Saturday’s Fashion Art Ball (FAB) hosted by Michelle and Tommy Pooch and Alan Roth was the hottest party of the week.  Perhaps it was the burlesque show, the gorgeous women’s fashions, or the stylishly dressed and dynamic Legends on the Runway.  But more likely, the fact that the air conditioning in the “newly remodeled” Gansevoort Hotel wasn’t working (insert snarky comment here!) added to the sweltering temperature. Whatever the exact reason may have been, it was a “sauna in there.”  The shvitzing, energetic crowd, didn’t seem to mind too much, though, keeping cool with abundant cocktails provided by Bombay Sapphire and enjoying a wide variety of delicious bites from terrific eateries including Casale, David’s Café, Grill on the Alley, Ra Sushi, and our favorite, Frank Jeannetti’s, (Executive Chef of Essencia at the Palms Hotel) masterful creations. The mini spa treatments provided by Primp Salon were pretty “cool” as well (enough with the puns already!) and DJ Irie kept the crowd dancing and in good spirits.

As we’ve said in the past, we consider the Fashion Art Ball the “un-gala”- since it’s a ball that’s, well, a ball! Think of it as fancy fundraiser meets frat party.

Buster Cox from A3 TV and Deco  Drive kept the party going by taking over the microphone to emcee, as Gen Art-winning Krel To Go designer/ Make Me a Supermodel’s, Karelle Levy, presented her signature Day-Glo fashion show.

The fashion show was followed by a burlesque show performed on the catwalk, a la Dita Von Teese.  After which came the highlight of the night: the Legends on The Runway show, featuring a bevy of South Beach nightlife impresarios and personalities, modeling colorful and stylish Debonair shirts.  The Legends included:  Tommy Pooch, Beau Beasley, Jonathan Babicka, SIR Michael Dreiling, Tony Gallo, Aric Gasper, Eric Milon, and DJ Irie, who showed off some creative dance moves, dubbing him “the Flavor Flave of 2010.”

After the guys finished on the runway, it was time for the good old-fashioned fraternity hazing ritual, which has seemingly become a FAB tradition, involving the shaving of Alan Roth’s head.  This year, a group of guests got together and donated a whopping $7, 000 for Roth’s locks, and Roth got a free Mohawk, just in time for summer.

All in all, it was a great night, which raised $50, 000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.