B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

It was the best fashion show produced in Orange County. Salvatore

Ferragamo, in conjunction with the Guilds of the Orange County Performing

Arts Center, presented an exclusive West Coast showing of the 2001 spring

and summer Ferragamo collection.

It could have been Paris. It could have been Milan. It could have been

New York. It was Newport Beach. The setting was the ballroom of the Four

Seasons Hotel. The capacity crowd of more than 500 ladies and gentlemen

was dressed to kill and, more importantly, prepared to raise significant

funds for the beloved Center.

A late morning champagne and cocktail reception thrown in the ballroom

foyer allowed local guests to mingle. The doors to the ballroom were

ceremoniously opened by white-gloved Four Season’s staff at noon,

permitting the cocktail crush to find their tables set around the major

fashion runway that bisected the enormous space.

The lights dimmed. The music offered a rock ‘n’ roll beat. Then a

chorus line of exceptionally exquisite young women hit the catwalk,

wearing the 2001 spring and summer Ferragamo line, which is inordinately

crisp, colorful, wearable and very sexy. Every garment was outstanding.

Of course, some of the fashions are a bit more extreme and revealing than

might be the desired look for the conservative taste. However, even the

more outrageous designs, including one black evening dress cut up the

side from hem to neckline, was both dramatic and tasteful in its own

context.

The performance began with the models showing off a suite of Ferragamo

silk floral scarves fashioned into miniskirts and worn with coordinating

cotton cable knit sweaters in fresh spring colors. The shoes, also by

Ferragamo, were chic high-heeled mules and slides with exaggerated

pointed toes and heels positioned at mid-arch. It was reminiscent of the

days of Pucci and Courreges, when very feminine, colorful and tailored

fashions were the rage from Paris, reflecting a mid-century, modern

feminist point of view.

Also on the runway was a series of exceptionally designed A-line tent

dresses in pastel blues, exuberant lime greens and vibrant pinks with

deeply cut v-necklines showing off a woman’s femininity. Another tent

garment, which was in fact a supple leather poncho worn as a dress, was a

knockout. The simple tailoring made the poncho look as if it was custom

made to fit. This oversized leather garment hung perfectly and moved with

grace as the model paraded the runway.

The Ferragamo evening wear was equally fetching, with one standout

being a black gauze cocktail dress adorned with layer upon layer of black

crinoline. It was a work of art.

The fashion extravaganza was produced by Ferragamo and organized by

local Salvatore Ferragamo general manager Donna Collett of the South

Coast Plaza boutique. Ferragamo executives from both New York and Milan,

Italy -- including Rose Apodaca, Nicole Fischelis, Susan Franklin and

Barbara Vanni -- joined Center chairman Roger Kirwan and his wife, Gail,

South Coast Plaza’s Billur Wallerich and Debra Gunn Downing, along with a

host of social and fashion press. They were mingling with a cross-section

of community supporters who had come and paid $125 per person to be a

part of the annual fashion luncheon program.

The massive undertaking was chaired by Rosemarie Kramer. The flawless

execution of the event was a tribute to her strong organizational talent.

As if the Ferragamo show was not enough, the afternoon of culture and

fashion was dedicated to Margrit Biever Mondavi. The erudite matriarch of

the Mondavi wine legacy shared with the large crowd her own personal

fashion statement.

Mondavi also was the generous host of the wines that accompanied the

Four Seasons luncheon, which featured an entree of herb-crusted Chilean

sea bass.

Kirwan charmed the crowd with his after-fashion show remarks, stating,

“If more men knew what they were missing, this audience would have no

room for women. What an exceptional show. I certainly hope I will be

invited back next year.”

In the crowd representing the many guilds of the Center were Pat Allen

(Angels), Donna Anderson (Crescendo), Nikki Benson (Domingo), Lesley

Beyer (Carousal), Barbara Bowie (Angels), Karley Brown (Stars), Sharon

Cohen (Berlin), Sally Crockett (Sound of Music), Barbara DeGroot

(Dragon), Karen Elliott (Stars), Cerise Feeley (Angels) and Jeanette

Kleist (Sills).

Also spotted in the fashionable crowd were Jan Landstrom, Victoria

LeVasseur, Kathy Lowden, Center boss Jerry Mandel and his wife, Whitney,

Twyla Martin, Patrice Poidmore, Joan Riach, Pat Rypinski, Barbara

Roppolo, Dotti Stillwell, Elizabeth Tireney, Noddie Weltner and Elizabeth

Vincent.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.