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<\/a>The buffet. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
Once again, Doris Bergman threw her pre-Oscars event at one of West Hollywood’s top eateries, Fig and Olive. So, we were fed all day, from the passed signature flatbreads to a full lunch buffet to the wonderful mini desserts. This was Lou’s first time there, and he was impressed with it all! His favorite dish of the day was the penne pasta with a creamy red sauce and grilled shrimp. He deemed it \u201cthe highlight at the end of the buffet line. It was like the exclamation mark at the end of sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sated myself with the healthful Moroccan chicken with hearty vegetables, served over cous cous. And their delish Caesar salad, of course.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Oscar winner George Chakiris.<\/p><\/div>\n
For lunch, it was fun to sit right next to Everybody Loves Raymond<\/em>‘s Doris Robert<\/strong>s, who never misses one of Doris’ events. It was also interesting to spy some different celebrities this time, ones I’ve never seen at a gifting suite before, such as my recent buddy (and Oscar winner, for the iconic film, West Side Story<\/em>,) George Chakiris<\/strong>, the elusive Robin Givens<\/strong>, and boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer<\/strong>, whom I was the most excited to meet, especially since he had just done a comedy bit with Kevin Hart at the NBA All-Star Game the week-end before!<\/p>\n Even more important than the celebs, food, and gifts, though, is the charity Doris always highlights. So, this time, I’m telling you about it first!:<\/p>\n Wednesday’s Child<\/strong>\u2014Since giving back is so much more gratifying than receiving, my first stop at this semi-annual event is always this adoption charity’s table. love saying hi to everyone, and donating gifts for teen-agers who are in their organization. The upbeat personnel are always on-hand to thank the (hopefully, generous) givers, and to answer any questions we have. It always starts my day off with an extra pep in my step. I hope that every one of Doris’ guests visits them first, as well. (Gifts in hand, of course!) www.foxla.com\/wednesdays-child<\/a><\/p>\n Doris always has tons of repeat sponsors, so she must be doing something right! I enjoyed seeing them, as well as being introduced to the new ones. So, let’s get to the highlights of the gifts already!:<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Art Lewin Bespoke<\/strong>\u2014At the last event, I discovered that Art is not just a men’s<\/em> clothier\u2014he makes women’s duds, as well!!! So, I recently stopped by his Beverly Hills showroom to be fitted for a button-down shirt. I haven’t been able to wear one for many years (because, if you must know, none ever close over my chest,) but Art said he can tailor one with no problem at all. (Not to mention that I saw a top male model getting fitted by him, too, while I was there! But you’ll have to wait for my next Celeb Sightings column to find-out who it was.) Lou loved meeting Art at the suite, and said of him and his designs, \u201cClean and simple elegance. The extraordinary gentleman will immediately recognize the fine difference from this purveyor of fine-tailored suits and shirts.\u201d He continued, \u201cI simply stared at my classy black bow tie from this company; I can’t decide whether to wear it or frame it. Or enter it into my will!\u201d www.artlewinbespoke.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n 2-Minute Club<\/strong>\u2014No, it’s not what you think. Get your minds out of the gutter! (But it is<\/em> a catchy moniker!) This is a monthly subscription service…for your hair! As a chick whose new meds are affecting my usual ten thousand pounds of hair, I was especially interested to discover their Pura D’or shampoo and conditioner, which fight hair loss. The products are packaged very attractively, to boot, and the lovely female rep\u00a0was really informative and caring, and seemed sincerely interested in helping follically-challenged folks. Lou said his \u201cdamaged hair says ‘hell to the yes!’ ” And this company will just send it when we need more! Haircare doesn’t get easier than that! www.2minuteclub.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Single Dress<\/strong>\u2014These dresses from this very popular sponsor are so coveted that there was almost a catfight over some of them! I’m really not kidding about that–the female guests were literally fighting over these adorable dresses! They were also gifting men’s underwear, so, of course, here’s Lou’s take on them: \u201cThis line adds to the hybrid underwear tradition with its sleek-cut styling and the hipster millionaire prints it features. I approve!\u201d\u00a0www.singledress.com<\/a><\/p>\n The Center For Aesthetic Dentistry<\/strong>\u2014This attractive dentist, Katherine Ahn, was on hand to talk pearly whites with the attentive guests. (Who in Hollywood doesn’t want to have a brighter smile?!) They were gifting home whitening kits, and we all entered a drawing to win a professional sesh in her office. Here’s hoping I’m one of the winners! (If you need sunglasses when you see me approaching, you know that I did!) www.thecenterad.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Fit For a Belle<\/strong>–The very first thing I noticed when I walked out to the gifting area was a young blond girl wearing a gorgeous pink and blue pullover sweatshirt. I couldn’t get over to her table fast enough. It turns out that she has recently lost a lot of weight, (just like I<\/em> have!,) so she decided to design a cute line of fitness clothing to make work-outs more fun for everyone. And trust me, anything<\/em> I do in this attire from now on will<\/em> be more fun because of it! www.fitforabelle.