NEW YORK — “This cocktail party is not a mindless venture.”
Far from it. The crowded Beekman Place get-together last Tuesday that designer Maggie Norris referred to was held in the name of world peace. Norris and friends gathered to toast her latest accomplishment — lining up the first fashion show at the U.N. this spring.
The event, billed as “Couture for Peace,” is being organized by Maggie Norris Couture and the Virtue Foundation, a nongovernmental agency. A panel discussion led by U.N. Undersecretary General Shashi Tharoor and an off-site benefit dinner will also be part of the festivities. Norris’ assignment includes designing outfits inspired by 25 countries that are in conflicts or recently ended them, including Iraq, the Sudan, Liberia and Afghanistan.
“The magical thing for me is that all these people are here for peace,” Norris said.
Among the guests was President George W. Bush’s brother Neil. Asked what brought him to the party, Bush said, “To New York? Business. But I’m also a friend of the hostess.”
With that, an aide ran interference lunging to embrace a female guest, and then winked as he headed for the door. Bush had a another motive for attending. He wanted to learn more about “Couture for Peace’’ because his daughter Lauren is considering getting involved, said her modeling agent, Christine Schott, another guest. The willowy model has been named honorary spokeswoman for the U.N. World Food Program.
For now, Lauren Bush, a Princeton University undergraduate, is spending a semester abroad in Australia. When tennis star Andy Roddick got word of her whereabouts, he asked that Bush be invited to the Australian Open, but she will be back in the States by then, Schott said.
Norris initially wanted to use places like the South of France and England for inspiration, but the Virtue Foundation’s executive director Joseph Salim steered her toward areas of unrest.
“Part of what I love to do as a designer is research,” said Norris, who has used unlikely subjects such as the silent film star Sue May Wong for inspiration. “This is almost like picking up 100 copies of National Geographic.”
Related Articles
You May Also Like
Artists from the various countries are being commissioned to create pieces that will be displayed at the U.N., and then auctioned at a benefit. Models will walk down the runway with a child holding the flag of each country. Music that is specific to the nation will play in the background. A compilation of the fashion show’s tunes may be sold on a CD for charity. DCK Joaillerie is designing a “pin for peace” for the event.
Norris said the seed for “Couture for Peace” was planted after she attended an all-day U.N. conference about Sept. 11 that was hosted by Paula Zahn and organized by Salim, but didn’t garner any publicity. Norris said she was further called to action after terrorists stormed a Russian school, killing about 330 hostages. “That’s our children. They belong to us, too,” she said.
Salim agreed. “You don’t need another SARS epidemic or 9/11 to remind you the world should be another place….People always say to me, ‘One person can’t make a difference.’ But if you turn people on to a global concept and each person cares a little bit more [about the issue] then you are already changing the world for the better.”
— R.F.