Doing the Bidding for Big Sisters
The Big Sisters Guild of Los Angeles’ annual fund-raising gala Thursday drew guests tall and small, from Laker Shaquille O’Neal to 12-year-old twins Rachelle and Gaby Hanela (who looked positively pint-sized compared to the 7-foot-1 basketball giant).
The nonprofit organization fosters one-on-one relationships with “little sisters” and “big sister” role models. The Hanela twins of Woodland Hills are mentored as part of the Big Sisters program by roommates Jennifer Nusbaum, 26, and Andrea Tiano, 28. “We wanted to give our time to girls who needed it,” Nusbaum said.
The Beverly Hilton bash included a live auction (a bit distracting during dinner, if we may say so). Pooch enthusiast Drew Barrymore paid $4,000 for an 8-week-old golden Lab.
WNBA player / fashion model Lisa Leslie took center stage to accept the Young Heroes Award, not for being a Big Sister but for her community work for, among other things, her alma mater, Morningside High School in Inglewood.
“I feel like a Big Sister because I’m the biggest sister in the room,” she deadpanned.
Leslie was dressed in a gorgeous beaded peach-colored suit by Kilgour Sweet (a designer for Dion Scott, a Beverly Hills label), with a cuff bracelet and sling purse made out of peach fur to match.
Also spotted: Jennifer Beals, Pam Dawber, Mark Harmon, Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw and Paramount Chairman Sherry Lansing.
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Benetton’s world-famous advertising director Oliviero Toscani has been named creative director of the beleaguered Talk magazine. His “United Colors of Benetton” ads are controversial for jarring, non-fashiony images of race relations, AIDS and child labor. Toscani will report to publisher Tina Brown.
“Oliviero Toscani is one of the most innovative and exciting visual talents in the world of design and photography,” Brown told us via e-mail. “It is thrilling to have been able to persuade him to join us from Italy.”
In the ‘60s, Toscani worked on Elle and Vogue’s Italian edition. (Later, he helped launch several international editions of Elle.) Here, his photographs have appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire and GQ.
And the Tina Brown buzz keeps going, and going, and going.
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Some of the efforts were more successful than others, but that doesn’t mean their hearts weren’t in the right place: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Laura Leighton and comedy writer Bruce Vilanch designed holiday cards to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. Our favorite, as our choice of illustration proves, is by photographer Davis Factor, great-grandson of cosmetics pioneer Max. Cards are available at Soolip Paperie & Press in West Hollywood. Check out the originals online until Dec. 15 at https://auctions.yahoo.com.
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For the record: An item in Wednesday’s column mischaracterized the work of activist Sevdie Ahmeti: She documents human rights abuses of Kosovar Albanians.
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Booth Moore can be reached at booth.moore@latimes.com.
