Fashion Careers College (FCC) presented the 22nd annual Golden Hanger Fashion Awards Gala Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center. The evening began with a lovely cocktail reception and fashionable boutique shopping. FCC chair and founder Pat O’Connor welcomed the guests and introduced international fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, who was honorary chair. Leonard Simpson, KUSI “Style Guy,” was celebrity auctioneer for the event. Fabulous items were auctioned off, such as dinner for eight prepared by Rhodes at her elegant beachfront home. County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price was given a special award for her philanthropic and community leadership. Additional honorees for the evening included Nicki Starr of Civil Disobedience Boutique, Mani M. Nagasubramanian of RD&M (Retail Design & Merchandising), Bangalore, India, and Rick Coburn of Factory Vintage. Sandra Maas of KUSI Channel 9 news was mistress of ceremonies for the night and began by introducing the Make-A-Wish segment, which is always an audience favorite. FCC students design creations for celebrities and Make-A-Wish children. They came down the runway tugging on everyone’s heartstrings. The theme for the evening was “Lights, Camera and Fashion!” Three screens were set up and 60-second clips from movies played before each segment in the fashion show. The music from each movie played as the models came down the catwalk. The line-up showcased the designs of FCC students. The audience went wild as bare-chested men came down the catwalk. Each of these good-looking guys had a collar around his neck and was being led by a stylish model in animal prints. This was a huge crowd-pleaser and definitely one of the highlights of the evening. The show finale was the inspirational designs of paintings from the collection at the Timken Museum of Art. These clever vignettes from different movies were coordinated by Tanya McAnear and produced by Jim Crawford. Proceeds from the evening go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. For more information, visit www.wishsandiego.org. The eve-ning also gives proceeds to Variety Children’s Lifeline Charity, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. For info, visit www.varietychildrenscharity.org.
