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Oscar de la Renta Fashion Show: Money in the bank for League to Save Lake Tahoe

Vicki Kahn
Special to the Tribune
Oscar de la Renta's step daughter and son-in-law Eliza and Alex Bolen filled in for de la Renta who was recovering from a second hip replacement.
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LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Never mind a bad economy, a state budget in the red, high unemployment, and a general hesitancy by the masses to spend money – a chic group of 640 people, mainly from the Bay Area and beyond, shelled out $350 for lunch and a fashion show to help the League to Save Tahoe raise half a million dollars.

Of course it wasn’t any run-of-the-mill fashion show, it was fashion icon Oscar de la Renta’s resort 2011 collection in association with San Francisco’s Saks Fifth Avenue, which was showcased on a runway at the lakefront Fritz estate on the West Shore by ethereal looking uber-thin models (are they getting younger, or am I just getting older?), hair flowing in the breeze.

Fashionistas in the audience, seated at squished together round tables of 10, were totally enrapt as the models strutted down the runway. Oscar’s ultra-feminine collection offered red-carpet evening attire, with both fitted long column dresses in more traditional black or metallics, to voluminous gowns in bright tangerine, yellow and Kelly green. Featured trends in the collection were tweed jackets for day, abstract painterly prints, ruffles, tiered skirts, fitted bodices and rich one-of-a-kind fabrics as only Oscar can do.



Accessories included straw boater hats, “kitten” heels and layered bold jewelry. Mr. de la Renta was not in attendance this year, but step-daughter Eliza Bolen, vice-president of licensing for Oscar de la Renta with husband Alex, the company’s CEO, filled in. They introduced the fashion show with panache, then hopped on the red eye back to the East Coast.

Both silent and live auctions and some big time underwriting helped the event reach it’s nearly half million dollar jackpot – its second highest largesse in its history. The highly desirable fashion week in NYC with Oscar de la Renta brought in $40,000 alone! The silent auction delivery was toned down a bit, which seemed to be advantageous to the event’s bottom line. Large, floppy hats were de rigueur for many of the ladies in attendance; the men were casually attired with some in sport jackets.



Fashionistas and friends spotted at the fun fest included realtors Chiara and Ron Gajar, Jill McGovern, Gail Batavia, Dr. Daphne Palmer and Dr. Larry Heifetz, co-chairs Barbara Brown, Mara Fritz, and Edith Tobin, Google VP Marissa Mayer and Zachary Bogue, Nicole Haugland and Chris Ryman, Andy Chapman, Marilyn and Michael Cabak, Kathleen Dale, Cathy Dangler, Catherine McFee with her new Rubicon Collection, store manager Steve Silveira and daughters Justine and Lindsey, Deborah and Ed Scott, Ardith Marguleas, Jessica and J. Hickingbotham, Eleanor and Bob Preger, Ginger Andrasick, Uli Schmid-Maybach, Janie and Don Friend, Ron and Sue Rouda, Darin Dinsmore, Stephanie Glick, Lorna and David Tirman, Theresa May Duggan, Steven Holt of the Ritz Carlton, Jan and Dave Hardie, Annette Van Dyck, Julie (Motamedi) Teel with daughter Madelyn, Joyce Raley Teel, Nancy Binz and Bonnie and Tony Addario.

– Vicki may be reached at vickikahn@sbcglobal.net


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