Wintry Days, Warm Spirits

Looking south along Park Avenue at 67th Street. 3:30 PM. Photo: JH.

Wintry grey day in Manhattan, warmish with rain falling intermittently, only three days left before the long holiday weekend. My cabbie told me that today (Thursday) is the beginning of the exodus. The sidewalks along Fifth Avenue were jammed with shoppers or lookers or tourists.


	Linda Fairstein with her newest detective thriller, Killer Heat.

Over at Michael’s the place was mobbed. Joan Rivers was seated at the top center of the round table in the bay with eight others who were guests of somebody who bid $15000 at a Bard College fundraiser to have a lunch with Joan. I’m sure they got their money’s worth.

Joan is Joan, on-stage or off. Although off-stage, off-camera you get a more thorough sense of the very intelligent, very sensitive and kind woman who turned a career into an industry (writing, acting, stand-up and of course the very lucrative jewelry business).

At the table in front of Joan (and next to ours) Liam Neeson was lunching with casting director-turned-producer Bonnie Timmerman. On the other side of us, Maria Bartiromo. Across the aisle Blythe Danner was lunching with Kim McCarty. On the other side of Timmerman and Neeson, former prosecutor and prolific mystery novelist Linda Fairstein was lunching with three women who are experts on DNA forensics. Linda was carrying the galleys to her 10th detective thriller, Killer Heat. And at the table next to her media mogul Barry Diller was lunching with a colleague.

From NYSD Socialite's Closet: Last minute Sample Sales for those last minute gifts (for him & her & YOU)

Compiled by Wendy Lerman

Who: Adrienne Landau
What: Fur hats, Fur Scarfs, plus a free gift with any purchase over $100
When: 12/18 (9:30am-6:30pm) & 12/19 (9:30am-6pm)
Where: 519 8th Avenue, 12th Floor (btwn 35th and 36th Street). 212.920.1211.

Who: Alexia Crawford Jewelry and Accessories
When: 11/23 thru 12/24 (Mon–Fri, 9am-7pm)
Where: 35 W. 36th St., 6th Floor. 212.629.6615.

Who: Baccarat
When: 12/27 and 12/28 (10am-5pm)
Where: 625 Madison Ave, 2nd Floor. 212.826.4130.

Who: Ed Hardy
What: Men's and Women's hoodies, denim, tees, jackets, and hats
When: 12/14 thru 12/31 (Mon-Fri only, 12pm-7pm)
Where: 470 Broadway (btwn Broome and Grand)

Who: Generra
What: Sweaters, dresses, tops, and more
When: 12/5 thru 12/7 & 12/10 thru 12/21 (weekdays, 9am-7pm)
Where: 275 West 39th Street (btwn 7th and 8th Avenues), 5th Floor. 212.768.2868.

Who: Makin Hats
When: 10/9 thru 12/28 (Mon-Fri only, 10am-4pm)
Where: 212 W. 35th St. (btwn 7th & 8th Aves.), 12th Fl. *Note cash only!

Who: Novum Fashion
When: 12/3 thru12/21 (Mon-Fri Only, 10am-4pm)
Where: 231 West 39th Street, Suite 201. 212.298.3020.

Who: Pilar Rossi Boutique Sale
What: Cocktail dresses, evening dresses, and suits at 40-60% off
When: Starting 12/3
Where: 784 Madison Avenue, near 67th Street. 212.288.2469.

Who: Showroom Seven Multi Designer Sample Sale
What: Robin, Sue Stemp, Tony Cohen, Issa London, and more
When: 12/10 thru 12/21 (Mon-Fri only, 9am-7pm)
Where: Showroom Seven, 498 7th Avenue, 24th Floor. 212.643.4810.

Across the aisle from them and Ms. Fairstein, Charles Osgood was lunching with veteran agent Sam Cohn. And just beyond Kip Forbes with Becca Cason Thrash from down Texas way, planning a Friends of the Louvre event next June in Paris. And around the front room: John Jakobson with Bob Smith; Evan Harrison of Sirius Satellite Radio, book publicist Lynn Goldberg; Gerry Byrne, Micky Atteyah, Men’s Health E-I=C Dave Zinczenko with Cosmo’s Kate White; Kathy Lee Gifford; also another literary mega-publicist Sandy Mendelsohn lunching with her client Pari Livermore from San Francisco who has just published “How To Marry A Fabulous Man.”

