R S V P / ORANGE COUNTY : Applause for Arts : Chanel Bash Expected to Drum Up Support for Educational Programs in Music, Theater

Come November, Chanel at South Coast Plaza will be brimming with a Cruise 1995 collection that features “pink, pink, pink,” says boutique director Roger Martin.

“Every shade from soft raspberry to shocking.”

Guests at “Saturday in the Plaza with Chanel: A Tribute to Arts Education” on Nov. 5 will get the first peek at Cruise and a look at selections from fall and winter 1994, a collection highlighted by the French body suit (“a sexy takeoff on the jumpsuit,” Martin says) and designer Karl Lagerfeld’s “not-fur fur.”

The cost to attend “Saturday in the Plaza,” a tribute to the educational outreach programs of Opera Pacific, Pacific Symphony and South Coast Repertory, is a bargain at $65.

Open to the public, the Chanel bash for 300 includes cocktails and hors d’ oeuvres (everything from marinated shrimp pizza to chocolate souffle) catered by the Wolfgang Puck Cafe, a boutique-window style show featuring 12 models, and seating for a one-hour performance featuring the most successful, Martin says, of the three groups’ educational outreach programs. The entertainment finale will feature performances by young adults and children who have benefited from the programs.

The event, co-chaired by Barbara and Bill Roberts, marks the first time the outreach groups have come together to perform.

“It will offer many of the adults their first opportunity to see what is presented to children in the schools,” Martin said over lunch last week. “The idea of the programs is to inspire children to enjoy and pursue careers in the arts. We think it’s wonderful, and this is our way of lettin the public know about it.”

Said Pacific Symphony executive director Louis Spisto: “Music education is the most important element in developing the next generation of audiences . . . . The Chanel event will not only help us raise funds for these critical programs, but also give us the chance to work with our colleagues.”

The gala is part of Chanel’s ongoing support of the arts, a philanthropic philosophy shared by Coco Chanel. “She promoted and sustained such great artists as Cocteau and Stravinsky,” Martin said. “We’re trying to maintain the same kind of profile in our community.”

Opera Pacific director David DiChiera calls the event “a fine example of how Orange County businesses can work with local arts organizations to open and inspire young minds.”

Said Martin: “We’ve been working on this for a year. It’s going to be fabulous.”

For information, call (714) 754-7455.