Tag Archives: gala

Gala Going

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Hi all!

One of the perks of working in the arts (aside from the very obvious- working in an industry I’m passionate about), I do occasionally get to attend and/or help plan fabulously fancy events. While I’ll readily admit that I have absolutely zero frame of reference, I’ve heard that planning for an event as big as our ballet company’s gala on Sunday night is not unlike planning for a wedding. And while there are always countless things to juggle, last-minute changes, and unforeseen complications (Hi there, buckets of rain!), things always seem to come together to make something lovely and memorable.

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While I always seem to get disproportionately nervous before big events, things always work out wonderfully. I’ll still say that there are few things more nonsensically nerve-wracking than stabbing oneself in the eye with an eyeliner pen and having to start your makeup over with limited time to spare. I’m happy to say that things went more smoothly after that. This being my third Smuin Ballet gala, I think that this year went perhaps the most seamlessly- the cocktail hour, performance, dinner, and auction all made the event a success. More importantly, the official word is that we managed to raise over $380,000 in one evening! Not too shabby. Seeing so many people generously give (often unconditionally), makes me hope that one day I’ll be able to give back to the arts myself. For now, I’ll have to make do with working behind the scenes, and supporting in the capacity I can. Something tells me I’ll have plenty of fancy parties in my future.

EVA ♥

Provocative: At the Ballet…

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Hello all!

I’ve learned something important about myself this year. It’s probably been apparent to some for quite a while now, but I think I’ve finally come to terms with it. I have a confession to make:

I like fancy parties.

I really like fancy parties- even better if there’s a theme. I like planning for these events, debating on what I might wear, down to the lipstick I put in my purse, the strange romantic in me enjoys every last bit of it.  I sometimes find myself thinking that I would be content if my entire life were a fancy party, like some sort of weird, poetic limbo. I love the people watching, the mingling, the cocktails; it’s a total respite from my everyday routine. They’re the kinds of events I dreamed of as a kid, and they’re every bit as satisfying as I thought they would be now that I’m a guest. I attended San Francisco Ballet’s annual opening night gala last Thursday, as I have for the last few seasons (I blogged about it here and here). After the dreaded “holiday hangover,” it’s just the thing to get you excited about the year again! The performance is always a treat, featuring excerpts from the season ahead, as well as a few opening night exclusives. This year, there was a crowd-pleasing blend of classical and contemporary pieces, intended on showcasing a number of the company’s dancers (and San Francisco Ballet students) at their best. My very favorite had to be Jiří Bubeníček’s Gentle Memories, which initially premiered at the 2013 gala. I’m a sap, what can I say?

While I, understandably, don’t have too many snaps inside the opera house (*cue Chorus Line’s “At the Ballet”* I’m glad some places are still phone-free), I did get quite a few photos of the evening’s memorable after party.

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The blue dress was the winner!

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A newly discovered hidden talent of mine.

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I like prosecco. Can you tell I like prosecco? Because I do.

If you ask me, no opening night gala party is complete without a bar cart full of bottles of prosecco. I also found myself lingering around the over-the-top dessert table, with piles and piles of handmade truffles. Let’s not forget the oyster bar and the silent disco taking place on the second floor of our picturesque city hall. The theme of the evening was “Provocative,” which was only appropriate, since the entire evening was sponsored by La Perla. I was slightly disappointed there were no La Perla-themed gift bags, but considering I was able to get my hands on a tiny bottle of La Marca prosecco to-go, I was quite happy. I woke the next day with it still sitting in my purse, peeking like a little reminder of the evening before.

Can I go back now?

EVA♥

So Fancy

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Hello all!

Those of you who have gotten to know me in my non-internet life know that I somehow seem to find myself attending formal occasions; perhaps more than the average Joe. Between my large family’s love of black-tie weddings, and attending galas, I’ve accumulated a number of evening gowns. So many so that I have a section of my closet that I refer to as my “gown closet.”

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 It’s quite fun, once you get over how ridiculous trying to shut a closet door full of gowns is. With another fancy occasion looming, I thought there would be no time like the present to dust a few of them off, and make some decisions as to what to wear next!
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(You’ll have to pardon the clutter around my closet.)

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This is my latest acquisition. Vintage, 1960s silk with pearl beading.

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I like to call this my “Belle” dress, BCBG laser-cut satin.

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Another BCBG, mini-train not pictured.

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I had a great purchasing this blue dress at the BCBG boutique in downtown San Francisco years ago. The style had just come in and I was the first to try it on and “model” it for the staff. The salesgirls were so sweet and helpful, I had a hard time deciding on a dress to take home, because I ended up finding so many that I liked.

A number of dresses have been left out of the picture, for the moment. I have a vintage, red Oleg Cassinni strapless gown, a heavily beaded magenta sari, two tea-length lace dresses trimmed with ostrich feathers, a rhinestone-encrusted silver gown in need of some alterations, and a slightly sheer black mermaid skirt that can be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion. One would think that I would be set for life with my dress collection, but I somehow manage to run out of options when new occasions pop up. I’ve most definitely worn a few of them for multiple occasions, so I like to think I’ve gotten my “money’s worth” out of them thus far. Each dress also holds certain memories from the night’s I’ve worn them- most notably the yellow gown pictured above, which I ended up wearing on an impromptu visit to the top of the Empire State Building in New York at 1am. I’m hoping I’ll be able to add to my collection of stories as I add to my dress collection.

Which dress should I wear next!? Stay tuned…

EVA♥