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Zac Efron and Claire Danes at the Impact Arts + Film Fund Me and Orson Welles Screening
The 14th annual record of notably social individuals from politics, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and the arts.
Enrico and Andrea Cecchi (Photo by Joseph Allen)
A
Mr. and Mrs. JAMES ABDO (Mai)
Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAM ABEL-SMITH (Mimi)
The Honorable and Mrs. TYLER ABELL (Bess)
The Honorable DAVID C. ACHESON
Mr. GLEN ACKERMAN and Mr. ERNESTO SANTALLA
Mr. THEO ADAMSTEIN and Ms. OLVIA DEMETRIOU
The W Hotel Washington and John Legend put on a grand opening performance, Pollywood style
By Michael M. Clements
Operatic performers set a classical mood. Photo by Tony Powell
Purple lights flooded the historic Beaux Arts exterior of the officially opened W Hotel Washington on a perfect fall evening. There was a formidable red carpet with a large logo-emboldened step-and-repeat with a special “VIP-only” entrance – for those worthy of being photographed in front of said corporate logos; photographers who waited patiently outside the velvet rope for the star power to roll in; and black-clad PR mavens with clipboards and headsets greeting guests with “Are you on the list?” Indeed, it was an event game-planned straight out of film screening/celebrity restaurant openings of Los Angeles and New York. But, this isn’t Los Angeles or New York. It’s Washington. Not to say Washington can’t be chic. It can be. But we don’t have to be Los Angeles or New York, or Miami for that matter. In fact, we revel in not being any of these cities because of how hard they try sometimes. If the opening of the W Hotel Washington proves anything, it’s that Washington is continuing to develop its unique Pollywood style – and that, is a good thing.
Edi Gutierrez, Carlos Gutierrez
Location: Café Milano
Author Jane Stanton Hitchcock’s latest novel is the talk of the town, whether you’re in it or not.
By Kevin Chaffee
Author Jane Stanton Hitchcock at home
What do Jim Kimsey, Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn, Carolyn Peachey, Liz Stevens, Amanda Downes, Jim Johnson, Deborah Gore Dean, Rima Al-Sabah, Ann Jordan, Carol Joynt, Leo and Grega Daly, and Rep. Jane Harmon have in common? – apart from living in Washington, that is.
Yes, all were spotted at the party celebrating Jane Stanton Hitchcock’s recent novel, “Mortal Friends,” at Café Milano on Thursday night, but there is a far deeper connection. It turns out that each is a character in her book – but under a totally different name, of course.
Anyone who really knows the Washington scene won’t have too much trouble deciphering that “Nouria Salaha,” described as the ultra-fashionable spouse of a Middle Eastern ambassador, is based on top diplomatic hostess Rima Al-Sabah, wife of Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah. Or that “Bob Poll,” an “ageless rake with military bearing” sure seems a lot like AOL co-founder Jim Kimsey, who, if he minded any of the comparisons, was shrugging them off that night (as he did during Joynt’s sold-out “Q&A” lunch with Hitchcock at Nathan’s earlier that day).
“Mortal Friends” is sure to be this summer’s essential plane or beach read. It’s a delicious thriller filled with social climbing, back-stabbing, deceit, betrayal, and the hunt for a serial killer who carries out his terrible deeds in such familiar haunts as Georgetown’s Montrose Park. No wonder Politics and Prose sold out every copy – the first time that has ever happened at a book party, according to a member of the sales staff.
Guests sipped wine and Champagne while waiting patiently in line for author inscriptions. It wasn’t long before the crowd spilled out into the reception area, and from there to patio where Jill Biden, the wife of the vice president, had quietly entered to dine with a friend (even she ended up getting a book.)
Jane Stanton Hitchcock's latest novel "Mortal Friends" explore dangerous liaisons in Washington social life.
Here’s who else was there:
From the diplomatic corps: German Ambassador Klaus Sharioth, Yemeni Ambassador Abdulwahab Al-Hajjri, Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and Yoriko Fujisaki, and Lady (Julia) Sheinwald, wife of British Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald.
From the media: Jim Hoagland (Hitchcock’s spouse), Bob Schieffer, Arnaud de Borchgrave, Tammy Haddad, Andrea Mitchell, Margaret Carlson, Edie Emery, Jim Lehrer, David Corn, Ann Geracimos, Roxanne Roberts, Fred Hiatt, Patrick Gavin, Steve Smith and Sally Bedell Smith.
