One of the most fashionable shopping destinations in North America opened its doors on March 2nd to hundreds of well-heeled guests, including stars like Gloria Estefan, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Tommy Lee Jones.
The occasion was Destination Fashion 2007, a fundraising gala benefiting The Buoniconti Fund at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, at Bal Harbour Shops in Bal Harbour, Florida.
“It’s the money that you raise,” Johnson said, when asked about the best part of the event.
“And you get the chance to look fabulous.”
The event raised $1.9 million (U.
S.) for the Fund, co-founded by NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti.
The highlight of the evening – which ended with a performance by Donna Summer – was a runway show featuring the exclusive Fall/Spring Collection from Michael Vollbracht for Bill Blass on the lower level of the mall’s parking garage.
Models showcased Vollbracht’s line of cocktail dresses, tailored suits and evening gowns. And although the designer didn’t do the traditional walk on the runway at the end of the show to soak up the applause, he did listen to the praise of Canadian model Mark Munroe, who complimented Vollbracht for showcasing “inspiring, wearable, beautiful clothing.”
“Well, there were some dogs,” Vollbracht said modestly.
“But I'll give you that.”
Munroe, who is represented by Toronto’s Icon Model Management, pointed out there was fluidity in the collection.
“This show was tweaked because of this event,” Vollbracht explained.
“It's so huge so we added things to it. We mixed this collection with a little bit of resort.
“It's Miami, and they need a little bit more tits and ass.
”
Vollbracht said he was pleased with how the show turned out.
“I’m totally happy because everyone is happy and it raised a lot of money. It raised a lot of awareness of Bill Blass, which a lot of people don’t know about,” he said.
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