With her Town and Country posse (T&C Associate Publisher Mara Gredick, Marketing Director Laura Ives Wilson and Hearst Marketing’s Lynn Wisdom), Columbia graduate/jewelry designer Clara Williams and her Retail Sales Manager Emily Garratt found a perfect spot to display her latest collection on Wednesday, October 3. It was Lisa and Clay Cooley’s estate. The digs made possible a shop til you drop benefiting the 2018 Cattle Baron’s Ball.
But unlike fundraisers at the Cooley compound of the past held in the ground-level drawing room or den, this one upstaged the rest by lunching on the treetop upstairs terrace overlooking the magnificent grounds that the late Ruth Altshuler once described as possibly being mistaken for a country club.
While some had been worried about the 80-degree temperature plus humidity, they rose to the occasion in end-of-summer frocks by such designers as Oscar and Herrera. The worry was unnecessary, thanks to the breeze and shade provided by the trees.
As the gals like 2018 CBB Co-Chairs Katy Bock and Jonika Nix, 2019 CBB Co-Chairs Wendy Messmann and Lisa Shirley, Bela Cooley, Tracy Lange, Deidre Bacala and Stephanie Seay checked out the earrings, necklaces and trinkets, Alison Malone looked a bit nervous. Her Crystal Charity Ball Children’s Book was just a couple of hours away. Another couple on the edge for CCB deadlines were Silent Auction Co-Chairs Cara French and Piper Wyatt.
On the other hand, former CBB chairs Cindy Turner (2000), Olivia Kearney (2006), KJ Sanger (2012) and Tia Wynne (2015) enjoyed the scene, the jewelry and the lunch (roasted chicken salad with saffron infused cous cous, dried apricots, toasted pine nuts, sunflower sprouts and harrisa vinaigrette followed by angel food cake with berries, whipped cream and raspberry compote).
CBB has proven to be a good training ground for those with big projects. For instance, Cindy was almost giddy about daughter Hillary Turner’s recent engagement. Seems Chris Calandro popped the proposal poolside during a break watching the Notre Dame-Stanford game.
Instead of a long talk about the jewelry, Mara and Clara briefly addressed the lunching ladies about the need to fund cancer research. As a parting gift, each of the guests was given a leather necklace that could be worn with or without one of Clara’s pieces. She also announced that any sales of the jewelry would benefit Cattle Baron’s Ball.
Hostess Lisa had to dash out just as Cassandra’s staff was closing down. Seems daughter Ciara Cooley’s quarterhorse, Dakota, was showing signs of colic, so Lisa was off to the Fort Worth equine vet’s clinic.