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A
reflection
of Autumn in the southeast corner of Central Park's the Pond.
Photo: JH.
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Princess
Michael of Kent
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Last Thursday afternoon, Patricia Patterson and Muffy
Miller threw
a luncheon for Princess Michael of Kent and about
a hundred friends at Doubles. Princess Michael has just completed
a nationwide tour
publicizing her new book The Serpent and the Moon, about
the royal love triangle of Henri II of France, his queen, Catherine
de Medici and his life long mistress (who was eighteen years his
senior) Diane de Poitiers. I’ve heard Princess Michael’s
lecture on this subject four times now and she seemingly effortlessly
makes it more fascinating each time you hear it. Of course it’s
an incredible story.
Diane was present at the birth of Henri, comforted and protected
him when he was six (when he was held hostage and imprisoned by
the Spanish king) and was his first lover once he reached the charming
age of puberty. Catherine, his wife, the arranged wife, was none
too happy about all this, but ... Princess Michael makes this
amazing story of the Renaissance time so modern because some things
about us, never change, mainly when it comes to s-e-x, and because
she breathes a very earthy life into royal history. |
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Muffy
Miller and Princess Michael of Kent
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Susan
Burke
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Diane
Chapman
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Gail
Hilson
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Carol
Holmes McCarthy
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Peggy
Mejia
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Diana
Quasha
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Mrs.
Howard Clark and
Jackie Weld Drake
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Carole
Guest
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Jane Gammell
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Nancy
Missett
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Alexia
Hamm Ryan and Serena Boardman
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Courtney
Arnot
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Marisa
Noel Brown
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Barbara
Bancroft and Hilary Geary
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Frederica
Biggs (right)
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L.
to r.: Candy Hamm; Sara Ayres.
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Last
Thursday night in New York over at the Armory on
67th and Park, they held the annual Preview Party of the
International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show to benefit
The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The
opening of the Antiques Show, as it is commonly called is
one of the main nights of social luminaries in New York.
The Society, or SMSKCC, is a powerful and influential force
in philanthropic fund-raising in New York.
Coco (Mrs. Arie) Kopelman is
the current President of the Administrative Board and
this isn’t one of those in-name-only jobs. Furthermore,
members are inculcated from the beginning of their
expected responsibility in maintaining the success
of The Society. Partly because of their huge efforts,
Memorial is one of the few hospitals in the country
that runs in the black. It is also the beacon, the
mecca for cancer patients all over the world. Its committees
involved in the fund-raising include some of the biggest
names in New York and because of that it is also a
vehicle for the ambitious ones with social aspirations.
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| Jamee
Gregory and Henri Barguirdjian |
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| Tommy
Corcoran and Joan Rivers |
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| Leslie
and Peter Jones |
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Membership in
the Society is not a name-on-the-check only matter. Work, effort,
responsibility are the by-words,
and very many of those well-known
New York names roll up their sleeves to produce the fantastic results that
enhance the great name of the hospital and its franchise. It’s been
50 years since the Society was created, and ever since its volunteers have
worked in close collaboration with the physicians and staff of MSKCC to
support the Center’s mission of providing the best cancer care to
its patients.
This year the Preview night was underwritten by Bill Blass and Graff with
additional support from Barnes Group, Davidson Kempner Advisers, Inc.,
Kathy and Rick Hilton and JP Morgan Chase. The wines, champagnes and water
for the evening were provided by St. Francis, Taittinger and Fiji. Which
meant every dollar they took in went to the cause.
The work that goes into enlisting the underwriters, supporters and additional
supplies is a big job in itself. Underwriters benefit in a variety of ways
besides the tax advantages of their financial contributions. Many of the
women in the reception line on Thursday night were wearing Blass, for example.
