Les Etoiles hosted “Il Ballo della Serenissima”
L. to r.: Les Etoiles International Committee; Sabine Janssen and Prince Fabrizio Ruffo.
One weekend in Venice in September, Les Etoiles, the international association led by Eugenio Della Chiesa and Alberto Caetani hosted “Il Ballo della Serenissima” with personalities from aristocracy, business, diplomacy and show business coming with guests from all over Europe, the United States and the Far East.
Mavj Brusatori, Marquis Luigi Ruggi d'Aragona, and Chiara Michelini
It was the end of the annual Venice Film Festival. “Il Ballow" had an Art Deco theme, and started with caviar and champagne on the Casino Terrace with special music accompanying light games projected on the façade. The diner was organized by Cooking Art Director Marco Fadiga from bologna with special dishes inspired by French Nouvelle Cuisine.

The ball began at midnight in the Hall of Mosaics, with music from the 20s and 30s and continued into the night transforming in rock and R&B.
During the weekend the guests, some in Venice for the first time, visited exhibitions such as Tiepolo, Dalì, Turner, and visited the most serene Venice with its “calli” (Venetians streets), Murano Island and Lido.
Casinò del Lido
Among the guests, Princesses Natalia and Irina Strozzi Guicciardini (this summer the host to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and family), Princess Stefania Pignatelli, Baroness Beatrice Grimaldi, Prince Guglielmo Giovanelli, Prince Fabrizio Ruffo, Marquis Giuseppe Ferrajoli, Claudia Loredan, Antonio Marini and Paolo Romanazzi, Jan Michelini and Giovanni Capalbo from Mel Gibson's movie “Passion”. Also present were the entrepreneur from India Uday Khemka, New York banker Oliver Gillier Van Gorp, Raad Ajlouni from Jordan, Fady Boustany from Lebanon.

The Gala was organized to raise funds for Save The Children Italy, for an educational program for children in Albania. A special thanks went out to La Biennale of Venice, to the Director Marco Müller and the Head of Industry Office and Venice Screenings Laura Marcellino for the support, and to Mita Solutions for the contribution in realizing the international weekend of Gala.
L. to r.: Micol Moraldi and Chiara Michelini; Ivano Mozzone Dabormida, Jan Michelini, Mavj Brusatori, Marquis Luigi Ruggi d'Aragona, and Chiara Michelini.
Elise de Meo and Mavj Brusatori
Princess Irina Strozzi and Vis Count Charles Louis de Noue
Duccio Giordano and Claudia Cimmino
Francesco Carrozza, Alma Manera, and Jolanda Filomeni
Denise Lee, Guido Fineschi Sergardi, and Lesley Sherrington
Countess Maria Cecilia Panciera di Zoppola Gambara, Maria Indolfi, and Martina Benini
Elisabetta Tedla and Eugenio Della Chiesa (President Les Etoiles)
Marquis Giuseppe Ferrajoli, Sari Akhavan, and Olga Barishnikova
Paolo Romanazzi and Susy Zannini
Sofia Gioia Vedani, Duke Lourenco Manoel de Vilhena, and Bruno Mascarenhas
Francoise Adam and Count Emanuele Zanon di Valgiurata
Countess Consuelo Della Chiesa di Cervignasco, Valentina Villanova, and Baron Antonio Maria Bellizzi di Noja
Olga Barishnikova and Marquis Giuseppe Ferrajoli
Camilla Ridley and Maren Steffens
Princess Natalia Strozzi, Princess Irina Strozzi, and Jan Michelini
Manuela Mazza Porras and Francesca Nazzaro Azzolino
Micol Moraldi and Princess Stefania Pignatelli
Antonia Gospodinova and Uday Khemka
Gabriella Mizerakand Alberto Caetani (Vice President Les Etoiles)
Jan Michelini and Princess Stefania Pignatelli
Giovanni Capalbo and Jan Michelini
Manuela Mazza Porras
Anna Cancellieri
Ana Maria Olcina
Silvia Stella Galimberti
Marilu Baccin
Silvia Marina Guazzo
Erin Maoney
Fadi Boustany and Elena Kimble
Angelo Deiana and Rita Amato



The Grand Classics Films With Style screening of “The Women,” hosted by Zac Posen and André Leon Talley
Annie Churchill
Lucy Sykes
Blair Husain
Plum Sykes
Meredith Melling Burke

Fashion and social royalty descended upon Soho House in droves last week, as superstar designer Zac Posen and the legendary André Leon Talley hosted Indyssey Entertainment’s Grand Classics Films With Style screening of The Women.

André Leon Talley and Zac Posen

Zac kicked off the showing of the 1939 George Cukor classic film, which starred Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell, by telling the crowd, “I became obsessed with this movie. There are no men in it. None of the animals in it are male. This was the best year of film ever – The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind. This film has the best story that’s totally relevant in societé – the most incredible costumes and jewelry and amazing acting. It’s comedic and tragic and totally relevant.”

