Albert’s 2010 collection showed his appreciation for fabrics and amazing ability to blend classic looks with modern clean lines.

If you’re wondering which ladies will be designated as Dallas’ 10 top fashion leaders, you’ll have to wait until March 21 when it’s announced. Don’t try bribing Luncheon Chair Alison Farrow. She’s sworn to secrecy.

Don’t rush out and order your tickets to the luncheon quite yet. They don’t go on sale until early May.

BTW, if you hadn’t heard the 2010 Crystal Charity Ball beneficiaries include Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, The Family Place, Texas Home Access Fund Inc., and Parkland Foundation.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Pick the winning hats and sipping tea. Hardly. When you have “over 600 women” donning their finest chapeaus and strutting their stuff, it can truly turn your head around. And, please realize that each year the ladies get more and more competitive. And the hats tend to get bigger and more outrageous. No, change that last one. They get more eye catching.

But it’s not all competitive head gear. Luncheon Chair Sharon Ballew with the help of Honorary Chair (and 2009 Thematic Category winner) D’Andra Simmons has arranged for Jan Strimple to produce one of her fabby fashion shows with Highland Park Village fashions including Carolina Herrera, Jimmy Choo, Ralph Lauren, and St. John.

It all benefits the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, “A Woman’s Garden.”

(Photos provided by the Mad Hatter Tea Party)

But the beauty of flowers is not limited to the lush beddings of the Arboretum. Think the Dallas Museum of Art.

That’s right  — the DMA. It’s all a part of the Dallas Museum of Art League’s Faye C. Briggs Art in Bloom Floral Symposium and Luncheon on March 29 at the DMA.  With the theme “East Meets West,” Japanese designer Mami Ogata and Dallas’ own Howard Eckhart will provide presentations of floral design representative of Asian and western cultures.

With DMA Board of Trustee President John Eagle and his wife Jennifer serving as honorary chairs, Lunchen Chair Barbara Bigham says, “We are thrilled to have two designers who will bring such diverse backgrounds and talents to the event. Every aspect of the day offers an enticement for all tastes.”

In addition to the flora design demonstrations, other activities during the will include:

• A seated luncheon featuring a fashion presentation by upscale retailer Betty Reiter with Jan Strimple producing the show.
• New York’s Billy Pry of BBJ linens, discussing not only  table top trends but also providing linens for the luncheon pro bono.
• A specially-created boutique offering floral containers for purchase.
• Travel guru Jim Strong donating copies of his newest book, Craving for Travel: Celebrating Life’s Moments for luncheon favors.

“Barbara has done an excellent job of creating a fresh and exciting event that captures the entertaining and educational components of a successful event,” said DMA League President Marilyn Willems.

If you can’t make the Monday event, you might be interested in the two half-day workshop on March 24 at Magic Moments Parties and Events. Debbie Jordan is opening her Magic Moments for a morning workshop conducted by Howard, and Mami will present an afternoon workshop following a formal Japanese tea ceremony.

What did you expect? A vintage car collection? Silly.

Besides the drop-dead gorgeous spring and summer fashions, ball chair Cynthia Mitchell welcomed the newest members of CCB including Angie Kadesky, Kay Beecherl, and Suzy Giekere (pictured) and

Janie Cooke, Leslie Diers, Rozalyn Colombo, and Alicia Wood (pictured)

The six hardworking and very fortunate beneficiaries for this year’s ball were also revealed including

1. Boys & Girls Clubs,
2. Children’s Medical Center,
3. Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center,
4. Parkland Foundation,
5. Texas Home Access Fund and
6. The Family Place

(Photos by Dana Driensky)

Since it was a private event with series tickets going for a whopping $1500, it had all the frills and spit-and-polish that a high-spending crowd deserves. Starting with a VIP party at McDavid Studio across the street from the Bass, it became apparent that not all Dallasites agreed on the Fort Worth  dress code for special events.

Usually it’s the ladies who are all in a tizzy about what to wear. Not on this night! The gents were really in a quandary about what is appropriate at the Bass for a Faith Hill concert. Some came in their best bib-and-tucker dark suits like Troy Aikman (pictured, he had an excuse since he was co-hosting the reception); Drew Pearson in a bold-striped suit with brown/black striped shirt and goldfinger metallic tie and handkerchief; George Riba (pictured) in a very sportscaster flash-and-dash orange tie, blue shirt, and camel-colored suit; and Bill Lively (pictured) in CEO-styled uniform with a natty orange tie and his ever-present dazzling smile.

