The Ten Best Dressed Awards was a Black Tie Gala held in Balboa Park on Nov. 17. This is the ninth annual year for this red carpet event, which was presented by Leonard Simpson and The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. Chairs included Darlene Davies and La Jollans Don Breitenberg, Jeanne Jones, Kristi Pieper, Phyllis Parrish, John Parrish and Cristull Hasson. Honorary Chair was Ruth Mulvaney for lifetime in philanthropy. The theme for this theatrical awards show was “En Pointe At The Prado.” The evening began with cocktails and a silent auction, then moved to the Prado Ballroom for a formal dinner with cuisine by published author Jeanne Jones. A fabulous live auction was held which included two tickets to the Emmy’s. The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet entertained the audience as they dined. The event was co-hosted by celebrities Kelly Emberg, Lisa Stahl Sullivan, and Sonya Berg. After the incredible dinner, guests were shuttled over to Casa del Prado for the phenomenal theatrical show by Leonard Simpson’s Fashion Forward. Simpson is known for his extraordinary productions and this Theatrical Production was no exception. Ballet from the San Diego Civic Youth ballet was intertwined in the show. Performances began on the stage and then the models sashayed down the center isle of the theater to show off the designer’s creations. Some of the standouts were the Kimono inspiration by costume designer Sueko Oshimoto, futuristic designs by Veteran Couture, elegant gowns by Lisseth Corrao, and show stopping designs by Puey Quinones. The evening ended with the Awards Ceremony presented by Brittany Noelle of Fashion LemonAid. Many of the honorees were from La Jolla: Lorna York, Cristull Hasson, Dottie Stanley, Dr. Scott Miller, Edward Mracek, and David Stanley. Additional best dressed awards for women went to Arlene Esgate, Kathryn Vaughn, Esq., Ofelia Alksne, Darlene Davies, Charo Garcia-Guerra, Angela Krasner, Randi Hosking, Ellen Kardashian, Maureen King and Lisa Stahl Sullivan. The best dressed male awards went to Richard Esgate, Charles King, Donald Vaughn, Esq., Mark Krasner, Paul Marshall, Brad Benter, Jathan Segur, Alexander Salazar and Rod Alan Baker. Lifetime achievement awards went to La Jollan’s Don Breitenberg, Jeanne Jones, Jacqueline Foster, Dr. Manoj Motwani and Tom Truman. This year the recipient for this Gala was the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. They have been in San Diego for seventy-six years, and produce three major productions each year. In addition, they offer the “Ballerina Buddies,” program which pairs younger dancers with older student mentors, and “Ballet for Me!” which offers classes for children with unique physical needs. For more information about this wonderful organization visit: www.sdcyb.org.
