Salute to Excellence

Michael S. Smith was recently honored at Hedge Gallery in San Francisco at a party hosted by Alison Pincus, Vanessa Getty and Allison Speer. His design work for a Palladian Villa in Malibu is being put up for auction at Christie’s in New York. Nicolas Berggruen, Princess Tatiana Galitzine, Dede Wilsey, and Sabrina Buell were among the guests.

Deepa Pakianathan and Phil Pemberton recently hosted a reception for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in anticipation of its upcoming Gala on April 20, 2013, which pays tribute to legendary opera baritone and Conservatory Advisory Board member Thomas Hampson.

Conservatory mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook directs and stars in a program featuring special performances by Hampson with Conservatory students, faculty and guest artists. Teresa Medearis and Barbara Walkowski co-chair the event, with catering by McCall’s Catering and Events and decor by Blueprint Studios.

Tickets for this very special occasion can be purchased at www.sfcm.edu

UCSF Partners in Care recently held its 2013 kick-off membership event at Reed & Greenough. Membership co-Chairs Schuyler Hudak and Libby Leffler hosted the launch party and kicked off the well-attended evening with brief remarks, followed by UCSF Partners in Care President Katie Budge, who spoke about the services that the auxiliary organization provides to the hospital.

UCSF Partners in Care works with UCSF hospital staff to fund programs that provide comfort and well-being to patients and their families while visiting the UCSF medical center.

Guests enjoyed spirited greyhounds nicknamed “Doctor’s Orders,” and a “Members Only” wine special while noshing on sweet treats from Kara’s Cupakes, and savory sliders and arancini from Cedar Hill Kitchen and Smokehouse.

Please visit www.ucsfpartnersincare.org for more information about this important organization.

Renowned European designer Ms. Madeline Pauw recently made an appearance at a delightful luncheon at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, where her Spring 2013 collection was presented.

The Pauw collection is designed by Madeleine Pauw, daughter of the original founders. Pauw is known for its luxurious fabrics and soft touches of femininity while integrating just a splash of masculine undertones, but always keeping the fit and style in mind for the female physique. The company has been in business for over 50 years, and originally was created in the Netherlands where it currently has 29 stores.

You can purchase pieces from Pauw at Saks Fifth Avenue at 384 Post Street, San Francisco, or online at Saks Fifth Avenue

ModeWalk recently unveiled its newest service for their clients, a first-of-its-kind, by-appointment showroom in San Francisco called Boudoir, located on the 7th Floor of 391 Sutter Street in Union Square.

Betty Lin, the chic Presidio Heights boutique, recently celebrated the launch of the new Maiyet collection with a party hosted by Alexis Traina, Alison Pincus, Nina Stanford, and Seth Miller.

The Mid Winter Gala for 2013 honored the exhibit, “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis” with a chic winter wonderland that raised over $400k. Marissa Mayer, Jonathan Ive, Alison Pincus, Vanessa Getty, Dick Costolo, Stephan Jenkins, Connie Nielsen, Lori Levine, Evgenia Peretz, Jeremy Stoppelman, Trevor Traina, Allison Speer and Kathryn Lasater were among the 380 who attended.

Stephanie Phair, the managing director of Outnet.com, recently visited from London to host a luncheon previewing Oscar de la Renta’s new limited edition collection designed exclusively for The Outnet.

Jay Jeffers recently designed three of the 23 penthouses of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Lake Tahoe. The homes range from $1,250,000 to $4,500,000 in price.

Vaunte has selected five chic San Francisco women to feature on their site: Allison Speer, Sabrina Buell, Lauren Goodman, Jane Gruber, and Tienlyn Jacobson.

SFLuxe presents a list of the 59 richest households in the San Francisco Bay Area.

San Francisco General Hospital Foundation recently held its eighth annual “Heroes & Hearts” awards luncheon.

Publication of Eric Cohler’s new book, “Cohler on Design,” was recently celebrated at Hudson Grace in San Francisco by Alison Pincus, Matt Cohler, Sabrina Buell, Allison Speer and their guests, including Dr. Priscilla Chan, Arielle Zuckerberg, Jeremy Stoppelman, Nirav Tolia, Trevor Traina and others.

Lynne Benioff, Gisel Kordestani, and Alison Pincus recently hosted a luncheon to honor Tatcha in its celebration of the Japanese Geisha’s timeless beauty secrets. Guests included Vanessa Getty, Lynn Jurich, Gina Pell, Diane Dorrans Saeks, Nina Stanford, and Allison Speer, among others.

Nespresso has opened their first large boutique in California, designed by Aldo Parisotto, and located in San Francisco’s Union Square.