On the other hand, those who have probably frequented Joe T’s knew that dress-down is thumbs up in FW and opted for the open shirt with the windowpane sports jacket look. The fashion question of this group was, “Do you unbutton the top one or two buttons on your shirt?”

Leading the charge for the undone-one-button was legend of legends Roger Staubach (pictured) in blue jeans, blazer and open shirt. Doug Brooks looked right at home in his red-white-yellow-blue striped shirt and gray/white jacket. Jerry Jones Jr. (pictured) must have been thinking along the same lines as Doug, since he wore a gray/white jacket but opted for the windowpane design with a pink shirt. Rich Dalrymple (pictured) played it safe in a navy and light striped blue shirt with blazer.

The most daring look of the night belonged to Shy “Cleavage” Anderson (pictured) with his top-two-unbuttoned shirt. Oh, my, what would mother say! But Shy’s so charming, he can get away with anything.

Exception to the male fashion either-or breakdown was party co-host Joe Buck (pictured), who walked the fashion line by not wearing at tie at the reception but putting one on for his on-stage emcee duties.

Alas, have no idea which category Mayor Tom Leppert would have fit in, because he and wife Laura couldn’t attend due to a prior commitment in Dallas. Bet that won’t be the case on May 22 when concert #2 takes place with Sting at the Winspear.

But let’s not discard the ladies thinking they were in hoop skirts and bonnets. Why these gals have been playing dress up since their mamas taught them the phone number for Neiman’s at NorthPark. There was nary a Daisy Duke in the crowd. Still, it wasn’t the traditional cocktail fluff either. Event co-chair Marianne Staubach (pictured) rejected the safe black look for a remind-me-of-Santa-Fe turquoise outfit that dazzled with her blonde hair and multi-strand pearl necklace. Another color standout was Andrea Alcorn (pictured) in hottest pink leather jacket over a black beaded dressed with floral appliqués. How cute that she managed to find matching pink and buff boots to top things off. Speaking of leather, Barbara Daseke (pictured) must have compared notes with Andrea with a black dress overlaid with a belted leather jacket, but Barbara went the reddish brown route.

Then there were the gal pals. For instance, Linda “First Lady of Arlington” Cluck, Charlotte “First Daughter of Cowboys Stadium” Anderson, and Kathy “First Daughter of Arlington” Beatty (pictured from the left) interpreting the ever-popular black. However, that Charlotte in the skin-tight black leather pants gave a whole new meaning to chaps.

And then there were the showstoppers Sonia Black in her faux fur collar and black boots with Lori Jones (pictured right with Sonia), who must have checked with sis-in-law Charlotte about the pro’s and con’s of wearing black leather slacks. Or perhaps it’s just a Jones family uniform.

Joni McCoy (pictured) didn’t bother with all that boot and leather stuff. She went for the simple, classic look of “Wow!” in her beige oh-so cling, past the knee dress, bouquet of blonde curls, and a “Thank God for Texas” smile. Hey, this gal’s an oldtimer when it comes to Super Bowl who-ha. She and her husband Mike attended all three of  Troy’s Super Bowls conquests (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX, if you’re counting).

But enough of the fashions. Let’s do a quick check of the activity:

One minute the very notables were at the McDavid reception and then they all seemed to disappear. Not to worry. They were led to the tunnel connecting the McDavid facility to the Bass, put in an elevator to the ground level, and into a meet-and-greet with Faith herself.

You didn’t know there was a tunnel? Yup. Even Mayor Mike Moncrief admitted that this was his first time to walk under Calhoun Street. It was really cute watching him stroll the tunnel handholding with the love of his life/wife, Rosie.

Then it was on to the concert with segments of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington blending into one big melting pot. Before Faith even hit the stage, the two warm up acts were enough to leave the room talking.

FOX football commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman had their timing just right even when they missed cues. From walking on stage with a couple of bags of presenting sponsor Frito-Lay chips to Troy’s wearing a sign (“emcee sponsors Diane and Hal Brierley“) on his back, these totally different personalities won over the audience with their style and humor. They gave Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin a run for their emcee money.

With the mood set, the boys introduced the infamous debut of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV version of Faith Hill’s “Kiss” with area notables (Roger Staubach, Tony Romo, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Jones, Clarice Tinsley, Tom Leppert, Mike Moncrief, Arlington Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck, Dirk Nowitzki, Emmitt Smith, and many others who might not want their names mentioned) sacrificing their reputations singing like a two-for-one night karaoke bar. Tony Romo captured the “Most Painful Looking and Sounding Award” of the off-key singing luminaries. With sounds as pleasing to the ear as nails across a chalkboard, there are serious doubts that a Christmas album is in the makings.

