In black and white

The Saturday night party put on by the Palm Springs Modern Committee is always one of the great events of the year but this one, kicking off the party scene of Modernism Week blew everyone away. Nearly 400 folks, most dressed in black and white (except yours truly who still can't read an invitation correctly after all these years), flocked to a fabulous home in Palm Springs to drink, dance, socialize and, from the looks of things, hook up. Clearly, after seeing one of the muscular hosts in a leather vest and no shirt, it is time to start sweating to the oldies again for me!
Guests were met at the door by the Trina-Turk-clad Jamie Kabler along with Dottie Dubois and Maude Chapeau and each new arrival was captured on film by Matt Bamberg's expert lens work. (Perhaps Matt will share some photos with our readers. We'll ask.)
The home that these two gentlemen built, after tearing down the home that stood here (the neighbors described it as "funky" and hardly worth preserving) was a low-slung two-bedroom, gorgeously appointed with a backyard just built for entertaining. The sound of a dj playing hits from the 1970s got everyone's energy level up (Billie Jean, celebrating its 25th year of existence was just one of the tunes that stirred the emotions) and pretty soon everyone was dancing, including the sponsoring organization's Peter Moruzzi and Nickie McLaughlin, putting in some pretty swift moves.
Among the crowd was socialite Donna Macmillan in a Marilyn Monroe wig and a Roy Lichtenstein-patterned blouse; photographer David Glomb with Marcello Villano and Dusty Atkins; Kimberly Nichols, Lisa Vossler Smith and Maria Zang in black wigs (with the printed slogan F*CK MOD prominent on their chests); fashion designer Garyk Lee and his partner Tony Boris (Garyk is currently putting the finishing touches on a mural in Venice) along with photographer Sherri Breyer Mardones, beautiful enough to stand out even in this crowd, and Christopher Kennedy, the interior designer responsible for the incredible decor of the hosts' home. BTW, the house is for sale. Four million and it's yours, although neighbors tell me that two million is pretty much the going rate on this street. Still...
Over in the corner was the king of desert party decor Todd King with John Paxton in a white fuzzy wig. King who lives down the street is a fan of architecture but is not that nuts about the modern style. Perhaps it's a little cold for his taste. At any rate, with 400 sweaty people roaming around, cold was the last thing on anyone's mind, especially now that the weather in Palm Springs has finally turned its deliciously warm self.
All anyone could talk about was the Modernsim Show opening the night before. Dolphin Productions' Rosemary Krieger startled us with this bit of information: Of all of the 18 Modernism shows that Dolphin produces around the country, today's attendance at the Palm Springs Convention Center was the largest the group has ever seen. "What's even more amazing," Rosemary told me, "was that there are only 80 exhibitors at this one and it outdrew even Miami Beach's show which has 375 exhibitors." (Nothing like having a few less distractions to fill the hall, I wanted to say, but no need to downplay this. It's big. Thisbigreallybig.)
Arriving after attending another gala during the evening was Harold Matzner, who had just come from the McCallum Theatre's big "Night At The Ball," where he was presented with gold sneakers (Harold wears sneakers with every outfit including white tie). Also on hand was local philanthropic superstar, publisher Mark Adams and his friend Neil Garcia. Now let's keep this among ourselves, OK: Neil is one of the house mates in the current edition of "Big Brother," the CBS-TV smash. So, we asked, who won? (We figured we'd catch him in a weak moment and we could then immediately place bets in Vegas and win that fortune we think we deserve so much.)
Garcia, listen up producers, was totally, completely and decidedly mum on the subject. Damn.
This week begin many events including double-decker bus tours of famed Palm Springs architectural tours given by Modernism Week committee member Robert Imber (look for him to take over this blog tomorrow with his full report). And soon we'll be awash in events. Be sure to check www.modernismweek.com for details on all of the upcoming stuff.
Oh, and one more thing. Julius Shulman signed copies of his new book at the Modernism Show. He says he sold more copies of his book here than in his entire history. And that goes back 97 years! Congratulations.
See you around?