As a celebration of the annual New Yorkers for Children Spring Dinner Dance, A Fool’s Fete, we asked Lonneke Engel to guest blog about the event for the second year in a row. Read on to find out all about her evening adventures!
Yesterday I was so lucky to attend the NYFC’s A Fool’s Fete again after I went there last year. Again, just like last year, I agreed to share my experiences at this event with Modelinia!
It was a bit last minute this year: I was invited by La Perla and would sit at their table. So of course I would wear a stunning La Perla dress! They sent four options to my home, and I chose the black simple gown, as it was very comfortable, and easy to wear. Since it was storming in New York City with thunder and lightning, I thought this was a smart idea.
What did my day and evening look like?
During the day, I just finished some business I needed to do, worked out, ate healthy foods, and relaxed. At 5pm, I took a shower and started my make-up and hair. They offered to have a hair stylist and makeup artist come, but I decided today to do it myself. I did simple hair, and simple makeup with focus on my eyes. I used Josie Maran’s lipgloss (which is really nice by the way!)
6pm: I put on my dress, chose the right shoes, had one of my best friends, model Jessica van der Steen who is staying with me for a few days, help me decide what jewelry I should wear.
7pm: Pick up at home to go to the event.
7:30pm: Arrival at Mandarin Oriental Hotel where there was a photo opportunity in front of the photographers. A lot of times people don’t know who I am, and sometimes they get super excited when they see me. It is always a surprise when I go to an event. Photographers can be rude: if you are not “famous” or they don’t know you, they just don’t take any pictures of you, and it can be an awkward moment. The more well-known you are, the more pictures they take of you!
7:45pm: Cocktail hour! I had a glass of champagne and ran into a few friends, including Hilary Rhoda, Yigal Azrouël, Brooke Magnaghi, and Adam Lippes. Of course it is a great place to network, but also nice to catch up!
8:30pm: Dinner. The starter was a salad with candied walnuts, grilled goat cheese, and beets. I turned around for a moment and gone was my plate! The waiter was so eager to go to the next course he took away my plate so I only ate half of my salad, but it was good. (Next time I am going to physically hold my plate with my hands to avoid it being taken away!) Main course was grilled chicken, but I got a grilled tofu steak, with chickpeas, and veggies. It was actually delicious! And desert - wow chocolate mousse! It was heavenly!
During the dinner, there was a performance by the Naseeb Dance Group. As one of the main sponsors I believe has Indian roots, the whole evening had an Indian vibe. The tables were decorated with colorful Eastern inspired lights and lots of colorful fabrics draped on the tables and above the tables. I was happy as they decided to not use real flowers this year. I know, flowers look good, but seeing as those flowers were thrown away right after the event, it is also more cost effective to opt for other decoration options than flowers. I think they did a great job!
See the full slideshow on modelinia.com
A young girl spoke about her experiences with New Yorkers for Children, and how well she is doing now in school because of this charity. She was given school supplies and dorm room supplies as well as education, as she wasn’t so fortunate with the family she was born into. Now, she wants to give back to the community herself, by becoming a teacher. This is a success story that shows how important it is to give money to this organization. So I donated myself as well.
Before I knew it, it was already 11pm and the silent auction of the many designer items that were donated to this night was closed. I wonder who “won” a handbag or skincare set by putting down an offer. Last year I was lucky winning the Kate Moss by Longchamp bag, that I still use a lot for travels today! I just hope a lot of money was raised with all these nice products for the children.
This evening is always so fun as it is probably the best party of the year. Not only because everybody always is dressed amazingly, but everybody is dancing! This time Selita Ebanks (in Balenciaga) was going wild with the other guests while Wyclef Jean was performing and DJ Kiss spinning. My bestdressed were: Karolina Kurkova in Sophie Theallet (beautiful hair, makeup and colors), Tinsley Mortimer (who really had spring on her mind with her dress) and Carson Kressly who wore a bold white jacket with print.
I had a lot of fun and I hope to go to the 2012 A Fool’s Fete next year!
