SWISH SPLASH: The wet weather didn’t dampen spirits of gala-goers who made the red carpet for the Vancouver Aquarium’s signature soiree, Night at the Aquarium. Chaired by the newly engaged pair of Bert Hick and Tina Rowntree, the ninth instalment drew more than 400 of our city’s business, community and philanthropic leaders to the marine science centre for an evening of fine wine, delicious Ocean Wise food, live music and fundraising. Yours truly presided over the robust live auction, which saw an expedition to the Arctic sell for an impressive $17,500. The luxury trip contributed to the $362,000 raised in support of the aquarium’s research, rescue, conservation and education programs.
SPARKLING LUNCH: De Beers Diamond Jewellers celebrated the launch of its newest collection, Aria, by hosting an exclusive luncheon with special guest Hollie Bonneville Barden, chief designer of the luxury London-based jewelry brand established in 2001. A graduate of Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, Bonneville Barden, 27, is the youngest head designer in the company’s prestigious history. Aficionados of fine diamonds and gems were introduced to the upstart and her collection of 36 exquisite pieces designed to express “the dance of light” created, while enjoying an equally brilliant lunch curated by Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar’s executive chef Alex Chen.
SCREEN SIRENS: Women in Film and Television was established in 2010 to raise awareness of the underrepresentation of women in the industry and to further the artistic and professional development of women in the Canadian screen-based media community. The non-profit recently feted some of the province’s most influential women working in the industry with their annual Spotlight Awards, held at Performance Works. Amongst this year’s award recipients were Patricia Gruben, Elizabeth Yake, Ingrid Torrance, Don Thompson, Maureen Webb, Madeleine Grant, Pauline Heaton, Michelle Brezinski, Barbara Janes and Rina Fraticelli. Recent stats show women constitute only four per cent of feature film directors, 11 per cent of writers and 13 per cent of editors.
