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    It's a Circus Out There

    DIFFA Dallas confirms that fundraising can be the greatest show on earth

    Anna Fialho Byers
    May 23, 2016 | 6:00 am
    DIFFA Dallas confirms that fundraising can be the greatest show on earth
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    House of DIFFA returned to the Omni Dallas hotel on May 21, and the city’s most colorful gala-goers turned out in droves for the spectacular annual fundraiser presented by Nancy C. and Richard R. Rogers. This year’s grand affair boasted a Circo Rouge theme, which can best be described as a circus on acid.

    Before entering the grand ballroom at a quarter past 7, guests sipped cocktails — served from a bar on which scantily clad women with masks and feather fans danced and writhed — and perused the items offered in the silent auction. This, of course, included 55 DIFFA jackets, donated by designers like Alexander Wang, Alice + Olivia, Badgley Mischka, Billy Reid, Lanvin, Lela Rose, Missoni, Marc Jacobs, Naeem Khan, Versace, and Zac Posen, among others.

    Once the doors to the ballroom opened, guests took their seats for a few brief comments from 2016 board chair Justin Bundick and House of DIFFA 2016 event chair Clint Bradley, as well as the awards presentation and introduction of this year’s Style Council Ambassadors: Kim Burgan, Kurt Anderson, Courtney Rider, Cearan Henley, Shelby Wagner, Carmen Surgent, Carinthia Kishaba, Tim Flannery, Bob Gibbs, JL Forke, Steffi Burns, and Jason Parker.

    Then there was a live auction for big-ticket items that included not one, but two trips to a manor in Scotland, as well as a vintage-inspired Stella 125 scooter.

    But it was after the auction that the real fun began. As attendees — including Real Housewives stars LeeAnne Locken, Tiffany Hendra, and Cary Deuber; Nick Boulle and Taylor Johnson; Anne and Steve Stodghill; Billy Milner and Jerod Dame; Niven Morgan and Shelby Wagner; and Kate and TJ Weiser — wined and dined, the freakiest of freaky circus acts took place on stages sprinkled among the dinner tables.

    Everything from ring and ribbon aerial acts to a gravity-defying pole performance, as well as one particularly cringe-worthy-yet-awe-inspiring body suspension act, was on offer. In between each set, a fashion show of epic proportions took place, complete with stilt walkers, human animals, and, yes, those legendary DIFFA jackets, as well as looks from Traffic LA, Forty Five Ten, and TenOverSix.

    Applause to co-producers Rhonda Sargent Chambers and Brian Brothers for the spectacle, and to generous title sponsor Headington Companies, a longtime DIFFA/Dallas supporter.

    Post-dinner, guests went around the corner to the Glazer’s After Party on the Midway for a raucous mix of games, fortune-telling, and dancing.

    House of DIFFA is the signature fundraiser for the Dallas chapter of the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), which raises and grants funds to organizations that fight HIV/AIDS. To date, House of DIFFA has contributed more than $7 million to local HIV/AIDS outreach centers.

    Shelby Wagner, Niven Morgan, Kurt Anderson

    Shelby Wagner, Niven Morgan, Kurt Anderson
      
    Photo by WJNPHOTO
    Shelby Wagner, Niven Morgan, Kurt Anderson
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    Hat's Off

    Outrageous hats descend upon Dallas Arboretum at Mad Hatter's 2025

    Lindsey Wilson
    Apr 21, 2025 | 3:21 pm
    Mad Hatter's 2025
    Photo by ASHGPHOTO
    The Masters Mavens group won best in show.

    When springtime hits the South, there is plenty to celebrate, from gorgeous weather to The Masters golf tournament, Jazz Fest, the Kentucky Derby, and Dallas Blooms at the Dallas Arboretum, just to name a few.

    All that and more found its way onto chic chapeaus and sky-high hats at Mad Hatter's 2025, themed "Celebrating Spring in the South." The epic fundraising luncheon sponsored by the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum assists with the development, growth, and maintenance of A Woman’s Garden, a major garden at the Arboretum.

    Mad Hatter's 2025Margo Johnson, Lauren Swope, Cathrine Rowsey, Nina Byrd, Chelsea Hargrave, Lauren Ott, Ashley Newton, Emily Fuquay Photo by ASHGPHOTO

    Mad Hatter's 2025
      

    Photo by ASHGPHOTO

    The Masters Mavens group won best in show.

    Chair Sara Friedman, honorary chair Cindy Feld, and Women's Council president Therese Rourk welcomed fashionably dressed guests to Ginsburg Plaza at the Dallas Arboretum on April 17, where wine, champagne, and specialty cocktails like mint juleps, bellinis, ranch waters, and the pink-hued Azalea were waiting.

    Kristyn Potter (@acaeventdesigns) captured the flirty, floral fashions with live sketches, while a lively and talented trio comprised of students from Lake Highlands High School Jazz Ensemble kept spirits high.

    The Mad Hatter's extensive silent auction drew plenty of interest, with restaurant gift cards, beauty treatments, jewelry, and travel all on offer.

    Those interested in competing for blue ribbons paraded their expertly crafted millinery before judges Amanda Shufeldt, Anne Stodghill, Ezé Azenabor-Grembowski, Kameron Westcott, Sharon Lee Clark, and John Clutts, before the jazz trio led a vibrant second line into Rosine Hall for the fashion show.

    Mad Hatter's 2025The Taste of the Masters group.Photo by ASHGPHOTO

    Presented by NorthPark Center and produced by Jan Strimple, with NBC 5 anchor Laura Harris serving as emcee, the fresh fashions were as light as a spring breeze. Looks were from Etro, Maje, Me + Em, Nordstrom, Sandro, Scanlan Theodore, and St. John, with beauty by Glossier and jewelry from Eiseman Jewels.

    The hat winners then got their own turn on the runway:

    • Dallas Blooms (best use of fresh botanicals): Maryam Brown
    • Kentucky Derby (most elegant): Christine Phelan
    • Mardi Gras (most over-the-top, outrageous creation): Debbie Murray
    • Jazz Fest (best group): Taste of the Masters
    • Round Top (people’s choice): Mandi Bonilla
    • The Masters (best in show): Masters Mavens group

    Mad Hatter's 2025Emcee — and self-proclaimed Georgia peach —Laura Harris.Photo by ASHGPHOTO

    Guests were then invited to sit down to a lovely lunch of chilled avocado soup and mixed greens topped with sous-vide chicken, marinated tenderloin, and a fried green tomato, all drizzled with peach-hot honey dressing. A Bananas Foster tart proved a sweet ending to a positively enchanting day at the Dallas Arboretum.

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