And next to her: Sandy Hill; beyond them BizBash’s Ed Adler with Tammy Haddad (see Monday’s Washington Social Diary); Also author Pamela Keogh; Jonathan Wald, Henry Schlieff, Steve Rubenstein Walter Sabo and Reese Schoenfeld; Jaqui Lividini with designers (Vena Cava) Sophie Buhal and Lisa Mayock, and I with producer/ philanthropist/world traveler Francine LeFrak. Michael’s is closed all of next week as so many of their clientele will be hitting the beaches and ski-slopes in warmer or snowier (and partier) climes.

Last Thursday at Brooks Brothers’ Madison Avenue store (346 Madison at 44th Street), Santa Claus came to visit along with Marlo Thomas, making her second annual appearance and reading from her book, “Marlo Thomas and Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long”.

Santa posed for pictures with the children attending. They were also entertained with cookie and ornament decorating, balloonists dressed as elves. In keeping with the holiday spirit, guests were served egg nog, hot cider and hors d’oeuvres. Designer Jeffrey Banks also made a special appearnce autographing his book Tartain: Romancing the Plaid.

All of this was done with Brooks Brothers in partnership with Cookie Magazine in an effort to raise funds for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by Ms. Thomas’ father, the late actor/comedian Danny Thomas.

In fact, since November 18th and right through the first of the New Year, Brooks Brothers stores has added a $1 donation or more at the registers during check-out.

They also offered all guests at the party 15% off all purchases as well as donating 10% of the evening’s proceeds to St. Jude’s. Their goal was to raise $500,000 during the Thanks and Giving Campaign.

The campaign’s motto was “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.” The campaign was created by Marlo Thomas and her two siblings Terre and Tony Thomas.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is am extraordinary achievement of a man’s idea of helping children. It is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org [1].

Marlo Thomas and Luci Regal

Marlo Thomas with Elyssa Stern and her son, Jackson

Anika Papanek tries on her cosy, new Brooks Brothers scarf

Emilie Antonetti, Marlo Thomas and Mr. Claudio Del Vecchio

Debra and Claudio Del Vecchio with Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas and the children

Author Jeffrey Banks with his co-author Doria De La Chappelle

And while we’re on the subject of giving to the children and the community: A week ago Monday night the Food Allergy Initiative held its 10th annual Ball at in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria and raised a record $5 million to benefit the Initiatives research activities and educational programs aimed at effectively treating and raising awareness of life-threatening food allergies.

This year they honored Frank Bruno, president of Cerberus Global Investment Advisors LLL, and the Jaffe Family who founded the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine as well as a FAI founding family.


Stephen and Sharon Mann

Food is of course the subject and each year FAI also honors prominent members of the food industry. This year the Lifetime Achievement Awards went to Jacques Pepin, Alain Sailhac and Andre Soltner of the French Culinary Institute.

Ron Perelman, Chairman and CEO, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., was the Corporate Dinner Chair, Sharyn Mann and Todd Slotkin were the Gala Dinner Chairs. Patricia and James Cayne, Mary Richardson Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Julia and David H. Koch were the Benefit Dinner Chairs. Renée Fleming and Brian Stokes Mitchell gave a special performance.

Whenever the subject of food allergy comes up, I always think of Sharyn Mann whom I first met when we were dinner partners at a charity gala about twelve years ago. She told me about the problem, how she had a child they almost lost to food allergies.

The crisis was so great that she decided to “do something about it.” At the time of our meeting, she had only an idea on how to take it to the public. In 1997, the first fundraiser was held and there were doubters out there who didn’t get the gravity of the situation. There was not a lot of encouragement to succeed. But Mrs. Mann ignored the doubters and in short time proved them wrong. Let that be a lesson.