Mid Winter Gala 2013

After seeing Vermeer’s “Girl With A Pearl Earring,” (c. 1665) on a visit to Amsterdam in 1976, and being struck by the girl’s turbaned head and moist red lips, Yves Saint Laurent was so inspired he designed what turned out to be one of his most most important collections. That’s just one example of the influence the painting has had over three centuries on those in fashion and the visual arts.

And so it was fitting that San Francisco’s most fashionable party of the year would take place at the de Young, where the world-famous work is being displayed on the first stop of its American tour. Amazing things happen when fashion and art merge — and this year the Mid Winter Gala, hosted by the Fine Arts Museum’s Junior Committee, proved it by raising more than $400k for the museums.

Kathryn Lasater, Bo Lasater – Alexis Traina, Alison Pincus, Allison Speer

When guests arrived in the de Young Museum’s tented marquee, they walked into a winter wonderland designed by Ken Fulk, who installed a table constructed of ice dispensing vodka shots and caviar, a Dutch windmill, and a faux ice rink with four real skaters! Or as FAM Trustee Trevor Traina told Catherine Bigelow of the Chronicle, “Ten years ago we didn’t even have this museum. Or our own tablecloths. But tonight we’ve got an ice rink, a windmill and caviar.”

Trevor and Alexis Traina

Among the 380 guests brought together by Trevor Traina, Vanessa Getty, Kathryn Lasater and Allison Speer, were tech leaders Marissa Mayer and Zach Bogue, Apple’s Sir Jonathan Ive, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo,Yelp co-founder Jeremy Stoppelman, One Kings Lane co-founder Alison Pincus, Kleiner Perkins’ partner Juliet de Baubigny, actress Connie Nielsen, TV producer Lori Levine, rocker Stephan Jenkins, fashion designers Azadeh Riaz and Karen Caldwell, and Vanity Fair’s Evgenia Peretz.

The dinner in Wilsey Court, created by McCall Associates’ chef Lucas Schoemaker, was served with Perrier-Jouet champagne and Hafner Vineyards wine.

Vanessa Getty with Damian Smith and John Gidding

Juliet de Baubigny, Jeremy Stoppelman – Marissa Mayer, Zachary Bogue

Alison Pincus, David Mohammadi – Mary Beth Shimmon, Ken Fulk

Evgenia Peretz, Ken Fulk, Jennifer Raiser – Tina Sutakanat, Elizabeth Touw

Katie Schwab Paige, Matt Paige, Margi Heldfond – Stephanie Mitchell, Tyler Mitchell

Lorin Costolo, Dick Costolo – Stephanie Unger, Maxx Traina

Max Boyer Glynn, David Glynn – Jessica Moment, Jenna Hunt

Letitia Kim – Patrick Barber, Melissa Barber
Letitia and Melissa carried Isly Handbags, designed by Sobia Shaikh

Alex Chases, Erin Glenn – Serena Perkins, Kate Harbin Clammer

Carolyn Chang, Riccardo Benavides – Tatum Getty, Alex Getty

Todd Traina, Katie Traina – Trevor Traina, Heather Pegg

The exhibit, “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis” will be on view at the de Young Museum through June 2, 2013.

Further Mid Winter Gala coverage:

C Magazine [csocialfront.com] SF Chronicle, by Catherine Bigelow [sfgate.com] SFWIRE, by Jennifer Raiser [sfwire.com] Town & Country, by Gillian Hearst Simonds [townandcountrymag.com] WWD, by Diane Dorrans Saeks [wwd.com]

Past Coverage: Mid-Winter Gala 2012
Past Coverage: Mid-Winter Gala 2011
Past Coverage: Mid-Winter Gala 2010
Past Coverage: Mid-Winter Gala 2009
Past Coverage: Mid-Winter Gala 2008
Past Coverage: Mid-Winter Gala 2007