Perhaps it was the tone of the evening, but the video was rewarded with an exuberant round of hooting, hollering, and applauding. . . much better than the following week’s Internet/media critical reviews. Let’s face it. Some things just take on a different feel in the light of day.

Finally, it was time for Faith to perform. For the intimate setting. . .  well, it was intimate compared to the likes of Gilley’s or Billy Bob’s. . . she wisely chose to use only a handful of musicians and three backup singers for the concert hall. During the first few songs, even this small coterie of musicians seemed to overwhelm Faith’s voice, but the group juggled a couple of knobs allowing her voice to take the lead.

In between sets, her interaction with the crowd seemed a little tentative. Perhaps it was the fact that she was due to walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards the next night with hubby Tim (The Blind Side) McGraw. Just like any wife trying to pick out the right outfit for her husband’s big company party, she admitted that she was still trying to figure out which dress to wear — The Louis Vuitton or the Roberto Cavalli. The crowd leaned toward the Vuitton. (She decided to go with the black lace Cavalli, which garnered reviews from “a little bit red-light district” to “easy and sexy.” Interesting for a gal who prefers sweats.)

Irritating moment: Four people insisted on standing up and swaying throughout the concert. While it’s perfectly understandable because of the music and their exuberance, it was downright irritating to the folks seated behind them, who were forced to stand just to see the stage.

Growing issue facing performers: At least one person in the audience was seen recording the entire concert on her iPhone, while scattered throughout the hall phone cameras were shooting Faith. Don’t think Faith’s agent would have taken very kindly to all this activity, but what’s a guy to do?

Following an encore and a SO, the VIP’s strolled back to McDavid Studio for a dessert party and the rest headed home.

Orchestrating all these concerts and parties were the five Action Team Honorary Co-chairs — Linda Cluck, Gene Jones, Laura Leppert, Rosie Moncrief, and Marianne Staubach along with their team of 111 female volunteers from North Texas.

Can’t wait to see what the fashion theme will be in May!

Graphic provided by Texas Discovery Gardens

Is sterling silver organic? Well, tonight it doesn’t matter at the Texas Discovery Gardens’ Organic in the City Fashion Show + Auction thanks to Dallas jewelry designer Matthew Trent. He’s has “fashioned a sterling silver pin modeling it after the ‘Butterfly Maiden’ logo (pictured).”

According to Texas Discovery Gardens’ Sarah Gardner, “These pins, generously created for Texas Discovery Gardens, have been donated to be released at the close of the fashion show for a special price.”

Don’t you always love the phrase “special price”?

You don’t have to wait any longer. Both will be at The Discovery Garden Wednesday for the “Organic in the City Fashion Show + Auction” produced by Rhonda Sargent Chambers and with ABC-Channel 8′s Gloria Campos handling the MC duties.

One of the designers whose clothes (pictured) will be on the runway is Dallas’ own Lindsay Weatherread, who has been making a name for herself with her “Origami for Your Body” and her organic and non-organic line for women and babies.

Other featured designers will include Ross Bennett with a new collection of green fashion and “fashion stars with show pieces from El Centro College’s Fashion Design students.

What’s organic fashion?

It’s exactly what is sounds like — clothing that is made from materials that are grown sans the use of pesticides or other chemicals.

How terribly appropriate that funds from the event will go to the Discovery Garden’s 2010 education programs and the maintenance of its 7.5 acres.

The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, wine, music, and a silent auction that will include sustainable clothing, tickets on Southwest Airlines, garden and lawn service packages, and entertainment packages from Smoke, the Belmont Hotel, and the Fairmont.

Event partners include Whole Foods, Lindsay Weatherread, Ross Bennett, El Centro College, RSC Show Productions, Susanne Taylor & Associates, Campbell-Wagner Runway LLC, Designkor, Blue Mesa Grill, and AAA Digital Media & PreMedia Design.

To kick off the buildup for the event, organizers (and a v-e-r-y good looking group, it is) held a party at Hotel ZaZa with cigar rollers, big brimmed hats, lots of liquid refreshments, and some excellent news — Park Place Volvo will be the presenting sponsor of the festivities.

