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Benjamin-Émile Le Hay

By Ben Weitzenkorn and Benjamin-Émile Le Hay 5/31/12 8:15am

Charity Events

7 Photos

Out at sea.

Hitting the High Seas (Well, New York Harbor) with Sailing Heals

In the grand reception room of a storied and opulent New York City nautical club, the Florence, Italy-based watchmaker Officine Panerai kicked off its North American Circuit of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge season with an event to honor the non-profit Sailing Heals and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The summer-long racing series, which began on May 23, is the largest international circuit of regate for classic yachts.

Sailing Heals, a philanthropic organization, backed by Panerai, creates special sailing experiences for patients by taking them on sails with professional yachtsmen and women. “At the very crux of it, we offer a day of sailing for cancer patients and their caretakers,” said Mylissa Tsai, a Sailing Heals board member and cancer survivor who is regrettably once again a cancer patient. Read More

By Benjamin-Émile Le Hay 5/21/12 12:34pm

Chairman Chuck Wall, soprano Deborah Voigt and general manager and artistic director George Steel, all of the New York City Opera. (Ryan McCune/PatrickMcMullan.com)

Despite a Turbulent Year, New York City Opera Rakes in Big Bucks at Spring Gala

An evening with bejeweled socialites, soprano Deborah Voigt and Tony-winner Ted Sperling? Sign us up! Last Wednesday, May 16, at its spring gala, the New York City Opera proved that despite a year marred by operational drama, it is alive and well.  In fact, it’s been a pretty damn good season. (We had trouble getting seats for Così Fan Tutte‘s final performance.) Read More

By Benjamin-Émile Le Hay 5/11/12 1:27pm

Charity Events

8 Photos

Donna Karan and Gabby Karan de Felice flaunt their Urban Zen

Donating to Solving Kids’ Cancer Makes You Feel Like You Have “the Biggest Dick in the Room,” According to Seth Herzog

Without trying to sound terribly ungenteel, we’re calling this week Cancer Week. Tasteless as it may sound, The Observer has attended at least half a dozen cancer-related benefits or events in a span of five days. It just goes to show that the fight against cancer still very much endures for millions.

On Wednesday evening, Solving Kids’ Cancer hosted its third annual spring gala at Gotham Hall. A few things about the charity make it unique. Foremost is that it was created by two fathers who met in a pediatric cancer center and formed a unique and supportive bond for each other. Tragically, both families lost a child, but their experience and friendship influenced John London and Scott Kennedy to establish Solving Kids’ Cancer. Another interesting aspect of the gala is that the live auction offers no luxury escape to Cabo. Instead, heavyweights plunk down big loads of cash for no swag at all—how truly genuine. (Well, we lied; donors do get fairytale butterfly wands reminiscent of a LaGuardia student’s art project.) Last year’s fundraiser on Park Avenue brought in over $400,000 alone. Read More

By Benjamin-Émile Le Hay 5/04/12 12:29pm

Party Report

JULIAN BOND: A Human Rights Icon Gala Celebration

Robin Roberts Could Probably Pull Off Whoopi’s Weird Bond Gala Outfit, But She Shouldn’t Try

The Observer begrudgingly traipsed back to the Plaza Ballroom for the umpteenth Wednesday night for yet another gala. This time around it was to honor civil rights pioneer and former chairman of the NAACP Julian Bond. We knew that honorary chairman of the affair, Bill Clinton, was too busy saving the world to attend, but a list of enticing notables was expected. How often to you get to have a Tanqueray and tonic with Wanda Sykes? Read More

By Benjamin-Émile Le Hay 5/01/12 2:15pm

Charity Events

4 Photos

2013 NYC Firefighter Calendar

New York Firefighters Take It Off for Charity

Brawny firefighters in quite tight T-shirts gathered on the Upper West Side at the Firehouse Tavern and neighboring restaurant Nonna last Saturday to celebrate the topless pictures of themselves in the 2013 Firefighters of New York Calendar, which benefits the Jacobi Medical Center Burn Unit.

Photographer Battman (real name Alan Batt), who has been doing the calendar for years, said some of the firefighters aren’t always comfortable traipsing around New York City and posing so scantily clad, but some even seem to enjoy it quite a bit: “We had a six-foot ladder in Times Square and one of the guys on top and a million women were screaming.” Read More

By Benjamin-Émile Le Hay 4/27/12 6:27pm

Awards

9 Photos

Hands off, buster!

Fern Mallis Has “Achieved a Whole Fucking Lot!” Says Betsey Johnson

When you can drag CFDA’s Steven Kolb, Vogue’s Hamish Bowles, Paul Wilmot, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Cathy Horyn, Dennis Basso and Vivienne Tam from their hectic lives in the fashion and editorial worlds to attend a student fashion show, you know you have sway. Or you have industry legends Calvin Klein and Fern Mallis. Last night the former presented the latter with a lifetime achievement award at Pratt’s 113th graduate fashion show, where over a dozen talented designers presented their edited collections. Read More