Indeed, Michael Vollbracht, the Blass designer, was in
the receiving line. Graff, the purveyor of astonishing diamonds of all
colors and sizes (mostly large), is relatively new to New York. Their partnership
with SMSKCC raised their profile and potential patronage substantially
just considering the Honorary Chairman of the evening who are now well
aware of the jeweler – Mrs. Rand Araskog, Muffie Potter Aston,
Mrs. Coleman Burke, Mrs. Edwin Burke, Mrs. Edmund Carpenter, Mrs. Marvin
Davidson, Mrs. Bruce Gimbel, Mrs. Roberto de Guardiola, Mr. and Mrs. David
Koch, Evelyn H. Lauder, Mrs. Richard LeFrak, Mrs. Derek Limbocker, Mrs.
Milton Petrie, Mrs. Virgil Sherrill, Mrs. Robert Trump.
The chairman for the evening were Mrs. Peter Gregory, Mrs. Peter
Jones and Mrs. Brian Snyder. Connoisseur Chairmen
were Mrs. William F. Buckley Jr., Mrs. Thomas Kempner and Mr.
James Niven. Pat, Nan and Jamie to their vanloads of friends.
Tickets for the evening start with the “Golden Benefactors” who
pay $5000 per and who included Adolfo, Mrs. D. Wayne Calloway,
Anne K. Groves, the Leonard and Evelyn Lauder Foundation,
the Litwin Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Rosen,
Mrs. Edmond Safra, Hazel and Marvin Shanken, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Snyder,
Blaine Trump and Sue Ann and John Weinberg. Connoisseur
tickets go for $2500 a piece and there were scads of those. Benefactor
tickets go for $1000, Patrons for $500, Collector for $200. So there is
something for everybody and everything for The Society of Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center.
This year’s opening night seemed especially successful. There
are sixty-eight dealers from the United States, England and Europe participating
and the place was mobbed with the bold-faced names, the glam-girls and
the well-tailored gents with their friends and retinue of art advisers,
dealers and decorators. The stalls are stupendous looking, full of beautiful,
mouth-watering treasures. Golden Benefactors and Connoisseurs, because
of the price of their ticket, get very first dibs beginning at quarter
to six, with the Benefactors arriving fifteen minutes later, the patrons
a half hour after that and the collectors at seven.
By seven the place was packed. There were buffet tables of freshly carved
(while you wait) ham, turkey, smoked salmon, cheeses, and breads and condiments,
while waiters in black tie passed the silver platters of Taittinger and
Fiji. The buffets were all doing break-neck business with the glamorously
famished. There was lots of meeting and greeting. Women dressed for the
occasion in fancy cocktail; out came the jewels, lots of dealers doing
big business with the serious lookers and buyers, lots of photographers
snapping away.
This year they were graced with the additional presence of Patrick
Jephson, former A-D-C to the late Princess Diana who
was here with a television crew, taping the former stomping grounds in
the princess’ social/philanthropic junkets to New York for a documentary
they are making for ITN, Channel 5 in London. |
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Heather
Leeds
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Susan
Burke and R. Couri Hay
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Mario
Buatta and George McNeely
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Jamee
Gregory and Gianluigi Vittadini
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Mark
Gilbertson and Rachel Hovnanian
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Edward
Lee Cave with Priscilla and Ed Ulmann
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Barbara
McLaughlin
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Barbara
and Donald Tober
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Stephanie
Krieger and Brian Stewart
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Kristi
Witker and Dick Koons and friend
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Sian
Ballen and Georgina Schaeffer
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Jill
Brooke and mom
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Brian
Haughton
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Heather
Cohane and Todd Romano
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Deborah
Hughes
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Debbie
Bancroft, Helen Lee Schifter, Muffie Potter Aston,
and Somers Farkas
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Sugar
Rautboard and friends
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Baroness
von Langerdorff, Charles Mirotznick, and friends
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Steve
Schwarzman, Karl Wellner, and Peter
Gregory
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Grace
and Chris Meigher
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Samantha
Gregory and Christian Leone
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Christopher
Mason and Cynthia Walpole
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Celerie
Kemble
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Evelyn
Tompkins and friends
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Hariett
Weintraub and friend
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