Thunder and Good Lighting
The Beautiful People Rally for Donna Karan's Latest Cause
"This is Zen," Betsey Johnson exclaimed, inhaling deeply, at Donna Karan's
Haiti fundraiser and awards ceremony last night—an odd way to describe a bustling charity event, perhaps, but the air in Karan's Urban Zen shop was rich with cinnamon-scented essential oils, not to mention feel-good vibes.
When she wants to, Karan can haul in some heavy hitters: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Calvin Klein, Michael Douglas, and Sarah Jessica Parker were among those who lent their support to the designer's three-part cause of education, health care, and cultural preservation. In the process, they paid respect to Karan's late husband, Stephan Weiss, in whose memory her Urban Zen Foundation honored Bill Clinton, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and education philanthropist Courtney Ross. As it did at Weiss' funeral ten years ago, the weather added some drama. "That was Stephan," Karan said, visibly moved, upon hearing a thunderclap. "He loved thunderstorms."
Later, as the likes of Uma Thurman and Robert De Niro dined on vegetarian sushi and penne pasta, most of the electricity in the room had its source in a certain tall, silver-haired guest up front. In his speech, President Clinton touched on everything from global warming to Karan's heroic efforts to help Haitian artists. "He's my most admired human being on the planet, I think, apart from my husband," Patti Hansen declared, within earshot of Keith Richards. "Before he leaves, he'll connect with everyone in one way or another," predicted Kenneth Cole.
The former president did nothing to contradict either one of them, but he did note that he owes some of his success to the suit Karan put him in for his first inauguration. "That was a bigger deal than she let on, because a lot of the political and social elite in American thought I came from the wrong side of the room," Clinton explained. "Once I got Donna's clothes on, I had street cred in Washington." The former president's smart three-piece suit suggested he's dressed to impress ever since.
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