To get the attention of guests arriving via four-wheeled vehicles, the organizers had Tracy Moore and his Chance (a pretty palomino quarter horse pictured with Tracy) next to the entrance. No, Chance ain’t gonna being running in the Derby. He’ll probably just watch the flat screen in his stall.

The party was held in the tented patio with the pool safely covered. Hotel Manager Noel Rodriquez (pictured) looked quite pleased about the turnout and he also was sporting a very nice tan that was purchased down the street. Much healthier than baking in the sun, you know?

In the crowd were some familiar faces from Saturday’s Dallas Museum of Arts’ Junior Associates wow-evening. Hmm, wasn’t that David Dees (pictured) the other night in the ascot? Yup, sure was! For this evening, he wore a more casual red ascot admitting that ascots are “just more comfortable than a tie.”

And then there was Junior Conservancy Vice Chair Allison Edwards. Almost didn’t recognize her from the Saturday night soirée with her hair down and no major jewelry piece around her neck.

Hmm, do we see a certain thread running between the Junior Associates of the DMA and the Junior Conservancy of Lee Park? Ooh, we’d better be very nice to these groups. They may end up running Dallas philanthropic efforts some day.

That smart Lee Park President/CEO John Williams (pictured) evidently recognizes this treasure trove of talent assembled in the Junior Conservancy and was ecstatic about the turnout and the involvement of these make-it-happen-and-have-fun-doing-it crowd.

And what a crowd it is! Ralph Lauren (West Village) GM Colleen Kelly (pictured) set the pace for what-to-wear for the May 1 party in an adorable sun dress with smashing green necklace. Why does one suspect it came from RL’s? . . . Showing off two types of chapeau suggestions for the May 1 event were Michelle Scott (pictured) in a XXL wide brim and Lindsey Thomas in a coquettish cocktail hat with netting. That one won’t keep the sun out of Lindsey’s face, but it sure can catch a look or two. . .  Lee Park & Arlington Hall Conservancy Board of Director’s Executive Officer Peter Dauterman (pictured center with, from the left, Lindsey Thomas, Allison Edwards, and Jose Reyes) was finding time to promote the April 1 “A Spirited Tasting for Lee Park” in the Sky Club of the Mayfair. Only 100 are allowed to attend this Thursday night event for liqueur lovers. Like “Day at the Races,” it has become such a success. Perhaps it’s due to their providing only the best scotches, bourbons, wines, beers, tequilas, and liqueurs. Tickets are $25 for members and $35 for non-members. Heck, a couple of drinks at Ocean Prime cost more than that! . . . Junior Conservancy’s Scott Turner (pictured) was working the check-in table and getting major back-patting for his joining the LP&AHC’s board of directors. The board is wisely keeping itself vital by bringing in members from the Junior Conservancy. . . To add a bit of “standout” for the occasion, Janielle Dodds and Lindsay Clem (pictured right with Janielle) stopped traffic in their red hot outfits. They weren’t wearing hats, but who noticed? Tally ho, y’all!

Answer: After the jump.

But first let’s review the Junior Associates Circle’s “An Affair of the Art 2010″ last Saturday night in which the Dallas Museum of Art’s Atrium Cafe had its own Cinderella transformation. Usually a “casual fare menu, quick service, and a family-friend atmosphere,” it’s the little stepsister of the DMA’s Seventeen Seventeen, that “boasts a global menu experience that can only be defined as culinary artistry.”

While Cinderella had Walt Disney to thank for her night on the town, the Atrium had co-chairs Renne (pictured) and Bill Lokey and Lisa and Wayne Moore orchestrating its bibbiti-bobbiti-boo experience and turning the cavernous room into an elegant ballroom swathed in a palette of colors. Instead of a fairy godmother with a marvelous wand, the co-chairs had decorating maestro Rusty Glenn, who used his Monet side of the brain to create an impressionistic masterpiece. Using pale pink led up lights around the perimeter of the room, the room was cast in colors reminiscent of Haystacks.

Even the centerpieces (pictured) had their lighting fix. Targeted with pin spotting, each of the centerpieces was a little piece of artwork. Think back to Art History 101 and recall Regatta at Argenteuil. With 3′ tall glass cylinders, Rusty used pastel-colored roses, hydrangeas, and tulips to create a sea-like effect for the miniature sailboats to set sail.

Let’s face it. Lighting is everything. Everything and everyone was kicked up a notch thanks to the well-done glow.

To complete the dazzling colors of the room, Rusty created images of clouds on both sides of the incredible Dale Chihuly‘s Persian glass artistry to enhance its presence.