André continued “It was the ‘Sex and the City’ in its heyday. This is the ultimate fashion film for me. It’s a black and white movie, but the fashion show is in color. The fashion show scene is a total masterpiece and I wish all fashion shows were like this – John Galliano does fashion shows like this. Rosalind Russell is knitting during the fashion show. I aspire to that moment. Without Rosalind Russell, this film would not be a masterpiece. She’s a Tyrannosaurus Rex! This film is everything we try to do at Vogue, and everything Zac does – this is a very significant film for fashion. It’s about sex through fashion. It’s a satire of the Park Avenue women and the weaknesses of that time.”
Jodi Della Femina and Annabel Kim with Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict
Carol Alt

Not that the Park Avenue types in this audience seemed to mind. Among the crowd in attendance, every bit as glamorous as Hollywood’s finest onscreen, were supermodel Carol Alt, Nicole Miller, Irina Pantaeva and Roland Levin, Lucy Sykes, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, Plum Sykes, Isabel Rattazzi, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Debbie Bancroft, Douglas Hannant and Frederick Anderson, Olivia Chantecaille, Moby, Jodi Della Femina, Blair Husain, Couri Hay, Tinsley Mortimer, Daniel Benedict, Bettina Zilkha, Jeffrey Slonim, Amanda Brooks, Alexandra Kotur, Gina and James de Givenchy, Vogue’s Sally Singer, Alvin Valley, Andrew Black, Zani Gugelmann, Fabian Basabe, Alex Chantecaille, Meredith Melling-Burke, Cayli Cavaco, Piaget North America President Thomas Van der Kellen and Sue Garvey, Dana and Douglas Taylor and Indyssey Entertainment heads (and hosts) Katrina Pavlos, Vanessa Wingate, and Andrew Saffir.

Donations from the Grand Classics Films With Style evenings benefit the American Film Institute.
Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia
Fabian Basabe and Katrina Pavlos
Alexandra Kotur and Amanda Brooks
Olivia Chantecaille and Andrew Saffir
Piaget's Sue Garvey and Thomas Van der Kellen
Tinsley Mortimer and Bettina Zilkha
Roland Levin and Irina Pantaeva
Jeff Slonim and Frederick Anderson
Andrew Saffir, Vanessa Wingate, Couri Hay, and Amy Rossi
Nicole Miller, Bettina Zilkha, Debbie Bancroft, and Douglas Hannant

Photographs by Neil Rasmus/PMc



A wedding reception for Susan Magrino and Jim Dunning
Cindy Adams, Somers Farkas, and Felicia Taylor
Michael Cominotto and Dennis Basso
Victoria Gotti, Scott Currie, and Sharon Sondes
Susan Magrino, one of New York’s most successful public relations women, married (for the first time) Jim Dunning in the Caribbean several weeks ago. On a Thursday night two weeks ago they had their wedding reception at the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagrams Building.

James Dunning and Susan Magrino
Magrino, who for years was Martha Stewart’s press agent, knows everybody in her business, in the advertising business, the media business and a lot of society people, and is deservedly very well liked. She invited them all to her reception and filled both enormous rooms of the Four Seasons. There was an abundance of food, drinks, dancing, and good cheer. Guests were aware they were in a special place, thanks to the host and hostess, and everyone lapped it up.

That happened to be the night before Martha Stewart entered prison for her five-month term. For some reason the press thought Martha would be paying a visit to her loyal publicity amanuensis’ wedding reception. An absurd notion when you think of it. But they were there, nevertheless, TV trucks and all, camped out all over the block of 52nd Street between Park and Lex and on the steps leading to the entrance to the restaurant. Every big black SUV with darkened windows that pulled up caused a flurry among the boys with the video remotes and the digitals with flashes. They were bound and determined to get the scoopiest paparazzi photo of the week. Not.
Anne Jones
Muffie Potter Aston
Dr. Patrick Stubgen and Dana Stubgen
Martha had larger priorities – like peace of mind – at that moment. Although I don’t doubt Martha was thinking about her friend’s big night and how much she would have loved to be present for all the glad tidings that filled the two Philip Johnson-designed rooms. It was a party that Martha Stewart would have enjoyed, and that would have enjoyed her. As it was, the bride and groom were in high spirits.
Tiffany Dubin and Kevin Krier
Helen and Tim Schifter
Sessa von Richthofen and Richard Johnson
L. to r.: Deborah and Alan Grubman; Jason Nixon, Scott Currie, and friend.
Dominick Dunne, Susan Magrino, and James Dunning
Julian Niccolini and Susan Magrino

Photographs by Jimi Celeste/PMc


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