PEACE OF CAKE
New Yorkers may have hopped to Gstaad, St. Barth’s, Aspen and Lyford Cay for the holidays, but San Francisco’s glittering folk prefer the calm of the familiar — and with good reason.
After all, Christmas week coincides with two big Bay Area birthdays: George Schultz’s and Gordon Getty’s. This year Charlotte Schultz threw a surprise 80th birthday bash for her husband, and a few days later Ann Getty put on Gordon’s 67th, complete with magicians and torch singers.
The Getty theme was Thirties’ glamour, and Dodie Rosekrans, Allison Speer, Dagmar Dolby, Maria Manetti Farrow and Kelley Johnson wore Thirties-style gowns and marcelled hair. Only Vanessa Getty went for contemporary — though it may have been her last chance to work one of those body-hugging Celines, since she announced that night that she’s pregnant.
Ann Getty found her striped silk vintage gown on eBay.
“I have no idea who the designer is, but I knew it would work,” she laughed.
Jo Schuman, in Poiret-style Chanel chiffon, was premiering a sensational Faberge amethyst and diamond necklace, rumored to have been one of prize pieces of Alexandra, Czarina of Russia.
“Well, it was found in Alexandra’s jewel box,” she said, “so we know it was worn by royalty.”
The Getty birthday cake was a lemon and chocolate “bathtub” filled with sugar-crystal ice and bottles of Gordon’s Distilled Gin made out of white chocolate and gold leaf.
But that wasn’t the evening’s only excess. Denise Hale arrived late, clutching a super-sized Steiff teddy bear that was the $700 party favor for the 100 guests at Danielle Steel’s holiday dinner earlier that night.