Social Diary 8/19/03 - Dior Dance for Life in honor of Aaliyah to benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation


	Christian Dior sponsors Dior Dance for Life in honor of Aaliyah to benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation

May Anderson

Nicky Hilton

Mya Rudolph

Jessica Capshaw

On Sunday August 3rd, at the beautiful Bel Air home of Quincy Jones, they held a benefit for the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation honoring the late singer. The Fund was created at the request of the late Aaliyah Dana Haughton's family as a vehicle whereby the general public could contribute to and support causes that Aaliyah believed to be important.

Also in honor of the late Aaliyah Haughton, Dior has committed in August, a percentage of all sales revenues nationwide of the new Dior Sport Shoe to be donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund.

Christina Applegate, Charlize Theron, Gwen Stefani, and Brandy

The Dior Sport Shoe, if you’re out-to-lunch like me and don’t know, is the first active shoe launched under the design directions of John Galliano. Which means they don’t look like any other, of that you can be sure. Available in black leather, white and blue jacquard, denim, and sand suede and accented with Dior's signature corseting, the Sport Shoe is the perfect mix of function and style, so saieth the press release and probably not a few of the customers.

In case you can’t stand it for a minute longer, and must know: the Dior Sport Shoe is available at Dior boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, Ala Moana, San Francisco, Dallas , Bal Harbour, Aspen, Boston and Las Vegas. And if you’re nowhere near the abovementioned, then MOVE. No, no, just kidding ... worry not and want not — it’s 1-800-929-DIOR for store information and you can sleep peacefully.

Meanwhile, back at the Quincy Jones Bel Air mansion: there was a special dance performance choreographed by Fatima Robinson, Aaliyah's choreographer. The dancers wore tanks with embroidered A's in memory of Aaliyah and the Dior logo sport shoe.

The dress theme was “Day Glam,” which is sorta the Bel Air version of Whatever. Especially by Dior. There were lotsa happy girls dressed quite happily by Dior: Such as: Brandy, Christina Applegate, Gwen Stefani , Keisha Whitaker, Ivana Milicevic, Jacqui Getty, Jaime King, Jennifer Tilly, Jessica Capshaw, Jordana Brewster, Kelly Hu, Kidada Nash, May Anderson, Natasha Wagner, Nicole Richie, Peggy Lipton, Rashida Jones, Rosanna Arquette, Sophia Vargara.

Macy Gray with the Logo Sport Shoe

Dior also had a big hand in the decoration and it more than vaguely resembled the spirit of their Fall advertising campaign – an airy, white sleek, sexy, modern décor with etched mirrors, and cherry blossoms accenting the space. There was Veuve Cliquot for the thirsty, and Vitamin Water for the thirsty and acutely conscious. Oh, and Pepsi for us just folks.

The Day Glammed ones reclined on white-brushed cotton daybeds set underneath billowy white panels of fabric, cooling themselves with fans of red or pink and ready for their close-up. Or they were down to business and ordering their very own Dior Sport Shoe at the shoe bar. Uh-huh, a shoe bar.

L.A. or what? Every party should have one. And don’t worry, they will. Before long, the way things are going. After that we may even finally see a 12 Step program for all those ... shoe addicts out there. Or is it shoe-abusers?

At this shoe bar you cudda seen, among more than several others, Brandy, and Christina Applegate, and David Schwimmer, Gwen Stefani, Jamie King, Jennifer Tilly, Jon Favreau (for his wife, he said), Jordana Brewster, Kidada Nash, Macy Gray, Peggy Lipton, Rashida Jones, and Quincy Jones for his girlfriend, Lisette. All partaking. Unabashed and no remorse.

That, and movin’ on down: besides reclining and tipping and dipping the toes, and quaffing the Veuve, they were grooving to the sounds of Mark and Samantha Ronson. As well as helping themselves to The Food. Patina Catering served up skewers of blue corn fried chicken, tangy barbequed shrimp with mango, sesame cones of coconut tuna tartare, baby burgers, and hushpuppies (the Bel Air version) with honey butter. Desserts included mini popsicles to match the décor, white pink, and red.

Posh Spice and Damon Dash

Maria Sabo, Sidney Toledano, and Katia Toledano

So do you think these Hollywood types had a good time? On a beautiful Southern California Sunday afternoon, at the fabulous home of a big star, a very cool guy, in Bel Air, gnoshin’ and a-quaffin,’ and a-lollin’ an’ reclinin’ all for a good cause? Wouldn’t you? It was like: “let ‘em eat hushpuppies.”

Brett Ratner and Rashida Jones

I hear someone actually said that: “let ‘em eat hushpuppies.” Were they talking Tucker Carlson, or Marie-Antoinette, I don’t know.

Not so incidental and good times aside: The Entertainment Industry Foundation is a 60-year old charitable organization created to coordinate the philanthropy of the entertainment industry. In recent years, EIF has established several national initiatives and coordinated hundreds of memorial funds related to these initiatives. The Aaliyah Memorial Fund will be administered in accordance with protocols established to assure timely acknowledgment of the donations received and subsequently effective distribution of grants to the beneficiaries of the Fund.

Should you wish to make a contribution, please make checks payable to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund and mail to:

Entertainment Industry Foundation
c/o Merrily Newton
11132 Venture Boulevard
Suite 401
Studio City, CA 91604