Every year in the early spring, hundreds of women gather together over lunch in a convention room at Wynn to listen to comedian Brad Garrett administer the most blistering roasts to some of our most admired local philanthropists. It’s both horrifying and hilarious (mostly the former), and no one is off limits. Why pay for this privilege other than to see more squirming Chanel suits than you could shake a stick at?
However unlikely the formula—Brad Garrett abusing everyone within a 50-foot radius of his podium; a fabulous fashion show; and incredibly moving speeches from people whose loved ones have received end-of life care —it works. The Nathan Adelson Flair for Care annual fashion show and luncheon is a tremendous fundraiser for an incredibly important cause. The largest non-profit hospice in Southern Nevada, it cares for an average of 400 hospice and palliative care patients daily and each year donates more than $1 million in uncompensated care to individuals.
Take away the fun of a cocktail hour that starts at 10:30 am (as it should); silent auction bidding on auction items that only Vegas could produce; and Garrett uncensored, and you also have one of the best live fashion events of the year. This year, international fashion phenom Yigal Azrouël takes over the runway, showing fashions from his fall 2017 collection.
Of course, Azrouël showing his fall collection is a major treat, but the announcement made perfect sense to me when I found out he’d be the featured designer this year. I had breakfast with him last summer before he showed selections from his pre-fall 2016 collection at The Wynn Collection, where we talked about not only how much he loves Las Vegas, but also that he loves to feel connected and give back to the communities where people can find his fashion.
“For me the minute you walk out of the plane and into the casino in Las Vegas, you see the way people dress. There’s nothing like Vegas. People come here to celebrate something—and you can feel that immediately,” he told me over breakfast at Tableau.
“I want to do more travel around—we can be really disconnected,” he said. “New York or Paris fashion weeks are a disconnect. You don’t get to connect with the customers. You feel a lot more refreshed and connected…when you engage real people.” For Azrouël, who each year does a fashion show in La Jolla to benefit Miracle Babies, and multiple other philanthropic shows in other cities, a Las Vegas philanthropic function was a goal for him last year. “I would really like to come back here and do something for the city,” he said. Maybe he already knew something I didn’t.
So come for the abuse; or the fashion; or the day drinking; or the food (no one does an event like Wynn); or the friendship (no one misses this luncheon); or Yigal (because, Yigal Azrouël!); or, of course, the opportunity to contribute to an organization that lessens the stress, despair, and pain of the Great Equalizer.
Various sponsorship opportunities are still available, and tickets may be purchased for $250 per person. To learn more about the ‘Flair for Care’ Fashion Show, contact Stephanie Forbes at Nathan Adelson Hospice at 702-938-3910.
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