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Perfect tailoring
MSO Symphony Style unfolded without a hitch
By Christy Brownfield
Models pranced down the runway in Peggy Jennings designs to music that matched the mood of the festive audience, yet was tasteful enough to reflect the dresses of a designer known for dressing first ladies
Set against the brilliant white backdrop of the Milwaukee Art Museum, the 44th annual MSO Symphony Style fashion show gala ran as smoothly as the expensive price tag would suggest. The doors opened at 6:30 p.m. to a cocktailing “hour,” which continued until 9 p.m., when the show itself began. Included in the price of each ticket ($200 ensured second or third row seating, $300 allowed VIP access and front-row seats, while $1500 set guests up with a table for four on the runway and vodka service) was an open bar and as much delicious food as your heart desired.
Quarles and Brady and Valentina hosted the VIP area, where those admitted lounged on furniture provided by Design Within Reach and watched models change in and out of the latest high-priced fashions. However, every inch of the Quadracci pavilion was filled with food, drinks, silent auction and a style bar, so the measly $200 a seat ticket holders were kept more than adequately entertained.
After a nearly three-hour long cocktailing period, the lights dimmed and guests were ushered to their seats. Gift bags were stocked with bounds of goodies including packets of Cholives and mini bottles of rum (the two gentlemen to the right of me broke out their bottles mid-show). Before the fashion show actually started, an auctioneer took bids on the big ticket items including a $2,500 gift certificate to Valentina, a $3,500 gift certificate for Peggy Jennings (furnished by Au Courant which provided the showcase designer), and a chance take home a Maserati for the weekend.
Despite the jumbled ramblings of a man living out his childhood dream of being an auctioneer, the big ticket items did a nice job of raising a considerable amount of money for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Once the show began, the careful choreography and planning of the event became evident. Models pranced down the runway in Peggy Jennings designs to music that matched the mood of the festive audience, yet was tasteful enough to reflect the dresses of a designer known for dressing first ladies.
Intermittently, male models in bespoke tuxes walked out and posed on the runway to breakup the flow of perfectly tailored dresses. The catwalk down the east wing of the pavilion was long, as was the show, but not unbearably so, unlike the recent Runup to the Runway. It’s a nod to the fact that discerning designs speak volumes, and despite a lack of styling or outlandish details, the quality of the clothing presented held the attention to hundreds of guests with three hours worth of drinking under their belts, not an easy task.
At the conclusion of the show VIP guests were invited to a champagne reception while everyone else was invited to the after party at Zen Den (where a mini valet parking crisis ensued at the close of the evening when the Celtics basketball team showed at the Intercontinental). The whole evening truly ran as smoothly as could be expected for an event this size, and the clothing, considering the relatively unknown repute of the designer, was a beautiful surprise.
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