Any day that begins with a Jane Austen reference is a great day.
The Blogger was pleasantly surprised to find out recently about a forthcoming fund-raiser for the Vancouver Opera Society, named not-so-incidentally after a Jane Austen novel. Fresh off its triumphant production of Verdi’s La Traviata, the VOS has planned a number of exciting new productions for the 2011/2012 season, and opens with West Side Story in October. In the meantime, they’re staging their third annual purse party fund-raising party on June 2, PURSEuasion.What is a purse party?
Some readers may recall the 2003 episode of Sex & the City where the ladies attend a party staged by a friend to support her new career as a purse designer, and to show off her designs. The VOS have been staging a similar event for the past three years, but in a twist, their event is not a party but a fun lunchtime auction.
Some designers whose works have gone on auction included one-of-a-kind and rare designs by Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Salvatore Ferragamo, Boboli and Ports 1961. Past auctions have also featured the works of designers such as Tina Wilson, Haida Princess Totes, and of course John Fluevog.
This is an event sure to bring out Vancouver fashionistas (particularly if you haven’t been able to get to the Anthropologie opening). The inaugural auction in 2008 raised an impressive $47,000.00 and this year they intend to raise more than ever. The event has been held in the past at Yaletown’s Goldfish Pacific Kitchen in 2009, and last year at the recently-shuttered Bistro Moderne. This year’s function is downtown at The Vancouver Club, to ensure that busy professionals don’t have to travel far from the office to get to the event. Since champagne is included at the buffet luncheon served at the event, it will help that fashionistas can simply walk to PURSEuasion from their offices in the downtown core.
