NEW YORK — A Sixties-inspired theme replete with “Mad Men” designer Janie Bryant and background music of The Mamas and the Papas and The Temptations set a festive mood at the 12th annual HUG (Help Us Give) Awards cocktail and dinner this month.
The gala at 230 Fifth Avenue pulled in 300 guests and raised $300,000 for the pediatric wing of The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. Sponsored by the Intimate Apparel Square Club, a 55-year-old industry organization, the HUG fund-raiser is part of the IASC’s $6 million initiative for the medical facility. The organization has raised $2.3 million for the institute since 1999, said Norma Reinhardt, president of the IASC.
The evening’s honorees were Maurice Reznik, president and chief executive officer of Maidenform Brands Inc., and Dr. Mathew H.M. Lee, chairman emeritus of The Rusk Institute, who served as medical director of the institute and chairman of the department of rehabilitative medicine.
Related Galleries
Reznik, a veteran of the innerwear industry who has been Maidenform’s ceo since July 2008, said he was “extremely honored to have this award bestowed upon me…it means a lot to me.”
During the event, four Barbie dolls by Mattel from Bryant’s personal collection, representing “Mad Men” characters from the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning AMC television series, were auctioned for $800 to a Maidenform executive. A licensing partnership between Barbie, Lionsgate and AMC, the doll line, which began distribution in July, features key characters from the series: Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency creative director and leading man Don Draper; his former wife, Betty Draper; partner Roger Sterling, and office manager Joan Holloway.
“The costumes for all of the Barbies were specifically based on the characters in the show,” said Bryant, who is a Maidenform spokeswoman. “Joan has a bra and girdle underneath her costume that gives her a great hourglass figure….I don’t think I ever took off Don’s pants, but he does have trenchcoat.”