Kids at Heart

(NEW YORK) "This just feels right!" roared Mariska Hargitay upon exiting the red carpet last night at Cipriani 42. And really, what can feel even remotely wrong about one of the year's top charity events? It was New Yorkers for Children's annual Fall Gala, évidemment, and the Social Register couldn't help but don its Oscar and donate, donate, donate. The long red carpet was flanked by more photographers than most film premieres, but that didn't stop Julianne Moore from beelining straight to Andrew Saffir, leaving a flock of reporters floundering sans quote while her date Bruno Frisoni (squired by a decidedly no-nonsense flack, bien sur) awaited his turn in front of the Patrick McMullan crew. (As of 2:30 p.m., he remains a question mark.) Bill Cunningham snapped away at Julie Macklowe's tiered Klein blue Oscar de la Renta gown until the man--and co-chair--himself snuck up for an embrace.

During the Bellini-fueled cocktail hour, Moore caught up with Kelly Killoren Bensimon, while the always-delightful Zac Posen greeted a designer that shall remain nameless. "She's the top seller in Saks!" he told friends, awestruck. Tory Burch, whose alleged new boyfriend Lyor Cohen was one of the evening's presenters, mingled with an ODLR-clad Muffie Potter Aston only to look up when Taylor Momsen arrived with the Alberta Ferretti team, fresh from a day of shooting Gossip Girl.

The lights dimmed, instructing the chic set to take their seats in Cipriani's notoriously sprawling dining room, which was lit by projected testimonials from some of the 17,000 foster children in New York City that NYFC benefits. Jimmy Fallon took to the stage, performing a cheeky song and adopting a serious note when calling the crowd to action. Granted, it's been a rough few days for the many Wall Street types who constituted a not-insignificant percentage of the room's spending power. But the event still raised $1.85 million dollars, and spirits remained high, especially when Kevin Liles, executive vice president of Warner Music Group, took to stage when honored for his work with disadvantaged youth. "Even Beyonce and Jay-Z are here!" he exclaimed. Now when did they sneak in the back entrance? While the latter wore his sunglasses throughout the ceremony, his wife chatted with tablemate Gayle King.

Speaking of tables, there were a few notable ones: Table 20, with Gilles Mendel, Maggie Betts, and Topper and Tinsley Mortimer. And Alberta Ferretti's, where Monet Mazur and her husband, the English director and writer Alex de Rakoff, chatted up Voguettes Sylvana Soto-Ward and Valerie Boster. Patrick McMullan himself headed over to the center table of Fabiola Beracasa et al to get a few close-up shots in between bites of shrimp salad and veal shank.

Given the evening's theme of helping children, The Daily had to ask: What are your favorite memories from childhood? "I grew up in St. Louis, and my favorite place ever was my backyard," said Momsen. "I had a swingset, and I used to go up there all the time. I had my birthday party there. I don't know if there's a specific memory, but my backyard was the place to be."

"My childhood was fantastic, because my family stuck together," said Angel Sanchez on his first night out after last week's show. 
"I had 5 brothers and one sister, and I always remember playing with my family and my cousins. When you have family with you, life is always better."

But leave it to Mendel to offer up the juiciest tale. "My first date. No! There was a moment during my childhood in Spain. I was maybe 14 and discovered an 18-year-old beautiful Italian woman. She made me discover the world."
ASHLEY BAKER