Boardroom Elite Board Runway
Bingo! The Guilds of the Orange County Performing Arts Center hit the fund-raising jackpot when they staged their recent day-and-night fashion shows.
More than $65,000 was netted from Saks Fifth Avenue’s “European Elegance” shows, the first held during a luncheon, the second during a sit-down dinner that served up--in addition to chicken Forestiere--dressed-for-success duds modeled by some of the county’s most powerful men.
Here’s the way it worked: More than 500 attended the $45-per-person luncheon that featured fresh fruit salad, breast of chicken with Chardonnay sauce and lemon tart. During the festivities, Center president Thomas Kendrick (one of the men who would model that evening) told the crowd he would never have agreed to strut his sartorial stuff if it hadn’t been for Janice Johnson, wife of Western Digital Chief Executive Officer Roger Johnson.
Talk about pull. Janice Johnson, chairwoman of the Guilds, also was able to convince Center chairman Henry Segerstrom and board members Timothy Strader, Roger Johnson and Al Baldwin, and the husbands of board members Kathryn Thompson Owen and Judie Argyros, to board the ramp for charity.
Her secret? “I just asked them,” she said.
Dinner festivities with a European theme began at twilight at Newport Beach’s Le Meridien hotel with a first course of spinach salad served Greek-style with feta cheese, followed by the French-style chicken (“ farm chicken,” emphasized hotel manager Bernard Jacoupy, “cornfed”) and julienne of carrots and zucchini presented in a tiny bag made from a crepe. “The French call it a bonbonniere ,” Jacoupy said of the poufed crepe. “It means a little bag for candy.” Nice touch.
After enjoying chocolate ice cream laced with Chambord (a culinary nod to Spain), guests--more than 350 of them--settled back to hear singer John Raitt reminisce and perform beloved tunes (“If I Loved You,” “Oklahoma”) by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Then, show time! Lean and leggy models paraded fashions for women by such designers as Yves Saint Laurent, Zandra Rhodes, Ungaro, Escada, Galanos, Fendi and Scaasi.
And then, the moment the crowd had been waiting for: Out they came, one by one, Henry Segerstrom looking rakish and ultra man-about-town in a dove-gray, double-breasted suit; Al Baldwin looking svelte in a casual ensemble; Roger Johnson looking sporty in a navy blue sport coat (and mouthing “I’ll get you for this” when he spotted his giggling wife); George Argyros knocking them dead in black leather (wife, Judie, couldn’t stop laughing); Tim Strader, dapper in a jaunty hat, which he doffed, and Tom Kendrick, thrilling the crowd as he threw what appeared to be big bucks into the audience. Surprise! They were price tags.
Had Segerstrom been nervous about modeling? “Not at all,” he said. “I think it’s fun!” Johnson? “I’m never nervous when I model,” he deadpanned. Argyros? “This is fun.” (Are they saying they want to come back next year?)
On the event committee: Dee Trujillo, chairwoman, along with Gay Krpan, Sarah Alevizon, Yolanda Jensen, Gayle Anderson, Claire Burt, Vesta Curry, Norman Denton, Shari Esayian, Violet Felix, Carol Fiore, Thelma Friedel, Irene Hajek, Carryl Hytopoulos, Karen Maroney, Tomiko Pearce, Fiona Petersen, Julie Polhemus, Marcia Radelet, Lorrie Rodgers, Marlene Short, Barbara Soros, Judy Stapp and Jane Zeid.
Song and dance: In a show that marked the premiere of modern dance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Bella Lewitzky Dance Co. performed Friday night with the Master Chorale during the opening of its 34th season in Orange County.
Afterward, Master Chorale supporters gathered for treats and bubbly at Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar in Costa Mesa. On hand: William Hall, director of the chorale, and Bella Lewitzky, glowing as she spoke of her company’s performance: “It was a narrow space for a full orchestra and chorus,” she said, “but we just split up a bit, went with width instead of depth. But that was all made up for by the wonderful opportunity to dance to live music.”
Hall and Lewitzky first worked together during the 1984 Olympics. “We opened its Arts Festival together,” Hall said. “It was such an occasion for us. I knew we could bring the company to Orange County. Now, we’ve got to bring it back.”
When it comes to defining modern dance, Lewitzky said, “you have as many titles as inventors of titles.
“Modern dance has gone from modern, to contemporary, to post-modern, to new wave. The form may change but it’s still modern.”
Donna Bunce was chairwoman of the post-performance party. Among guests: Kevin Cade, Bobbie and Paul Bent, Arline Chambers, Susan and Robert Beechner, Brenda and Samuel Armour, Kathleen and John Rhynerson, Elaine and Bill Redfield, Peggy and Larry Rolison, Jacque and Robert Schaar and Lou Spisto.
