By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore
More than 600 well-heeled socialites shopped, sipped and savored in stilettos at the glamorous 4th Annual Wine, Women & Shoes luncheon presented by Sergio Rossi at the JW Marriott Marquis on Wednesday, February 4th. The fun-filled afternoon raised more than $600,000 to benefit the children and families of Miami Children’s Hospital.
The stylish “ladies who lunch” spent a couple of hours shopping at an impromptu pop-up designer marketplace that was set up outside of the ballroom, featuring items by: Ana Mari Ortega, Artesano, Cudesso, Dennis Basso, Eberjey, En Avance, Lostmarc’h, Monisha Melwani Jewelry, Neiman Marcus Coral Gables, Purificación García, Sergio Rossi, and Sirissima/Clement Willoch.
Following the wine and shopping, came more wine and lunch, accompanied by a program emceed by CBS 4’s Emmy Award-winning entertainment reporter Lisa Petrillo, who introduced the procession of handsome “shoe guys,” who had been roaming the cocktail hour with desirable fashion items on silver platters, much to the delight of several hundred tipsy ladies.
After a touching and uplifting story by Karin Penkala, the mother of Gracie, a Miami Children’s Hospital patient, Gracie, whose life was saved by Miami Children’s Hospital, Neiman Marcus Coral Gables presented a stunning fashion show, the soundtrack of which had the crowd spiritedly singing along.
“We were very excited to host Wine, Women & Shoes for the fourth year in a row,” said Lucy Morillo, president & CEO, Miami Children’s Health Foundation. “It was a fun-filled afternoon where 600 of our closest lady friends came together to indulge in fashion, lunch and wine with the common interest of supporting world-class pediatric healthcare at Miami Children’s Hospital. This amazing group of ladies allowed us to come together for the children and continue reaching our goal for our Together for the Children Campaign and for the future.”
Event co-chairs, Criselda Breene and Carola Pimentel echoed the sentiment, ““We are so grateful for the tremendous generosity of the women in South Florida, as well as our committee members, who helped make this such a successful event. Because of the support of our community we have become the highest Wine, Women & Shoes revenue-making event in the country.”