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Sue Wong<\/strong>–I loved seeing one of my favorite designer’s gowns on display here, available for certain celebs to borrow for this award season. They were also showcasing several new fragrances from Sue’s fragrance line, while gifting her exquisite chiffon beaded shawls, which everyone in Hollywood covets. www.suewong.com<\/a><\/p>\n Master Pan<\/strong>\u2014I’ve known about this multi-compartment pan for awhile now, but had never seen it in person before. Using it is like cooking a one-pan meal, but with all different areas so you can cook it all at once, without any of it touching! (I hate my food touching, especially before it’s all cooked!)\u00a0www.masterpan.us<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Twisted Silver<\/strong>\u2014Designer Debra Mitchell was, as usual, one of the most popular people there. So, rather than waiting for her hands-on jewelry advice, we chose to be assisted by a beautiful member of her staff, Cassidy Clark, who could not have been more pleasant or helpful. She proudly showed us the \u201cChai\u201d pendant that they were gifting each guest, designed for just this occasion. But I, always marching to my own drummer, (sort-of like Debra herself does,) was more attracted to a silver big-chain bracelet. And guess what it’s moniker is? Ball and Chain, which is what I am to Mr. X, so of course<\/em> I love it! www.twisted-silver.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Di Snapback Caps<\/strong>–While I was showing Lou the cool caps, the rep from the company told me they now also make really hip baggy shorts. (The \u201creally hip\u201d part are my<\/em> words, not his<\/em>.) I can’t wait to see them on basketball courts everywhere! www.disnapback.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Faux Pas Womenswear<\/strong>–Trust me, these designs are no faux pas! Each gift bag contained a different kind of work-out wear for women, including mouth-watering cobalt blue bike shorts, and the cutest little top with tiny pirate scenes all over it. This clothing may even inspire me<\/em> to get to the gym! (Or at least look cute making believe that’s where I’m heading.) www.fauxpasapparel.com<\/a><\/p>\n Art of Real Estate<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Northern California realtor, Debbi DiMaggio, was on-site gifting her book on the subject. Lou (who knows more about this topic than\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0do) said, \u201cDebbi’s informative book is a helpful client-first guide for people who are thinking about wading into the unique residential home-buying market.\u201d\u00a0www.debbidimaggio.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n My Saint, My Hero<\/strong>\u2014Lou was impressed with this line of \u201cknitted and robust\u201d blessing bracelets, whose company motto is \u201cOne Love, One World.\u201d He said, \u201cOnce it’s on your wrist, it promises to be your constant reminder about what’s truly important in life.\u201d Amen to that, brother! www.mysaintmyhero.com<\/a><\/p>\n Yoga Guru Mahankirn’s Three-Minute Start<\/em><\/strong>\u2014This peaceful woman was gifting her books and DVDs with tips on how to destress and \u201creboot\u201d in three minutes, using her techniques, of course. She seemed pretty mellow herself, so it’s definitely worth a try! (And if it works, Mr. X and I just may beg her to move in with us!) www.mahankirn.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Spongelle<\/strong>\u2014Lou checked-out the men’s line of these soap-filled buffing sponges, and told me he liked \u201cthe simple yet elegant black packaging; it shows the refinement of thought and purpose that went into every aspect of this product.\u201d (Oh no–he’s better at this than I<\/em> am!) He admired that the product is \u201cbilled as a ‘multi-use, multi-function scrub and body wash,’ with healthy extracts included to complement your bathing experience. These are small but vital details for those of us who love an elevated experience in everything we do, each moment of the day.\u201d (I think this company needs to hire him, don’t you?!) www.spongelle.com<\/a><\/p>\n As guests entered, they also received a giant gift bag, perfect for gathering the wares. Even better, it came with some goodies already in there! Here are the highlight of those: Blue Can Water<\/strong>, (in a can, of course!,) which has a fifty-year shelf life; Telic<\/strong> squeezable plastic flip flops, which Lou said \u201coffer tennis shoe level comfort and arch support, and are made in the USA too!\u201d; a \u201csuitable and classy\u201d stainless steel wine sealer from Rabbit<\/strong>; and The Basic<\/strong>‘s Wallet Cash Coin and Key Holder, which Lou deems \u201cevery gym fanatic’s best friend!\u201d<\/p>\n All in all, this was yet another very wonderful and satisfying event by the incredible Doris Bergman!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" DORIS BERGMAN’S 2016 VALENTINE ROMANCE OSCAR STYLE LOUNGE & PARTY [Note: I visited six pre-Oscars Gifting Suites this year. (Well, actually, it was eight, but two are not worth telling you about!) As always, each one gets its own write-up, in the order that I attended them. This is the first of them, so please<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>