What: Dallas Contemporary S/S19 Gala
Where: Dallas Contemporary
The 411: Guests arrived at 161 Glass St. on April 5 for an opulent evening celebrating the best in contemporary art, photography, and fashion — and plenty of partying, too.
Presented by Headington Companies and Forty Five Ten, the inaugural gala was co-chaired by Forty Five Ten president and chief creative Officer Kristen Cole and DC board member and art collector Kaleta Blaffer Johnson. The event officially launched Dallas Contemporary’s spring exhibits.
As patrons, collectors, and creatives arrived, VIPs were met by photographer extraordinaire Yelena Yemchuck for their 15 minutes of fame — partaking in a Polaroid photo shoot. At her side, assisting with the activation was her partner, actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
Honorary co-chairs Mario Sorrenti, Self Service founder Ezra Petronio, and Dennis Freedman mingled among the crowd who wandered around the museum, taking in the exhibitions unveiled just for the occasion. The shows were "Mario Sorrenti: Kate" (featuring never before seen images of the fashion icon Kate Moss); "Self Service: Twenty-five Years of Fashion, People and Ideas Reconsidered" (a retrospective on Self Service magazine); and "Yelena Yemchuk: Mabel, Betty and Bette."
At the entrance of the dining room, guests got an up-close look at the art pieces that intersected art and fashion, which would be up for auction — works with names like Karl Lagerfeld, Coco Chanel, and Peter Lindbergh attached.
The chic coterie enjoyed dinner catered by The Joule and listened to Dallas Contemporary executive director Peter Doroshenko deliver inspired remarks about future plans for the museum. Supermodel Kate Moss' rumored appearance came via a pre-recorded video saying she was sorry she missed but encouraging all to enjoy themselves and to support the Dallas institution.
Bidding got fierce in the live auction presented by Christie’s — particularly for a trip to Guadalajara from José Noé Suro (the namesake of Dallas' Jose restaurant) — who surprised the crowd by donating a second trip so that two patrons would go home happy. Following the auction, guests jammed out to Texas singer-songwriter Ben Kweller as he performed some crowd favorites.
Those who wanted to continue the revelry moved to an after-party in the back of the museum, which had been outfitted with velvet green lounge couches and a disco ball. They were met by after-party host, model-actress Erin Wasson, who took over the dance floor as DJ Luis Cerón kept the crowd moving and grooving. Partygoers could visit the full bar or caffeinate at a coffee station with all the accouterments, all while enjoying party foods like fried chicken sliders being passed on trays.
Who: The glamorous guest list included Erykah Badu, Kathryn Swain, Amanda Carter, Chioma Nnadi, Al Tidwell, Fred Holston, Francesco Clemente, Giovanni Testino, Megan Bowdon Wilkinson, Joey Wilkinson, Richard Phillips, Nancy Rogers, Amber Testino, Jeny Bania, Karen Bivins, and Michael Bivins.
Jodi Harris, Max Trowbridge
