A Celebratory Luncheon for 50 at Tiffany
Trumpets flagged with Tiffany-blue banners blared. Atlas perched over his corner clock at Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive. Tiffany roses blushed. The cobblestones on the new Two Rodeo Drive complex were polished, and the terra-cotta-colored walls dazzled.
So did diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and gold as Tiffany & Co. unwrapped its new North Rodeo Drive store and celebrated the sister store’s 25th year in Beverly Hills with a fancy Rococo-catered luncheon for 50 of Los Angeles’ charity gala socialites.
Tiffany executives Roberta Herbison and John Loring frolicked in unison at the entrance. There were hugs and kisses for everyone, including Betsy Bloomingdale, a Nancy Reagan best friend, who had attended the Tiffany Beverly Hills opening 25 years ago.
Inside the cherry-paneled salons, guests included Giney Milner, Connie Wald, Frances Brody, Frances Franklin, Fiorenza Courtright (equipped with an antique diamond lorgnette), Ellen Byrens, Eileen Eamer, Billie Ruth Galef, Doris Heller, Marcia IsraeL, Ruth Koch, Anne Murphy, Ginny Mancini.
Also admiring the arrangements (Java temple finches warbling in cages; tables set with hand-embroidered white cloths from Bergdorf over yellow linen; sterling Tiffany Audubon vases with exquisite flowers and Tiffany china and sterling flatware) were Helen Maher, June MacMurray, Nancy Livingston, Gretchen Wayne, Paige Rense, Sara Sigholtz, Joni Smith, Rosemarie Stack, Ann Sterling, Carol Kaye, Anne Johnson, Snooky Goldman, Mary Ann Collins and Sandy Ausman
Guests were presented with Palmette engraved sterling cake servers as they exited; most also carried tiny blue petits fours “tied” with icing resembling the signature white Tiffany ribbon. Next, Tiffany expands to Union Square in San Francisco.
AND MORE: Also in the Tiffany crowd was Suzanne Marx, who is refining the seal for the Tiffany china boxes that will serve as table favors at former President Reagan’s 80th birthday party on Feb. 6 at the Beverly Hilton. Lod Cook heads the party, with proceeds going to the Reagan library.
FANFARE: Music Center volunteers will work themselves to the bone to reach the $17.6-million goal (a 15% increase over last year) for the Unified Fund Campaign.
Several hundred key people--who will divide themselves into groups and set lofty goals--crowded into the Grand Hall for pumpkin bisque Tuesday night. They were briefed by Music Center Chairman Ron Arnault, President Esther Wachtell and campaign chair Maurice DeWald, then marched out, with “good luck” wishes, to “When the Saints Go Marching In,” performed by the Wabash Wailers.
Said DeWald, “When our Music Center is successful, everybody in Southern California wins . . . . In spite of people talking about our difficult economy, I think this goal’s achievable. We are going to have to be innovative, reach out to a lot more folks.”
Primed and ready were George Rowe, president of J. P. Morgan California, who made a $25,000 donation; Richard and Kathleen Capalbo, Steve and Alicia Gavin, Owen Harper, Linda Hartwick, Dwight and Dona Kendall, Philip and Betty Keon, Peter Kruse, Michael Maltzen, Fred Nicholas (who related a saga of fund-raising for the Disney Hall) and Franklin Ulf.
BLESS THIS HOUSE: At the dedication of the Children’s Bureau of Los Angeles W. M. Keck Family Center and headquarters, the Humanitarian Award was presented to longtime friend J. Howard Edgerton--”a man who has spent his whole life in service to the community.”
Bestowing accolades were emcee Art Linkletter, Children’s Bureau President A. Redmond Doms Jr., luncheon chair Betty Williams and executive director Judy Nelson.
Edgerton said there are 50,000 abused and neglected children in Southern California. The bureau supports five resident homes serving nearly 100 children and prevention programs reaching 1,000 families. Under the tent were the Rev. Charles Orr, Lucille Taylor, Bill Banowsky, Sharon Melcer, Arden Day, Lucy Toberman and Jim Luckman.
DESERT SHINE: The polo kicks off Saturday at Eldorado Polo Club in Indio with the fourth Road Runner and Go Honey tournaments. A highlight will be the William Holden Wildlife Foundation fund-raiser on Nov. 28, sponsored by Stefanie Powers, whose team will include Maj. Ronald Ferguson, father of the Duchess of York . . . . Hubert de Givenchy’s world premiere couturier showing for the Muses 100 is set for Nov. 20 at the Stouffer Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells. The event benefits the McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts.
CITY HALL: Project Restore, dedicated to the renovation of Los Angeles City Hall--a $10-million project with $2 million raised--saluted Councilman John Ferraro with a black-tie gala in the City Hall rotunda.
The gala grossed $140,000.
City Hall’s Main Street lobby gets the first face lift in June, 1991. Checking out the party were Project Restore chairs Al and Dorothy Martin, donor Richard Riordan, Danny Thomas, Maureen Reagan and spouse Dennis Revell, Assemblymen Mike Roos, Pat Nolan and Richard Katz, Georgina Rosenberry (party chair), David Lizarraga, Ira and Adele Yellin and former County Supervisor Ernest Debs.
CITYSCAPE: The Western Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council will host a dinner Nov. 7 at Fresco Ristorante in Glendale to honor regional audition judges. They will make their choices Nov. 9 at Bovard Auditorium on the USC campus . . . .
Raving about the 137.82-carat “Paragon” diamond at a cocktail party hosted by jewelry purveyors and designers Laurence and Anna Marie Graff of London were Mariam Parks, Robert and Nancy Daly, Sophia Wardy, Nancy and Sedge Plitt, Cornelia Guest and Sharika Caine. The event was the Graff Jewelry Collection preview at the Beverly Wilshire.
PAST PERFECT: Include Pitzer College’s benefit screening of “White Palace” . . . Goodwill Industries’ yachting party and luncheon . . . California Medical Center’s Linda Ronstadt fund-raiser . . . the Mary and Joseph League luncheon honoring Jean Louis . . . and Pasadena Mental Health Assn.’s 25th anniversary, with the Anne B. Kennedy awards going to volunteers Esmeralda T. Gibson and posthumously to Dr. J. Ted Vidmar III and Sharon Lance.
WEDDING BELLS: For Michael Gimbel Nathanson, president of worldwide production for Columbia Pictures, and Diana Lands. He is the grandson of department store co-founder Benedict Gimbel Jr.
