RSVP / The Social City : French Officially Say ‘Merci’ to WWII Veterans
M erci l’Amerique (“Thank You, America”) is in full swing under the auspices of His Excellency Jacques Andreani, Ambassador of France, and Consul General of France Jean Maurice Ripert. Marcia Israel will chair and Constance Towers Gavin, Anne Jeffreys Sterling and Joanna Carson co-chair Friday in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton.
In remembrance: More than 1,000 are expected for the black-tie gala to benefit American World War II veterans.
Chanteuse: Not only will the night be star-spangled, but French singer Line Renaud will sing a medley of songs from the era--she was in France during the war. Expect marching bands, flags and “do you remember?”conversations.
Wedding bells: Stephanie Niklas, daughter of the Kurt Niklases of Beverly Hills, married Lord Robin Russell, son of the Marquess and Marchioness of Tavistock of Woburn Abbey. The reception, naturally, was at the Niklas family’s Bistro Garden in Beverly Hills. They’ll live in England.
On the Social Circuit
* Blue Ribbon of the Music Center members had their own Oscar this week--Oscar de la Renta, the handsome New York designer who showed his fall-winter collection.
“No other designer in the world evokes the unanimous praise for making women look beautiful,” gushed president Sandra Ausman at the podium. She seemed on target. Fashion mavens such as Doreen McElvany proclaimed the show “art--this isn’t fashion--it’s artistry,” as a subtle paisley trimmed with faux cheetah hit the runway. Joan Hotchkis glowed: “The best show I’ve seen.”
That Blue Ribbon got Oscar and his pretty brunet wife, Annette, was lucky. The pair had to miss Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ funeral in New York. Over lunch, Oscar whispered his views of the late First Lady: “It’s amazing. As sick as she was, she called Annette, who recently had an operation, twice to see how she was.” It fit Sen. Ted Kennedy’s church comment: “She worried more about us than herself.”
Saks Fifth Avenue’s new general manager, Tom Voltin, introduced the fashions and Helen O’Hagan, who retired last month as Saks vice president of public relations and is now a consultant, was at a center table with Annette’s two daughters, Eliza Reed and Beatrice Morrison, and friend Casey Call before flying to Barbados to see Claudette Colbert. Fashion plates included Jane Ackerman, new Blue Ribbon President Phyllis Hennegin, Marcia Hobbs and Barbara Davis, who was hosting 62 at a dinner for the de la Rentas.
* Several hundred, including Roger and Nila Barkley and Robert and Gwen Cheesewright, gathered in the Rose Pavilion to celebrate the new $1.5-million International Rosarium at Descanso Gardens. When completed in a year, it will contain 7,000 rose bushes representing 2,200 antique and modern varieties . . . At the Banning House, American landscape historian James J. Yoch addressed a crowd in the Howard Rose Garden.
* Lorna Reed of San Marino, with her enormous commitments of time to USC Norris Cancer Center and as a USC trustee, was given the Spirit of Voluntarism Award Tuesday by the Junior League of Los Angeles at its annual meeting at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.
* Bert and Corina Greynald opened their beautiful North Ranch home for luncheon to celebrate the Center for the Performing Arts now under construction at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza . . . In San Juan Capistrano, Joan Irvine Smith will host the Oaks Classic next Sunday to benefit the National Water Research Institute. It’s an afternoon of watching the jumpers compete over the white rails in the $50,000 Grand Prix Jumping Classic and the House of Hermes $10,000 Acorn Junior-Amateur Grand Prix.
* Private schools have taken a light approach to fund raising. At the 50th anniversary of Campbell Hall, the Bagpiper’s Ball took on the mood of “Moonlight & Memories” with Rosemary Clooney crooning. At Mayfield Junior School’s annual “All That Jazz” spicy Cajun benefit, co-chairs Rita Whitney and Cindy Hogan told guests to wear black-and-white attire. Thus, former Security Pacific President Bob Smith, wife Loretta, Fran and Rob Lynch and Tillie and Tom Collins arrived in striped prison uniforms to jam and jive.
Meanwhile, Sharon Rising and Genevieve Fakoory were netting $90,000 for the Chandler School in Pasadena from a Roundup, where 375 parents raised funds for computer labs.
* Keeping up: Chef Ken Frank poured on the Mississippi Delta cuisine, Dan Aykroyd and his Blues Brothers Band delivered the beat, and a crowd--including Debbe and Spike Booth, Margaret and Tom Larkin, and Robin and Peter Barker--reveled at House of Blues to raise funds for Childrens Hospital . . . Lucie Salhany, Lilly Tartikoff and Ronald O. Perelman, on behalf of the Revlon/UCLA Women’s Cancer Research Program, brought a crowd together for a Beverly Hills International Ballroom luncheon briefing on “Women and Doctors.”
* In this social city, Maria Murdock, Suzanne Marz and Erika Brunson assembled friends for a sit-down tea at the Regency Club, honoring Arianna Huffington and her new book, “The Fourth Instinct” . . . Flocks of supporters celebrated the completion of the $4-million facility for the Pasadena Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
* We can vouch for Carmine’s sauteed eggplant. We’ve cooked it. It’s sensational.
The recipe came with the invitation from the Downtown Women’s Center for its “stay-at-home event” along with four other recipes from Carmine Marinelli. (He’s house prop master for the Music Center Operating Co.)
Regularly he has been chef for the Center’s benefit dinners, canceled this year for a stay-at-home strategy designed to make $50,000.
