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Last weekend’s Versace Party for a Cure gave attendees a dual glimpse into the colorful worlds of high fashion and high society. As tempera tures soared, the soiree at Gregg Ogden’s sprawling, hilltop estate raked in a cool $90,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Never before has Fayetteville seen so much skin. Most guests honored the South Beach dress code, which encompasses high hemlines and plunging necklines. Bold prints and vivid solids in various shades of lime green, hot pink and orange were virtually everywhere, brining the theme to life.
Despite a ceiling of 500, more than 700 people attended.
Guests arrived via limousines (and a couple of transit vans), then made their way up the red carpet and into the party.
Tables were set up under the massive white tents and were covered in white cloths with sheer overlays in tints of kiwi, mango and magenta.
Jennifer Brock of Just Add Water created centerpieces of oasis melon balls topped with basil bamboo poles holding imported Thailand orchids in chunky clear glass containers.
Mosquito netting and paper lantern were used around the food tables.
Those attending a VIP party were first on the scene and the first to shop a Versace boutique set up inside Ogden’s pool house. The Italian fashion house showcased its fall line of clothing, handbags, jewelry, watches and shoes, as well as home accessories: pillows, rugs, flatware, glasses and dishes.
Models posed atop boxes set strategically around the pool as a giant screen overhead showed constant footage of a Versace runway at full tilt. The company sold roughly $170,000 worth of merchandise during the party with 10 percent going toward the American Cancer Society.
“Without the Versace name, the party would not have been what it was,” Ogden said. He acquired a Versace shirt for himself and a pair of sunglasses for his daughter, Audra.
During the party, it was announced that a new Versace “Precious Items” accessories boutique would open the following Monday at Murphy’s Jewelers in Rogers. Owner Danny White was the star of the party as the state’s only retailer to carry products in the Versace line.
The party reached fever pitch during the live auction, when Coleman Peterson bought his wife, Peaches, a new 2004 SLK convertible Mercedes-Benz for $50,000. Jerry Waldschmidt won a first-class round trip for two to Cabo San Lucas for $13,500 and bought a $5,000 shopping spree for $1,000 over its value.
Diane Adams’ winning bid of $5,000 garnered her a trip for four on a private jet to a Dallas Cowboys football game, and Cynthia Coughlin took home four tickets to the Arkansas-Texas game and a barbecue dinner for 20 for $1,800. Dash Goff stepped in to help spot bids when the bidding waned.
A team led by Carolyn and Rich Siker at Catering Concepts Inc. prepared the VIP menu, which included bacon-wrapped barbecue spiced chicken, beef rolls with wasabi and green onions, lobster-proscuitto crostini, petite savory biscuits with Dijon and honey ham, shrimp and vegetable rice paper rolls, crab cakes on toasted baguettes with remoulade sauce and parmesan pita chips with roasted vegetable and olive tapenade.
The larger crowd was later served sautéed shrimp, orange-glazed pork tenderloin, seasonal fruits, berries and melon carvings, grilled chicken skewers with coconut-peanut sauce, ginger-garlic grilled beef with Japanese horseradish, spicy shrimp and scallop salsas with scallion flat bread and spices crab claws. Savory biscuits with Dijon ham, key lime tart, baked brie, fresh vegetables and an assortment of desserts was also served.
Susan Foley, communication and marketing director for the Northwest Arkansas office of the American Society, credited a hard-working team for the success of the party.
“There was never anything that we asked for that they didn’t deliver or do better,” Foley said.
Ogden was joined by event chairman Janie Chambers, media host Leslee Wright and White. University of Arkansas head football coach Houston Nutt and his wife, Diana, were honorary chairmen.
Organizers are already discussing plans for next year’s event. With a big name like Versace to throw around, they’re hoping other will get behind the cause.
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