A Peek at Nostalgia’s Wardrobe
The event: A benefit salute to Hollywood’s golden age by the Las Reinas Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa. Original costumes from the silver screen were featured at a luncheon on Thursday at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
Hollywood’s golden threads: “This is a chance to see the magic of old Hollywood,” said entertainer Gregory Schreiner, who owns 150 costumes worn by movie stars. “I think they’re works of art. But if they aren’t worn, they don’t come to life.”
Singer Dorothy Jean Lloyd modeled six of the creations while singing show tunes. One nostalgic silhouette: a filmy peignoir worn by Barbara Stanwyck in a 1953 movie about the Titanic. “It looks pretty good considering it went down with the ship,” Schreiner quipped.
Movie memories: The crowd of 200 hollered when Las Reinas member Sue Tilbury sauntered down the runway in a black and gold paisley cape once worn by Dorothy Lamour.
The program brought back memories for many of the women. “We’re the mothers and grandmothers” of the young professional women who belong to other league auxiliaries, said Rosalyn Binning-Young, Las Reinas chairwoman. “We’re the queens,” she joked. The auxiliary has about 45 active members.
Bottom line: The $50-per-person luncheon and auction was expected to net about $8,000. Proceeds will go to league programs for children, including a dental health center, Operation School Bell (which provides clothing and shoes) and Kids on the Block, a program using puppets to teach children about the disabled.
Faces: Daisy Koler; Jane Davis, event co-chairwoman; Betty Anne Harline, president of the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa; Corrine Black; Marian Pickens; Janie Kingsley; Carol Cowden; Jeannine Trapp; Barbara Bergman; Marie-France LeFebvre; and Joanne Johnston.
What’s ahead: Night of the Stars--the league’s salute to the Oscars--on March 20 at the Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach. Tickets are $125 per person. (714) 645-6929.