May 26, 2012
Fashion Models and Celebs Strut Cap D'Antibes Catwalk for amfAR Auction
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
CAP D'ANTIBES, France (AP) - Stars promised hugs, kisses, a massage - and a vampire bite - in a glamor-filled auction to raise money to fight AIDS.
Hoping to encourage bidders to open their wallets for items at Thursday's amfAR gala in the south of France, celebrity presenters offered some extra enticements. Heidi Klum offered a massage, Diane Kruger donated the services of her boyfriend Joshua Jackson, "Vampire Diaries" starlet Nina Dobrev said she'd willingly bite a bidder and Chris Tucker did a mini Michael Jackson dance routine.
Janet Jackson, Alec Baldwin, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kylie Minogue, Gerard Butler and Kim Kardashian also attended the black tie event at the exclusive Hotel Du Cap overlooking the sea.
When the final hammer slammed down at the end of the night, the celebrity sales people had reached a total of nearly $11 million dollars, a record for the charity dedicated to HIV and AIDS research.
Though many references were made to the troubled European financial climate - Aloe Blacc took to the stage to sing "I Need a Dollar," while Jessie J performed "Price Tag" - austerity measures were not encouraged. Diners were pressed to empty their bank accounts.
An Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe print sold for �600,000 ($753,000). A private match with tennis ace Novak Djokovic went for �90,000 ($113,000).
And the chance to star in a short film by fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, produced by Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein, was so popular it was offered twice over - adding another �850,000 ($1,000,000) to the total.
Models, including Karolina Kurkova, strutted on a catwalk between dining tables to show off 24 outfits, in the first fashion show at the French amfAR auction.
The designs, selected by former Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld to create the "Perfect Black Wardrobe," included pieces by Chanel, Dior, Armani, Kenneth Cole, Lanvin, Valentino, Tom Ford and Louis Vuitton. The winning bidder paid �300,000 ($377,000) to have them re-made in any size, and in any color - as long as it's black.
Stars partied around the pool in their finery until the early hours. A Donna Summer tribute DJ set got everyone dancing.
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
