On May 2nd, the showplace home of Diana Bennett was the setting for an evening of fashion and fundraising when Bennett and her cousin Scott Menke teamed-up with Neiman Marcus to present Zac Posen’s Fall 2012 collection (with the designer in attendance), as well as the jewelry of Coomi, at a benefit for Three Square Food Bank, succinctly named Fashion for Three Square.

Between the flowing Moët & Chandon and the heaping platters of Chef Gustav Mauler’s tasty victuals, the guests were put in the giving mood.  Meanwhile Posen’s eye-catching creations (with architecture a defining influence for this collection) served as colorful moving sculptures, rather like exotic flowers that seemed all the more vibrant against the elegant muted tones of the marble, glass and Lucite, at Casa Bennett.

I knew probably 60% of the guests, but two that I know I’d never met just seemed to appear out of the ether.  Observing this mother/daughter duo was like watching Grey Gardens – The Vegas Years, with the daughter bearing a striking resemblance to Madame (the puppet made famous by ventriloquist Wayland Flowers).  Anyhow, they became the talk of the party for a white-hot 12 minutes.  Seriously!  They materialized out of nowhere.  Then, a woman (obviously a shill) began making a big fuss over them, posing them for photos at the end of a hallway; after which the woman started grabbing passers-by, while shrieking “Aren’t they fabulous?  She makes the clothes, herself!” (No kidding…).  Finally (perhaps in fear of melting under the flashbulbs) they made their way to Valet; returning to whence they came.

By evening’s end, the event had raised more than a half-million dollars for a trio of Three Square’s programs – the “BackPack for Kids” Program (providing a bag of nutritious, kid-friendly, shelf-stable food to children enrolled with the Clark County School District, who lack adequate food over the weekend); the Senior Share Program (providing healthy supplemental groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, to food-insecure seniors living with chronic conditions); and the Food Bank, itself (providing food to more than 650 partners, including shelters, food pantries, soup kitchens, and after-school programs).

It was a wonderful affair, and is bound to be one of those events people speak of, for many years to come.

Three Square Food Bank
Click HERE for info

Get into it!