James Smithson Society Gala
May 13, 2006
National Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
Lots of pictures on this page; give it time to load!
Ah, what an evening. After all the work that went into the gown, it was so nice to finally be able to wear it.
Here we are, ready to go.
Last Sunday I showed the dress to my PMB users group, and the near-unanimous opinion was that the back drape (as seen here) was not doing anything for the dress. So it went.
Then there was the discussion about jewelry. Henrietta, who was hosting the meeting, found the perfect necklace and earrings in her jewelry box and graciously lent them to me for the event. The glass bead purse was purchased for my senior prom!
Bob is wearing the vest and tie from the 2004 Gala, which was held at the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Annex in Virginia. He got a lot more comments on it at this year's gala; who knows why!
The Venue
This is where we had dinner: the main gallery of the Air & Space Museum. Hanging at left is one of the newest additions to the collection: Spaceship One, which won the X-prize in 2004. The pilot was seated at the table next to ours but I didn't get the chance to meet him. Across the room, Buzz Aldrin hosted another table.
After dinner, we all went to the next gallery over for dessert and dancing.
Do I have to mention that the food was just outstanding? The little chocolate pots de creme were to die for.
This entire cake, including decorations, was edible. Notice the white chocolate space shuttles and the dark chocolate rockets. The fondant-covered chocolate cake was decorated with a chocolate rocket, stealth jet, and biplane.
No one wanted to be first to cut into it. Finally the catering staff started cutting slices out, just so people knew it was meant to be eaten!
Now I'm wishing I had brought home one of the chocolate shuttles. They were so cute.
What a venue. The Radio King Orchestra was a Big-Band-style jazz ensemble.
Too bad I was so busy talking with people that I never made it onto the dance
floor!
So, what were all the other 360 attendees wearing?
In previous years, there hasn't been a lot of really innovative, creative or interesting clothing at the gala. For some reason, this year was different! There was a lot of color, lots of different fabrics and textures, and a lot more "fun".
Katie Zigler, from the Freer/Sackler Gallery. I just loved this dress.
Claudia Allen, a member of the National Board for the Smithsonian. This was a stunning silk jacket, completely reversible, appliqued in gold. She purchased it in India a few weeks ago. It's not readily visible in this picture, but the jacket is quilted with a very closely-spaced channel stitch. I'm not sure what was used as batting, but the jacket was not at all stiff. It had a beautiful drape.
Me with another member of the National Board.
The skirt was embellished with flat sequins (I'm sure there's a name for
them... they are sewn on at the top edge).
Virginia Clark (left), Director of External Affairs for the Smithsonian. Her dress was made of some kind of knit; possibly wool jersey.
Kirsten Rasmussen, former director of the James Smithson Society, in a gorgeous Chinese-style jacket with frog closures. It was paired with simple wool crepe trousers.
Margaret Bond, looking smashing. I loved how the entire outfit was pulled together, from the embroidery to the matching pink lining and the shawl.
There were more pantsuits this year than I can recall at previous galas.
Again, more color and creativity.
Lola Reinsch and her husband Al. Lola always wears the most amazing outfits.
The necklace she was wearing was gorgeous: a thick rope of pearl strands knotted around a jeweled clip.
Then there were all the men, in very safe, conservative tuxes with black cummerbunds and ties.
The gentleman on the left is Rabbi Relnick, with his purple silk cummerbund and tie. His shirt studs were actually little penguins. He sat to my left at dinner. He showed me his shoes, which I failed to get a picture of: the seam between the top of the heel and the leather was accented by a strip of rhinestones, and they had rhinestone buckles.
This was one of my favorite gowns. The fit was just perfect. The top was a sparkly velvet and the skirt was a dull satin. The back was a shallow V-shape, maybe 5" down. The little cap sleeves set the whole thing off so well.
One of the brightest jackets of the evening.
Jackets were big this year; there were a lot of women wearing them over either trousers or skirts. Another interesting observation is that there were more short skirts and dresses this year than previous years. Not minis, but knee-length. I didn't see any cocktail-lengths; it was either knee or floor.
One of the more casual outfits at the gala. The front was very plain; I liked how the back had the deep cowl drape.
More Variations on a Theme: Jacket over dark skirt/pants.
There were a lot of shawls this year, mostly over simple black dresses.
The strapless blue gown was pleated horizontally all the way to the hem; the pleats were small on top and gradually increased in depth as they went down.
Another short dress in teal satin.
There was a lot more sparkle this year too; more dresses had glitter and there were some with rhinestones or metal studs. There was a lot of slinky knit, too.
So, that's it for another Smithson Gala. Stay tuned for next year's adventure. They haven't announced where it will be yet... my guess is it will be in the Castle. The membership of the Smithson Society has grown large enough that they are having problems finding spaces large enough to seat the dinners!