On the night of Saturday, December 9, the Hilton Anatole’s regular guests, many of them families clad in shorts and swimsuits, looked a bit startled as they walked through the lobby that was a “masterpiece” of people, fashion and décor. The picture-perfect scene was the setting for the 2023 Crystal Charity Ball.
The evening’s theme, “Masterpieces in the Making,” had ginned up all types of expectations of visual and performing delights among the Ball’s 1,500 guests. Slowly they walked the entry to doors opened by mustachioed gents dressed in white smocks and French berets, then strolled along the interior hallway with elevated vignettes on both sides of in-the-flesh and still-life creativity (a ballerina, a writer, a sculptor, an opera singer, a fashion designer, a writer, a harpist, a painter, etc.).
At the end of their brief trek they encountered a mammoth framed replica of Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 painting “The Starry Night,” with a real-life “artist” in a powder-blue suit and white straw hat seated nearby with palette and canvas aiming to recapture the scene. As he turned around in his chair, a sizable bandage covered his left ear.
Later in the evening, the faux-Van Gogh would shift his efforts to capturing Ciara Biggers‘ gown by Michael Faircloth, which was a work of art in itself. This outing was Ciara’s first with the gown. Her mom, Lisa Cooley, had worn it to the 2017 Art Ball. Ah, the advantages of hand-me-downs.
On this night Lisa was in a sunflower yellow gown by Patti Flowers, who’d been very busy producing frocks for 2023 CCB Chair Angie Kadesky as well as the likes of Cheryl Joyner, Kim Quinn, Suzy Gekiere, and Jennifer Dix, who’d actually snapped hers up earlier in the year at the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Fashion Show.
A strong runner-up in the gown department was Carolina Herrera, whose designs were worn by Heather Esping, Jill Smith, Sunie Solomon, Victoria Snee, Lauren Bellemare and Anne Stodghill. Lauren and Anne’s husbands, Francois Bellemare and Steve Stodghill, were in tuxes by Q Clothiers and Savile Row’s H Huntsman And Sons, respectively; other gents opted mainly for Armani and Brunello Cucineli.
Additional belles of the Ball included Marjon Henderson (in Oscar de la Renta), Janie Condon (Andrew GN), Kim Hext (Akris), Amy Hegi (Double R Brand), Pat McEvoy (Pamela Roland), Melinda Knowles (Rasario), Wendy Messmann (Tarik Ediz), Monica Christopher (Erdem), Susan Farris (Rene Ruiz Collection), Shannon Graham (Talbot Runhof), Marena Gault and Emily Ash (Nardos), Martha Martha Pickens (Michael Faircloth) and Jennifer Chandler (Badgley Mischka).
Alas, along with the magnificently dressed crowd, “train wrecks” could not be prevented with the billowy gowns and their skirts sweeping the floor. One poor gal was stopped dead in her stilettos when a gentleman’s patent leather slipper took a stand on her hem.
Diamonds Direct dominated among the evening’s jewels, while Louboutin won the shoes competition and Judith Leiber was once again the runaway winner for clutches.
To chronicle these stunning looks of the night, photo opportunities abounded, including portraits by James French and NorthPark’s busy fashion cam.
As guests like Kathy and Harlan Crow, Annette Simmons with Gage Prichard, Minnie Caruth, Margaret and Lester Keliher, Wanda and Dean Fearing, Carol and Don Glendenning, Julie and Sulman Ahmed, Shannon and Fred Cerise, Angela Shoup with husband Brett Barron, Stacey and Ken Malcolmson, Marissa Horne, Bianca Davis, Ben Leal with Cesar Reyna, Angela and Brad Cheves, Carol Seay, Lee Bailey, Sharon Merwin, Nomi Stone, Kristen and Reed Gibbins, Tim Adair with Sam Sullins and newlyweds Sara Valles and Nick Sanders arrived, and event photographers were in high demand capturing the scene, word soon came down that all the photography was creating a traffic jam. So, the photographers were dispatched to other parts of the layout — like the casino gaming area, with Toulouse-Lautrec’s mega-sized “Troupe De Mille Eglantin” as a backdrop, as well as the store and the lobby’s many food stations offering plates of Iberico Ham Toast and Heirloom Tomato Caprese.
Unlike years past, when every inch of the reception space showcased the goodies up for bid in the silent auction area, the backdrop there was merely a wall of empty frames.
But, that ‘s not to say that the décor was lacking. Far from it. In the lower level of the reception area was a mini-version of I.M Pei’s Louvre pyramid. It looked outstanding but did create a problem for photos due to glare coming off its glass panels.
What was definitely a grand backdrop, though, was Junior Villaneuva‘s floral arrangements throughout the area, along with the amazing food stations.
Due to the reception’s limited seating areas, guests found themselves juggling drinks and plates. One petite gal and her husband commandeered a serving tray. As they set up shop, she tore into her shrimp like a cowgirl going after a State Fair turkey leg. Her husband asked when dinner would be served. Hearing that it wouldn’t happen until 9 p.m., he, like many others, wondered why the seated supper had to start so late.
A passerby consoled the fellow, telling him that was why Whataburger did gangbuster business after the ball every year.
Eric Gambrell arrived with a slight limp. Thankfully it was only temporary and due to the day’s early run. As Eric compared “injury and aging” notes with Joe LaManna, Joe recalled that after living in a house with a bedroom on the second floor, he was convinced to buy another abode with the bedroom on the main floor.
Neiman Marcus VP Scott Mitchell broke his record of always being present in the store for Black Friday. The reason: COVID-19.
Dr. Kevin Kadesky was asked how he’d enjoyed the previous year while wife Angie served as ball chair. “I got very good at either fixing dinner or calling DoorDash,” he said. “And running errands.”
A little later, a long green sprig from a decorative vine near the entryway blew off the wall when the front doors opened, and Kevin bent down to put it back in place. “Horticulture,” he cracked. “One of my hobbies.”
Children’s Medical Center Foundation President Brent Christopher had to miss the annual Breakfast With Santa at NorthPark in early December. It was due to wife Monica Christopher, whose role on the executive committee of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association required her attendance at the Big 10 Championship Game in Indianapolis instead.
Scott Wood, newly elected president of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, said to stay tuned for some fresh initiatives from the venerable organization. “I’m working on some new ideas,” he confided. Namely, “How do we make the topic of mental health more impactful?”
As guests prepared for the iconic CCB moment when the doors are finally flung open to the Chantilly Ballroom for dinner, some wondered what wonderful surprise lay in store for them this year. A graceful performance by ballet dancers, perhaps? A magnificent aria from La Boheme?
As the countdown got underway inside the ballroom, the orchestra was prepared. The doors opened wide and the music sounded like a regal processional as Angie led the guests into the Chantilly, which featured a drive-in movie-sized screen with ever-changing artwork stretching behind the musicians.
While the rest of the walls were draped beautifully, and the tables were highlighted with floral centerpieces, one vet wistfully admitted to having hoped for a “masterpiece” performance to kick off the meal.
So, OK, maybe it wasn’t exactly the “performance” that attendees had been looking for. But when Atlanta’s Simply Irresistible Band took the stage and worked their way through a set of upbeat tunes like “Got To Be Real,” the dance floor busted loose and the guests proceeded to provide some dazzling, memory-making sights of their own.
And, who could blame them. After all, it was a celebration for providing more than $6,686,000 for the the 2023 CCB Dallas Country children’s beneficiaries (After-School All-Stars, Buckner Children and Family Services, Fair Park First, Family Gateway, MetroCare Services, Salvation Army of North Texas and YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas).
For more glimpses of the night, check MySweetCharity Photo Gallery.