From the social scene: Andy Athy, Michael and Afsaneh Beschloss, Dr. Susan Blumenthal, Conrad and Ludmila Cafritz, Buffy Cafritz, Marcia Carter, John Cecchi, Walter and Didi Cutler, Count Renaud de Viel Castel, Susan Eisenhower, Nini Ferguson, Bitsey Folger, Jim and Ann Free, Ina Ginsburg, Lloyd and Ann Hand, June Hechinger, Chris and Jennifer Isham, Winston Bao Lord, Capricia Marshall, Mac and Donna McLarty, Bill and Dorothy McSweeny, John and Diana Negroponte, Mike Peabody, Gerald and Eden Rafshoon, Lucky Roosevelt, Jackie Rush, Aniko Gaal Schott, Prince Ermias Selassie, Jamal Simmons, and Judith Terra.
LeAnn Rimes
Location: The Kennedy Center
WL SPONSORED – Photos by Joseph Allen, Luke Christopher, Daniel Schwartz, and Margot Schulman
WONDER WOMEN: This year’s gala celebrated women in the arts with an all-star A-list that included First Lady Michelle Obama (who made a surprise appearance), Vera Wang, Annie Leibovitz, Patti LaBelle, K.D. Lang, Midori, Chita Rivera, and, yes, Paris Hilton. Michael Kaiser had a hard act to follow after last year’s salute to conductor John Williams, but this year’s women, especially conductor JoAnn Falletta (who masterfully commanded the National Symphony Orchestra) made last year a distant memory. The gala was once again an elegant kick-off to the Spring Gala season. NOTABLES: Jenn Colella, Julia Murney, LeAnn Rimes, Amb. Prince Zeid, Amb. and Rima Al-Sabah, Steven and Christine Hearst Schwarzman, Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Gwen Iffel, Tammy Haddad, Christopher Lu, and Lisa Brown.
The 17th Annual Kennedy Center Spring Gala celebrates Women in The Arts (and Michelle Obama)
By Michael M. Clements
Paris Hilton at dinner with boyfriend Doug Reinhardt (Photo by Daniel Schwartz)
The floral arrangements might have been smaller and the grandiose decor designed to be not so grandiose, but, still, as the saying goes, it’s what’s on the inside that makes the outside beautiful. With femme forces such as First Lady Michelle Obama (who made a surprise appearance), Patti LaBelle, K.D. Lang, Annie Leibovitz, Midori, Chita Rivera, and, yes, Paris Hilton, the Kennedy Center was a beautiful place to be Sunday night.
Michael Kaiser had a hard act to follow after last year’s salute to conductor John Williams, which brought out Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. But, this year’s women, especially conductor JoAnn Falletta (who masterfully command of the National Symphony Orchestra) made 2008 a distant memory.
Read the full story
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Leonardo DiCaprio
Location: Kuwait Embassy Residence
WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos by Lynn Hornor Keith, Vicky Pombo. and Kyle Samperton
GLAMOUR FOR A CAUSE: Only 144 very select guests made the cut for this year’s dinner, hosted on Earth Day by Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah and his wife Rima (glamorous in a chiffon leopard print by Dior) to thank donors of $1.8 million to conservation projects in Brazil and Indonesia. THE CHOSEN: Obama Administration heavy-weights, major media personalities, and top corporate donors feasted on baked potato topped with caviar, lamb chops and a Clementine tart before honors were meted out to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and actor Leonardo DiCaprio for their dedication to the cause of conservation. MAGIC MOMENT: Marvin Hamlisch’s special tribute to “Hillary,” sung to the tune of “Maria” from West Side Story, brought down the house.
Top Row: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Rahm Emanuel, Bob Woodward, Teresa Heinz Kerry, John Kerry, Don Graham, Adrian and Michelle Fenty, Vice President Joseph Biden and Jill Biden. Second row: Rep. Barney Frank, Desirée Rogers, Victoria and Sen. Ted Kennedy, Valerie Jarrett, Timothy Geithner, Eric Holder and Sharon Malone, Peter Orzsag, Jane Stanton Hitchcock. Third row: Sen. Mark Warner, Alexandra Wentworth and George Stephanopolous, Justice Antonin Scalia, Elizabeth and George Stevens, Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Queen Noor, Robert Duvall, Roger Sant. Fourth row: Katharine Weymouth, Justice Stephen Breyer, Sheila Johnson, Plácido Domingo, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Amb. Pierre Vimont, Ted and Annette Lerner, Sen. Harry Reid.
Big changes are always in store when a new president takes office. The “out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new” transition of power is even more historic when a change of party occurs (check) and especially when a two-term presidency ends (double check). Barack and Michelle Obama are also younger than their predecessors (they were born at the end of the Baby Boom era; the Bushes at its very beginning), and, most relevant of all, are the first African-Americans to occupy the White House.
