Spring Hat Luncheon
#KeepPittsburghBeautiful: There wasn’t a cloud dotting the blue sky as a sea of roughly 670 colorful hats peppered the landscape at Riverview Park on the North Side on Saturday for PNC’s Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy 17th annual Spring Hat Luncheon. “Pittsburgh is enhanced by all of this natural beauty,” said Mayor Bill Peduto, who attended the event with Caitlin Lasky. Both wore hats from Richard Parsakian’s private collection from Eons Fashion Antique. “More than 10,600 guests have attended this event over the years, helping to raise roughly $84 million for the parks,” added Meg Cheever, CEO of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Partygoers enjoyed a lovely sit-down lunch following the lively cocktail party. Green succulents and orchids from Alison McGeary elegantly dressed the tables as everyone enjoyed chilled artichoke soup, lobster rolls and dark chocolate caramel tortes from the Duquesne Club.
#SettingTheSEEN: The Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s weekly lifestyle webshow, co-hosted by your very own SEEN editor and style editor Sara Bauknecht, brought a “pink carpet” to the event during the cocktail hour, which highlighted the amazing hat-couture. Several women wore hats by Gina Mazzotta, Pittsburgh-based milliner, including event cochair Kiya Tomlin, who wore a piece inspired by floral headdresses worn at the Fashion AFRICANA runway show in March. “I told Gina I wanted one of my very own ... and I wanted it to be big,” she laughed. Hats by famous designer to British royalty Philip Treacy also appeared, including ones worn by Peggy McKnight and Gabriela Porges. Fashion designer Lana Neumeyer created a cheerful sundress and floral straw hat, while others wore their own one-of-kind designs including Roseanne Wholey’s blush-colored topper and Peggy Harris’s bright red hat that she dyed to match her Alexander McQueen dress. The men also got into the fun, including David Bush and Tim McVay, who wore coordinating outfits (right down to matching leopard loafers!) and charming green orchids tucked into their straw fedoras. Check out more interviews and photos of the hatcouture at www.post-gazette.com/settingtheseen and on the webshow’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/settingtheseen.
#SEEN: Event co-chairs Annie Hanna Engel, Debbie Demchak, Charlene Petrelli, Christy Wiegand; emcee Sally Wiggin, John and Donna Peterman, Cindy Gerber, Catherine Loevner, Cher Kotovsky, Jackie Dixon, Susan and Erica Sweeney, Vera Purcell, Janet Trapuzzano, Bob Sendall, Marc Giosi, Heather Fazekas, Mark Flaherty and Mary McKinney, Candi Castleberry Singleton, Marylynn Uricchio, Dolly Ellenberg, City Councilman Dan Gilman and Nadine Bognar.