beautiful handbag calendar from the Museum at FIT sat on each seat.

THE KELLY: Saks Fifth Avenue's second floor played host to an intimate evening of cocktails with St. John's Kelly Gray in the Kelly Lounge on Wednesday night in honor of the 45th anniversary of St. John. "This marks the beginning of a new era for us," said Gray, the former face of St. John and daughter of founder Marie Gray, referencing the company's new CEO, Glenn McMahon, formerly at Dolce & Gabbana. "There is so much chemistry between us, especially now with Glenn on board. And we're celebrating two events tonight because St. John is turning 45 and I turn 41 tomorrow. This party is definitely a kick-off for my birthday, but I can't disclose where I'll end up!" Gray modeled a sparkly black dress from St. John's spring collection, which she described as "sexy, flirty, bold, and edgy, in a feminine way."

Fellow hosts for the evening Suzy Johnson, group senior vice president at Saks, and Patricia Clarkson (third hostess Amy Sacco arrived towards the end of the festivities) spent most of the evening mingling in a corner, where a precariously placed candle stand--fortunately sans burning candle--almost landed on them mid-conversation. "For us, this evening is about celebrating the reopening of our designer floor," explained Johnson, wearing Givenchy. "And it's about sharing that with Kelly and St. John, who we've had this great partnership with over the years." As guests drank pink Kelly martinis--a mixture of Absolut raspberry, Alizé, and cranberry juice--and snacked on mini burgers, coconut fried shrimp, and crab cakes, Clarkson, in Italian label Fuzzi, elaborated on her involvement with the evening's festivities. "I love St. John but I'm also here to support Saks. I love what they've done for New Orleans--I was born and raised there." Having just wrapped four movies, Clarkson plans to take a break for a bit, but not this evening. "I think it's so much fun here. I love being in stores after hours," she confessed.

GET MINE, GET YOURS: Against a moonlit New York City backdrop, an upbeat group of publishing insiders gathered to celebrate Amy DuBois Barnett’s new book, Get Yours! The Girlfriend’s Guide to Everything You Ever Dreamed Of and More (Broadway Books), at the penthouse loft at the Soho Grand yesterday. The event was hosted by Gayle King, editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine and Oprah’s BFF, Kevin Liles, the executive vice president of Warner Music Group, and Angela Burt-Murray, the editor in chief of Essence. The wrap-around balcony was at full capacity as guests enjoyed mojitos and sangria and shared their stories of success.

The author, who’s also the deputy editor in chief at Harper’s Bazaar, was wearing a fabulous red Catherine Malandrino number, but admitted that she wasn’t able to make it to the Spring 2008 show. “I love Malandrino, but with the book launch and trying to get Bazaar's 140th anniversary issue out the door, I just had my hands full!” As to her best tip in the book, she says: “I believe that success is a mindset. It’s about acknowledging that life is an adventure and yours to explore. Have faith that you are going to be ok and the universe is going to support your decisions. The energy you put out in the world is what you get back.” Added a Michael Kors-clad King, whose story DuBois Barnett included in the book, “The message is really about self-esteem. Don’t take no for an answer!” And as for Liles, the sole male host? “I know that the book is for girlfriends but I’m the boyfriend, so I want to know about the same things they do! It really is a great book about transformation at its best.”
NOLA WEINSTEIN, JENNIFER BARTON, and ANNABELLA ÅSVIK