September 2005 - Manhattan Society.com

Manhattan Society
Report
The Young Landmarks
Celebration to Benefit
New York Landmarks
Conservancy
Alexandra Coolidge, Melissa
Berkelhammer, Faran
Krentcil
Elisabeth Gutowski
and Laura Lachman
THE SPIRIT of
philanthropy is very
much alive and well on
the east end of Long
Island this summer.
The season launches
with the Central Park
Conservancy’s Taste of
Summer event, and then
the charitable scene
moves from New York
City to the Hamptons. It is
an annual ritual indeliby
marked in every elite
social calendar. Cocktails
and check writing in
grandiose settings filled
with beautiful people,
dressed in the finest
clothes, casual but
stylish. From Memorial
Day to Labor Day,
from Southampton to
Easthampton the most
affluent who regularly
compete against one
in another in the game
of life on the streets,
boardrooms, court
rooms and exchanges of
Manhattan bring their
friendly competition to
see who can give away
the most money on
the east end of Long
Island while looking
fabulous, fit and tanned.
The New York social
calendar is full with a
multitude of worthwhile
causes, community
and charitable events
benefitting the less
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The Group for the
South Fork Benefit
and Auction at
Wolffer Estate
Vineyard in The
Hamptons
Lydia Hearst Shaw and
Gillian Hearst Shaw
from Christopher
London in New York
Anne Colley, VIP Guest
and Heather Henriksen
fortunate. The challenge
to the social and
charitably minded
consumer is how to
choose from an array of
grandiose parties, many
of which would shame
the Great Gatsby.
New Yorkers of means
take great pride in their
environments, principally
Central Park and the
Hamptons; two of the
most favoured and
revered spaces of land.
To them, the preservation
and conservancy of
beauty, nature’s bounty,
is one of society’s highest
callings. The bold,
beautiful and powerful
Richard Johnson and
Sessa von Richthofen
Central Park
Conservancy, Taste
of Summer 2005
Fundraiser in the Park
Far left:
Lisa Anastos and
Amy Porter Stroh
Left:
Mona Wyatt and
Samantha Leas
Jeremiah Silva and
Nicole Wright
patronise fundraisers
for the Central Park
Conservancy in New
York City and in the
Hamptons, The Group
for the South Fork.
Ironically, the task of
preserving the beauty
of New York treasures
often seems to be the
province of a few of the
city’s most well-heeled
and quite beautiful and
stylish socialites. And
they look so darn good
doing it!
These people are
in essence “Mother
Nature’s” little helpers.
While many could be
more easily seduced by
the creature comforts
Kabul Nights
-- A Soho
Fundraiser for
The Rebuilding
Afghanistan
Foundation
Right:
Alexandra Wilkis,
Andrew Black, Lara
Meiland and Claude
Shaw
Below left:
Designer Andrea
Victor, Susan Shin
and The Princess
Diaries actress Anne
Hathaway
IJim Watkins, Cindy
Adams, Somers
White and Kristen
Krusen
152 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2005
of their affluent lifestyles,
a number of them
such as Gillian Miniter,
a chairwoman of the
Playground Partners
Conservancy benefits,
Karen Lefrak, President of
the Women’s Committee
and other Women’s
Committee Members,
Samantha Topping, Nina
Bauer and Stephanie
Winston Wolkoff, women
of prominence and
affluence who are well
wired into the high end
fundraising circuitry of the
Cocktail Party to
launch jewellery
designer Michelle
Farmer's 2005
Collection in East
Hampton, New York
Designer Betsey
Johnson and daughter
Lulu Johnson
metropolis, creatively invest
their time, energy, spirit
and creativity towards
preservation. At the junior
level, Young Associates,
Susan Shin, Christine
Cachot, Coralie Charriol,
Lisa Anastos, Blair Husain,
Adelina Wong Ettelson are
up and coming women
to watch as well. This is
counter to the perception
that the beautiful women
of the aristocratic classes
in New York City and the
Hamptons merely shop
and do lunch. While I am
certain that there are those
who choose to spend their
days that way, others do
not. Their social calling is
society’s gain.
In the Hamptons, a
woman most certainly
to watch is Ann Colley
of the Moore Charitable
Foundation (directed by
financier Louis Bacon & his
wife Cynthia Ingraham)
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Auction at
Christies Auction
House to benefit
The Central Park
Conservancy
Rush Philanthropic's
Art For Life Garden
Party Benefit Kickoff
Cocktails
Timothy Baum, Karen
Amiel and designer
Richard Mishaan
Far left: Shamin Abas,
Centre: Michelle Farmer
and Frank Cilione
Below right:
Star Jones Reynolds, Russell
Simmons and Frances
Hayward Cilione
10th Annual Taste
of Summer Benefit
for the Central Park
Conservancy
3rd Annual
Cantor Fitzgerald
Relief Fund
Benefit
Cantor Fitzgerald
CEO Howard
Lutnick and wife
Allison Lutnick
and her friends in the
fashion and wall street
community, including
the likes of friends and
supporters like Nicole
Miller, Cynthia Rowley,
Debbie Bancroft, Douglas
Hannant, Gillian HearstShaw, Lydia Hearst,
Annie Churchill, Tinsley
Mortimer and Luigi Tadini.
At the centre of it all is
Society Publicist and a
maestro of sorts, R Couri
Hay. If it is happening, in
all likelihood, one of his
friends is involved with it.
Their intimate and
glamorous cocktail and
dinner parties are not
without purpose. What
matters to these women
is far more than their style
and good manners, even
though both are always
quite impeccable and
would make Emily Post as
well as Tom Ford proud.
Until next time.
Best,
Christopher London,
Right: Dana Gers of
Salavtore Ferragamo
USA and Eric Villency
President, Maurice
Villency and Guest
Dennis Paul, Adelina
Wong Ettelson and
Dr. Lisa Airan
Lisa Airan
3rd Annual I Star
Financial Charity
Shootout at Madison
Square Garden to
benefit the Robin
Hood Foundation
of New York City &
Human Rights First
CEO iStar Financial, Jay
Sugarman and family
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