The timeline for the annual presentation of the Crystal Charity Ball Ten Best Dressed on Wednesday, March 20, at Neiman Marcus Downtown was a little different. For a project-yet-to-be disclosed, the Ten Best Dressed (Delilah Boyd, Lisa Cooley, Tiffany Divis, Jennifer Dix, Cate Ford, Cara French, Amy Hegi, Karla McKinley, Amy Prestidge and Kimberly Schlegel Whitman), 2019 Hall of Famer Francie Moody-Dahlberg and 2019 CCB Chair Pat McEvoy and 2019 Ten Best Dressed Luncheon Chair Ola Fojtasek were to be at the palladium window on the ground floor for a photo shoot.
While waiting for the shoot to start, Pat was checking out the hats in the nearby area. Seems she was chairing three days of the March seated teas at the Dallas Woman’s Club that would require a hat. One by London’s Philip Treacy didn’t make the cut. Sure, he had been the designer for Sarah Jessica Parker, Dita Von Teese, Lady Gaga, Grace Jones, Madonna, Joan Collins and Victoria Beckman, but it was a little too over-the-top, with a price in the four figures to match…. Delilah was sporting the more unique accessory of the day — a splint on her index finger. Seems she had “left my finger in a door” when she closed it. The result was the finger splint covering a black-and-blue nail… Jennifer Dix, who has been co-chairing the fundraising effort for Hope Lodge with her husband, Richard Dix, said that the response has been amazing and they are hoping to announce an update in the near future… The Amys (Hegi and Prestidge) were glowing about the upcoming Chick Lit Luncheon, which Amy H. is co-chairing and for which Amy P. is the honorary chair. They’re just a handful of tables from a sell-out. (Editor’s note: The event sold out in the days following the Ten Best Dressed Announcement event.)
As the ladies gathered, the staging was underway using a bolstered lounge bench and a couple of ottomans. Midway through the photo session, things came to an unplanned halt. Just after the photo of the Ten BD-ers, HoF-er and Pat and Ola had been taken, a DART bus had stopped on the street in the background. As soon as the bus got a green light, the photos were taken and the ladies were ushered to the second floor for a dress rehearsal.
With NM Downtown PR Marjon Henderson reading the script in place of NM Downtown General Manager Tim Adair, the run-through was like the wedding rehearsal scene in “Father of the Bride.” Such world-shattering issues were handled as when to present the NM gift to each woman, in which direction the ladies should be escorted from the staging, etc. But when Cara’s bio was read about her having two dogs (Maggie and Purdy), she said from the stage there was only one. A group groan arose throughout the room. Had one recently died? Cara smiled and said that Purdy was still alive, but she had nearly killed her that morning when she woke her up at 4 a.m.
Everything went so well that the “official” group photos were shot immediately after the rehearsal. That was good news for one and all. It meant that it wouldn’t require having to gather the key players after the formal presentation for the shots that would be used.
By 10:30 everything was tied up and the 10 plus 1 were escorted back to the bridal salon, where they would wait until it was time for the program.
In the meantime, the guests were gathering. 2018 CCB Chair Claire Emanuelson once again managed to laugh off a fashion collision. Last year, she and 2017 CCB Chair Pam Perella had worn the same dress by Oscar de la Renta. This year, Claire and Anne McPherson were in matching Carolina Herrera New York outfits…. Clay Cooley was on the scene after getting a call from daughter Ciara Cooley at 7 a.m. to show up for the announcement of his wife Lisa’s third and final presentation. Along with Clay and Ciara (wearing Louboutins borrowed from her mother’s closet) were son Chase Cooley and his wife Bela Cooley and son Chance, who was up from UT to surprise his mother….Marybeth Conlon was wearing a spring Carolina Herrera that had been a gift from her mom-in-law/former CCB Chair Robyn Conlon… Other former CCB Chairs on hand for the announcement were Debbie Snell, Cynthia Mitchell and Christie Carter.
Right on schedule the guests like Su-Su Meyer, Kim Quinn, Libby Hegi, Candace Winslow, Prissy Gravely, Beth Thoele, Cheryl Joyner and new CCB members Christy Berry, Molly Thomas, Julie Bagley, Nancy Scripps, Kim Hext, Sunie Solomon and Merry Wyatt, took their seats for the roll-out of plans and names by Tim, Pat and Ola that would make up the 2019 Crystal Charity Ball Ten Best Dressed program.
This year’s designer will be Carolina Herrera New York’s Wes Gordon, who will be on hand for the fashion extravaganza in the NM flagship on Friday, September 13. Leading up to the fashion show will be the Platinum Circle Dinner at the Dallas Country Club underwritten by Comerica on Thursday, September 5, and the Platinum Circle Patron Party underwritten by JPMorgan at Lana and Barry Andrews’ home on Thursday, September 12.
For many more looks at the looks of the day, check out MySweetCharity Photo Gallery.