Aerin Lauder and Tory Burch. Photo by Vicky Pombo
Location: Kuwait Embassy Residence
WL EXCLUSIVE EVENT – Photos by Tony Powell and Vicky Pombo
SUNDAY SCENE: Bold-faced names from the political, social, media and diplomatic elite predominated at the evening reception hosted by Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah and his wife Rima, including Mayor Adrian Fenty and his wife Michelle, Donald Graham, Ken and Jackie Duberstein and Leo and Grega Daly. Those hoping to see new faces weren’t disappointed when Obama insiders Peter Orszag and Gen. James Jones were sighted.
MAGIC MOMENT: Society bandleader Peter Duchin accompanying soprano Renée Fleming on the piano in an entirely spontaneous rendition of Someone To Watch Over Me.
Rima Al-Sabah, Laura Bush, and Salem Al-Sabah holding baby Nasser ‘Nino’ Al-Sabah
Location: Kuwait Embassy Residence
WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos By Tony Powell
DARLING DAUGHTER: The 10th anniversary celebration of the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School would have passed unnoticed under most circumstances. Having Jenna Bush (a former third-grade teacher there) and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty as guests of honor guaranteed a hefty donor base plus a thank-you dinner hosted by Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah and his wife, Rima, that attracted not only Ms. Bush’s mother, First Lady Laura Bush, but her new husband, Henry Hager, as well.
PROGRAM NOTES: A heartfelt tribute for the famously low-profile First Daughter by her slightly elder twin, Barbara Bush, and another for Mayor Fenty by D.C. Schools’ sizzlin’ Chancellor Michelle Rhee were followed by a performance by the Compassionates, White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten’s band, with Dede McClure and Meryl Chertoff providing vocal accompaniment.
Angus and Sissy Yates and Dana and Timothy Rooney joined our photo shoot at the newly renovated and redubbed Fairfax Embassy Row Hotel.
This roster is neither the first, nor will it (inevitably) be the last to single out certain individuals, who, by virtue of birth, rank, wealth, or accomplishment, take part in the social life of the nation’s capital. Estimable precursors – drumroll here – include “The Green Book,” so-called for its faux green suede cover, which has appeared continuously since 1930; and The Blue Book of Washington, which ceased publication around 1990 after a century in print. The Social Register, sometimes called the “Black Book,” also contains the names of numerous prominent local figures, many hailing from so-called “blue blood” families, although its thin Washington edition was merged into a much larger 12-city national version in the 1980s.
A key difference separating Washington Life’s list from the others – apart from having no discernible color – is that we do not publish a “phone book” of addresses and contact information, schools attended, club and yacht listings, and the like. Ours is merely an alphabetical nomenclature of people who make a difference by adding immeasureably to Washington’s political, diplomatic and cultural scene. Another point of contrast is size. Compared to the thousands of entries in other directories, WL’s Social List, currently about 700 names and counting, is a relatively small effort. As far as “official Washington” is concerned, we include only a select few of the more sociable (“dining out,” as they were once so charmingly called) members of the Congress, Cabinet, and Supreme Court.
The 13th annual record of notably social personalities from the worlds of politics, diplomacy, business, philanthropy, and the arts.
By Kevin Chaffee
John Pyles and Barbara Harrison
This roster is neither the first, nor will it (inevitably) be the last to single out certain individuals, who, by virtue of birth, rank, wealth or accomplishment, take part in the social life of the nation’s capital. Estimable precursors – drumroll here – include The Green Book,” so-called for its faux green suede cover, which has appeared continuously since 1930; and the Blue Book of Washington, D.C., which ceased publication around 1990 after a century in print. The Social Register, sometimes called the “Black Book,” also contains the names of numerous prominent local figures, many hailing from so-called “blue blood” families, although it merged its thin Washington volume into a much larger 12-city national version back in the 1980s.
A major difference separating Washington Life’s list from the others – apart from having no discernible color – is that we do not publish a “phone book” containing addresses and contact information, much less schools attended, club memberships and yacht listings. Ours is merely an alphabetical nomenclature of people who make a difference by adding immeasurably to their city, and by extension, their country and the world. Another point of contrast is size. Compared to the many thousands of entries contained in other directories past and present, WL’s Social List, currently about 700 names and counting, is relatively small. We do not see the need to include every member of the Congress, Cabinet or Court (i.e., Supreme), much less all those with top jobs listed in the “Plum Book” of political appointments.
Eclectic wardrobes typify Washington’s diplomatic nomads.
By Gail Scott
Chan Heng-Chee
Foreign diplomats and their spouses bring a unique style to Washington that is often more of a mélange from their nomadic life abroad than typical of their homeland. These citizens of the world may add to their wardrobes in Washington and New York, but cherish what they found during former postings and visits to London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, New Delhi or Kabul.
