The James Smithson Society Gala
April 26, 2008
What an evening!! We had a fabulous time and didn't get home until nearly midnight. Bob got a lot of pictures, so let's get the show rolling!
Ready to leave for the evening.
Creative Machine member Margaret Eacker was at the gala with her husband, Joel.
The light in the castle hall was terrible, so many of the colors won't show up as true. This dress was actually a lovely daffodil-yellow.
There were a number of bold patterns on dresses and jackets.
The main hall of the Smithsonian Castle, a sea of black tuxes.
There were a lot of variations on the "jacket and skirt" combination.
Virginia Clark, Director of External Affairs, in a really nice silk pantsuit.
Some people knew Bob's "assignment" was to photograph interesting garments, so they were happy to pose!
It was surprising how many women were wearing quite casual dresses... much more like daywear than evening wear.
Some of the outfits had dramatic collars.
This was one of the more unusual outfits of the evening. At first glance, Bill's cape looked like extremely fine cashmere or other very fine wool. Imagine our surprise when we touched it: it is neoprene!! It was a very simple design, open at the side seams, and he completed the look with a dashing black ascot with pearl tie tack.
One of the few non-tuxes.
Our table at dinner. The fuschia napkins were guaranteed to clash with nearly every outfit in the room.
The weather forecast was iffy, so the dinner was held under these wonderful clear-topped tents in the Enid Haupt Garden behind the Smithsonian Castle.
I was seated next to Judy Gitenstein... During dinner, we discovered just how small the world is.
Towards the end of dinner, the rain started to fall.
After dinner, we returned to the Castle hall for more nibbles and cordials.
Dr. Cristian Samper, Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
I got a LOT of comments on my dress, and it was a lot of fun telling people that three weeks ago, the dress was a set of curtains.
So, that's it for another year!