How was the fashion show? Royal fun. It was a benefit function on behalf of the Russian Children’s Welfare Society, who do marvelous work helping orphaned and abandoned kids in Russia. Sergey Garmonin, the Russian Consul General in New York, made a gracious little speech; there was a great catwalk parade of models in dresses that cost more than I have ever made from a book (and these gals really do manage to walk while leaning backwards at 30 degrees from the vertical — some kind of antigravity device?); lotsa guys wearing that style of glasses with thick plastic frames in unlikely pastel colors; a good cast of Russian celebrities, e.g. Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky, husband-and-wife principals at American Ballet Theater; some non-Russian ones too — Don Johnson e.g. is a big supporter; an auction; a raffle; etc.
Here’s Nellie Derb with Sasha Pivovarova, Russia’s top model, a very sweet and charming lady. (Models are supposed to look icy on the catwalk, so as not to distract from what they’re wearing. In person, they are perfectly normal.)
No real suprises (and nothing in cerulean), but nice to have been to a fashion show once in my life, and always a pleasure and a privilege to support this great charity.