Shamim Jawad is well known for elegant, colorful Afghan fashions that sparkle, shine, and sometimes even jingle– reminding us of her country’s long history as an important trade route. Iceland’s petite Åsa Baldvinsdóttir loves purple and probably wears the most avant-garde clothing with short skirts and tights topped with hip Icelandic jewelry. Lebanon’s Nicole Chedid is proud of her gowns by Elie Saab, the top Lebanese designer responsible for the luscious red dress Halle Berry wore to accept her Oscar.
Italian-born Maria Felice Mekouar has a great talent for picking gorgeous colors and mixing fashion elements from all over the world. I’ve never seen this champion golfer on the links at the Chevy Chase Club, but she probably looks fabulous there, too. She and her well-dressed husband, Aziz, always look the part and represent Morocco with great style.
Rima Al-Sabah and Michelle Fenty
Location: Kuwaiti Ambassador’s Residence
WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos by Tony Powell
FIRST DAUGHTER: Rima Al-Sabah, wife of the Ambassador of Kuwait, gave birth to her fourth son not so long ago, so she wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to host a shower for her friend, Michelle Fenty, who is expecting her third child — a daughter after twin boys, now age eight — in late November. LADIES ONLY: Lots of pink ribbons, roses and balloons set the scene for the all-female luncheon where Fenty was the center of attention as she greeted pals including Grega Daly, Didi McClure, Mary Ourisman, Barbara Harrison, Kathleen Matthews, Theresa DiGioia, and Paula Dobriansky.
Plácido Domingo and British Amb. Sir Nigel Sheinwald
Location: Residence of the British Ambassador
WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos by Tony Powell
THE EVENT: The British ambassador’s residence was a fitting backdrop for the cast and supporters of Tamerlano – after all, composer George Frideric Handel created his finest works living in London and Tamerlano premiered there in 1724. THE SCENE: Sir Nigel Sheinwald and Lady Sheinwald hosted a lavish buffet dinner for the exclusive list of guests, who sang praises of Washington National Opera general director Plácido Domingo and the cast of Handel’s longest Baroque opera under the watchful eye of Andy Warhol’s iconic print of Queen Elizabeth II. THE GUESTS: Ina Ginsburg, Kuwaiti Amb. Salem Al-Sabah and Rima Al-Sabah, Lucky Roosevelt, Esther Coopersmith, Dorothy and Ken Woodcock, Elizabeth Lodal, former Mayor Anthony Williams, and Roland Flamini, among others.
WL’s list of head-turners.
Top from left to right: Steven and Jean Case, Vernon and Ann Jordan, James Kimsey, Jacqueline Mars. Bottom from left to right: Paul and Nancy Pelosi, Roger and Victoria Sant, and Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn.
It’s hard to elicit a physical response from a Washington crowd; that is, to “turn” a head. Although we’ve produced this list for several years, 2008’s A-list has seemingly evolved into a roster of national names rather than one merely dedicated to the stars in our local firmament; after all, 2008’s elections have brought some bonafide rock stars to town. All eyes have been on Ben Bernanke to solve our financial woes, and we’ve all been waiting with baited breath to find out whether Christopher Hitchens will finally quit smoking (maybe it would help if he had God on his side). We said goodbye to longtime favorites Joe Gibbs, as well as beloved British Ambassador Sir Manning and his wife, Lady Catherine. While farewells are always sad, they make way for new faces such as financial heavyweight David Rubenstein and Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson. Over the years, we’ve found that A-list status is less about the job and rank than one might think; it’s about having a personality that electrifies the room. We’re happy they’re here.
The 16th Annual Record of the Washington Social Scene.
Deborah and Curtin Winsor III, Kathy Kemper and Jim Valentine, and Francis Colt de Wolf III and his wife Nathalie de Wolf, stroll the iconic Peacock Alley in the Willard InterContinental Washington while enjoying a few fine flutes of bubbly off the champagne cart. Photo by Clay Blackmore
“A beautiful summer week-end with a few dear friends at our farm in Middleburg.” – Roger and Vicki Sant
“I enjoyed listening to my friend Rima at her baby shower talk about how much fun it was being pregnant, she was enjoying all the attention her husband was giving her and would miss that after she gives birth.” – Irene Pollin
“My favorite social event of 2007 was Marvin Hamlish’s birthday party – lots of laughter and music provided by Marvin and good conversation – a very fun, totally wonderful dinner in Marvin’s honor. It was great to hear him play his own birthday song!” - Ann Hand
“One of our favorite memories of 2007 was the Harman Center for the Arts opening event. The evening was all about enlightenment and enchantment.” – Huda and Samia Farouki
WL Photos WLTV
