Diogenes, named for a philosopher in ancient Greece who gave up material possessions in search of truth and self enlightenment, is a Sacramento-based organization that provides emergency shelter and counseling for at-risk teens, such as victims of abuse and runaways.  Greg Schmidt has hosted his annual winter extravaganza with 100% of the profit donated to Diogenes.

This year, I was lucky enough to attend, as Michael Greene & Company had the privilege of  being one of the sponsors at the event.  The event turned out great with the wonderful planning of Kristin Wittenberg, the event coordinator of behalf of Diogenes.  Zocalos and Hot Italian provided delicious appetizers, live bands got the party started, and the Kings’ Royal Court Dancers helped pump up the crowd.  The Hot Italian pizza may have been the best part of the night.

Behind the scenes, Asia and I prepped the models for their runway debut wearing exclusive Michael Greene & Co jewelry. The models were dressed in unique designs by Sacramento designers Britt Steele and Victor Lewis.  The amazing hair, as you will see from the photos, was done by Allure Salon downtown.

Luckily, I was able to sneak out from backstage for a minute to see the show.  Just as we anticipated, the jewels sparkled brightly as the models walked the runway. Flashing lights from the photographers made the scene even more exciting.  Being behind the scenes at a Britt Steele and Victor Lewis runway show was almost as exciting as being in the show itself, which later in the week I tried out for the first time…more on this in a later blog.  Behind the scenes, clothes were flying and models were panicking trying to find their bobby pins or fashion tape. But once the girls stepped on stage, they were calm and collected and fierce as they walked down the runway.

After the show, I migrated back to the display table where guests were having a jolly old time dressing up in $180,000 diamond necklaces and covering themselves in tourmaline jewels (valued at over $300,000, just for the stone!)

Another fabulous part of the evening: All the Audis.  The main room, which was actually the Audi auto body shop (but you could never tell), had white Audis everywhere, which just added to the urban winter wonderland feel.

Looking back at the evening now, the event was a huge success. Over 500 guests attended and everyone seemed to have a fabulous time.  Just look at the pictures!