Destination Fashion 2009 presented By Stewart Rahr
A Star-Studded Affair Benefitting The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis
More than 2000 partygoers from the worlds of entertainment, sports, philanthropy and fashion descended upon Bal Harbour Shops for Destination Fashion 2009, Presented by Stewart Rahr, to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project.
Multi-platinum recording artist SEAL brought the house down with a rockin’ show under the stars and The Pointer Sisters wowed the crowd with their disco beats. American iconic designer Michael Kors treated the fashionista audience to a spectacular runway show presented by Saks Fifth Avenue Bal Harbour.
One major highlight of the evening came when Destination Fashion Presenting Sponsor, Stewart Rahr, surprised guests and announced a donation of $1 million to The Buoniconti Fund. Cheers could be heard from around the fashion arena.
Singing star and Buoniconti Fund board member Gloria Estefan welcomed Marc Buoniconti to the stage who then thanked event honorary chairs, Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones and Dawn Jones for all of their help. Miami Project Founders Nick Buoniconti and Barth Green, M.D. presented The Barth A. Green, M.D. Spirit Award to golf legend Jack Nicklaus and The Buoniconti Fund Award to Stanley Whitman of Bal Harbour Shops.
The Buoniconti Fund saluted the Women of Substance & Style Honorees who were each escorted down the runway by celebrity presenters including Jerry Rice, Scottie Pippen, Pat Riley, Don Shula, Emilio Estefan, Ed Reed, Carl Lewis and Friday Night Lights television stars Kyle Chandler and Brad Leland to name a few. Event chairs Nick Buoniconti, Marc Buoniconti, Dr. Barth Green, M.D., Gretchen Jordan, Suzie Sayfie and Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard were thrilled with the outcome and success of the affair.
Destination Fashion 2009 guests partied through the “Decades: 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and Today” in the dazzling Bal Harbour Shops and enjoyed international cuisine and a seated dinner by Barton G. in Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour, delicious libations, live music and interactive entertainment. The event included a stunning silent auction offering and the Tiffany & Co. “Chances for a Cure Wall” loaded with luxury items. Many of the stores in the mall donated one-of-a-kind items. Some memorable auction items which were big-ticket draws were the Saks Fifth Avenue package for two people to attend the Michael Kors show at New York Fashion Week with two-night stay at The Plaza and a one-of-a-kind white crocodile Fendi bag.
Destination Fashion 2009 was presented by Stewart Rahr with other event sponsors including: Bal Harbour Shops, Bal Harbour Village and the Village Council, Barton G., Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones and Dawn Jones, Carnival Cruise Lines, Eden Roc Resort & Spa, Continental Airlines, Kim and James Pallotta, Saks Fifth Avenue Bal Harbour, The Batchelor Foundation, Cindy Carr, Beatrice Clancy, Cummock Family, Diane and Allen de Olazarra, Gretchen and Jay Jordan, Kandy and Jeff Kramer, Edie Laquer, Christine Lynn, Miami HEAT Charitable Fund, Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour, Victoria Ranger Nunez, Barbara Ceuleers Salazar, Southern Wine and Spirits, Laura and Irwin Tauber, Aventura Worldwide Transportation Service and 1-2-3 Lump Sum.
The 2009 Women of Substance and Style honorees are: Toby Ansin, Madeleine Arison, Adrienne Arsht, Patty Asseff, Dorothy Barrie, Nancy Batchelor, Bobbi Berkman, Julia Bianchi, Nora Bulnes, Cindy Carr, Beatrice Clancy, Anna May Conese, Victoria Cummock, Diane de Olazarra, Alice Fisher Edelman, Raysa Fanjul, Paula Friedland, Gladys Gelb, Suzi Goldsmith, Andria Ares Holtz, Elsie Howard, Carol Iacovelli, Roni Jacobson, Susan Jacobson, Gretchen Jordan, Kandy Kramer, Edie Laquer, Anne McDougal, Christina Getty Maercks, Lisa Pliner, Jennifer Postrel, Christy Powell, Victoria Ranger Nunez, Loren Ridinger, Chris Riley, Mary Anne Shula, Claudine Smurfit, Jessica Goldman Srebnick, Laura Tauber, Marisa Toccin and Debra Braman Wechsler.
