Rihanna, Miley Cyrus make a splash at L.A. amfAR Inspiration Gala
The event: Miley Cyrus and Rihanna ran off with the headlines at Wednesday’s black-tie amfAR L.A. Inspiration Gala. Rihanna presented the award to the night’s honoree, fashion designer Tom Ford, while Cyrus took the stage as the newly anointed spokeswoman for MAC Viva Glam, one of the event’s sponsors. It was their daring Tom Ford gowns that caught commenters’ attention -- Cyrus in a black strappy body-revealing number and Rihanna in a leg-baring split-skirt dress with bejeweled pasties on the bodice.
The benefit for amfAR’s AIDS research programs drew support from plenty of other notables too. Gwyneth Paltrow hosted and Sharon Stone served as auctioneer; Lisa Kudrow and Kristin Davis delivered introductions; Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay performed two numbers and the iconic Diana Ross closed out the evening with a mini-concert, beginning with her mega-hit “I’m Coming Out” and ending with an “I Will Survive” that had the entire audience on its feet.
The crowd: Stars of movies, television and the recording industry packed Milk Studios in Hollywood. They included Justin Timberlake, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Beth Behrs, Kat Dennings, January Jones, Patricia Arquette, Camilla Belle, Eddie Redmayne, Gilles Marini, Milla Jovovich, Alessandra Ambrosio, Michelle Rodriguez, Natasha Bedingfield, Molly Sims, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rita Wilson, George Kotsiopoulos, Kelly Osbourne, Rose McGowan, Dita Von Teese and Ryan Murphy. CAA’s Bryan Lourd, philanthropist Aileen Getty and fashion designer Kenneth Cole, amfAR’s chairman of the board, served as event chairs.
The auction: Not for the faint of heart, the sale of art, photos, jewelry and other goodies fetched jaw-dropping sums. Rihanna purchased Harry Winston diamond earrings for $35,000 and a Willy Rizzo photo for $100,000. In a bidding war with Tom Ford, Miley Cyrus emerged victorious, buying a Ryan McGinley photo for $300,000.
“I’m really excited. I’m a big fan of Ryan’s,” said Cyrus after the auction. “I can’t wait to get the photo home.”
Some in the audience went beyond bidding for merchandise. When Stone -- assisted by Andrea Fiuczynski of Sotheby’s -- asked for additional donations, Rihanna and Bedingfield raised their hands to give $100,000 each, while Cyrus upped the ante and volunteered $200,000. Getty contributed $250,000.
The numbers: The tally from the evening -- presented by Wells Fargo, with additional sponsorship from MAC, Fiji Water and others -- came in at $3 million, in addition to a contribution of $1 million from tech entrepreneur David Bohnett that was announced at the gala. Tickets for the 450 guests began at $1,500 and tables were priced as high as $200,000.
Quotes of note: With all proceeds from MAC’s Viva Glam collection going to the fight against HIV/AIDS, Cyrus said she felt honored to be part of the cosmetic company’s mission and wished to do more than design a product for her fans to purchase. She said she hopes to “start an open dialogue about prevention and awareness” and “break down walls that have been built up around sexuality.”
“Very, very soon,” said Stone following the auction, “you will hear someday as you’ll be driving down the road or sitting with your friends, when someone will walk up and say, ‘Did you hear what happened today?’ And you will hear that we have found a cure for AIDS. It will happen -- and when that day comes, I just want you to take a quiet moment and know that you did that by coming here tonight, by all the things you’ve done, by all the ways you helped. That was you.”
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