Even the Atrium’s menu had its Cinderella flourish. Usually playing second fiddle to its Seventeen Seventeen stepsister when it comes to gourmet dining, the Atrium’s soups, salads and sandwiches were replaced with roasted beet salad with herbed truffled farmers cheese, scallion crostini, spiced walnuts and coco nibs followed by braised beef short ribs with parmesan cheese polenta and baby glazed carrots and asparagus. Naturally, the courses were accompanied by Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay and Cabernet, respectively. As for the desserts, the sea salt caramels, assorted macaroons and palmiers were available in the Museum’s Concourse.

The final touch that pushed this event over the top was the assembly of 400 of Dallas’ most captivating  pieces of artwork. . . rather, guests. These were not normal human beings. Think Bonfire of the Vanities beautiful people, who have never known a split end or a Clearasil moment. . . especially the women.  In their world, being overweight is as sinful as stealing. Yes, they work hard in their day jobs, but at night, and especially on this night, they put Degas ballerinas to shame. They walk and talk with a splendid confidence that would put the most influential politician on shaky grounds. Somehow these Barbie’s make a bargain dress from Amazon looks like a couture gown straight from New York’s Fashion Week.

Darn it, they just have a way about them that separates them from the rest of the herd.

Shall we review some examples? Ashley Rutledge in a body-embracing Nicole Miller with her buddy Robyn Stevens (pictured right with Ashley) in a taupe flowing Bottega were the golden girl of the night. The girls’ gowns of gold and taupe managed to be just colorful enough without being gaudy against the pastel aura of the Atrium. Heaven, forbid!

Another breaking from the traditional black, white, or red color spectrum that most evening gowns seem to be trapped, Locke Lord’s former Rachel Trowbridge (pictured)  went with a metallic brown/black, bare-shouldered Nicole Miller. Why is she former? Seems she just turned in her two week’s notice and is “going to be a mommy.”

But don’t get us wrong. White is all right if the right people are wearing it. Take for example, fine arts dealer Ashley Tatum (pictured) in a oh-so pure Sue Wong. Perhaps it looked all the whiter next to commercial banker Aimee Nelson‘s burgundy Maria Bianca Nero.

Then there was speech pathologist Allison Edwards (pictured), whose blue evening gown (she just couldn’t remember which designer created it) was totally upstaged by its all-that-glitters-is-not-gold necklace.

Catching the eye of many for attention were adorable Whitney Sprague in a luscious, form fitting leprechaun green gown dancing with Woodward Oge (pictured with Whitney). Don’t you just love that name? It’s reeks of East Coast prep school. Thanks to dysfunkshun junkshun (i.e. the excellent band), Whitney and Woody on the dance floor made Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar seem like cloggers. (Sorry that you can’t see too much of the gown, but the twosome seemed pretty inseparable.)

Among the gentlemen, it was a different story. After all, there’s just so much you can do with black tie events, especially within this set. However, there were a couple of incidents that must be acknowledged.

One gent opted for the British form of neck wear instead of the usual black tie. His red ascot made some other fellows wonder if they shouldn’t consider giving it a try. Looked a lot more comfortable than the conventional neck-wrenching bow ties. The chap looked downright casual with his open shirt and soft red scarf.

And then there were the cummerbund controversy. Relax! There were no brightly colored cummerbunds with matching ties in this crowd. Did you think we were back in the 80′s? There were two camps of thoughts regarding waist covers at the event. The traditional types looked more pulled together and, let’s face it, slimmer in their cummerbunds and waistcoats.

The edgier, more contemporary gentlemen, who follow Daniel Craig‘s lead, opted for no waist cover at all. Sadly, many of those opting for the exposed waistband look did not have Daniel’s stomach. Yew, body fat hanging over waistbands was so Dan Conner.

Oh, and you’re still wondering what award went to Yana? Silly! Of all of the lovelies at the event, she had the very, ultimate shortest outfit of the night much to the pleasure of her date husband Arthur and others watching the dance floor. Chrissy came in a close second, though.

But then at the last minute a donation from Diane Brierley and an increase in raffle ticket purchases kicked the grand total up to a whopping $125,000, which luncheon chair Lynn McBee presented to Equest Therapeutic Riding for its programs.

“I am honored to present a check to Equest from the luncheon proceeds,” said Lynn.  “The difficult economy makes it even more meaningful as we help sustain these important therapeutic riding programs for children and adults.”

2010 luncheon chair Nancy Carter is already planning the fall luncheon.