Dawna Cobb (in red) and Lisa Simeone (in white) at the Single Carrot Theatre gala in May 2014. Are we rockin' it or what?!
We're supporters of Single Carrot, a great, vibrant, young theater company in Baltimore. They started out as college students in Boulder, Colorado, searched the whole country for the perfect place to start a company, and chose Baltimore. They are extraordinarily talented. We feel privileged to have them here. And they just moved into a brand new permanent home in our neighborhood, so we can walk there. Plus they teamed up with one of the best restaurateurs in the city, Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen fame, who opened Parts and Labor in the same building. All in all, we're lucky devils.
Dawna Cobb is a lawyer, indefatigable neighborhood organizer, and my good friend. She and I stepped into the photo booth set up for gala-goers. (I have to twist hubby's arm to be in photographs; that's why he isn't there. He was standing to the side taking his own pix of us with his iPhone. But take it from me -- he looked very dapper in his avant garde Philippe Dubuc suit.) The night was full of great music, great food, fun dancing, creative costumes, and an abundantly stocked silent auction benefiting the theater (at which my other half won a bid for the most magnificent ring of diamonds and a South Sea pearl that he gave to yours truly, just in time for our anniversary).
Here's the pic in its original location at Single Carrot's Facebook page.
And oh my, I almost forgot the most important thing -- the dresses! Dawna's red dress is by Turkish designer Selma Karaca, who shows every year at the venerable American Craft Council Show. Dawna is wearing one of Selma's famous spiral designs. My dress is called the "Monica," and it's made in the USA by Laura Byrnes of Pin Up Girl Clothing. Here I'm wearing it in white, but I love it so much, I have it in 5 different colors! Two of them went with me on the QM2 last year, and at least two more are coming with me on the ship next month.
Speaking of the QM2, I just found out that joining us on our journey will be film director/writer Wes Anderson, actress (and fashion maven) Tilda Swinton, actor Jason Schwartzman, and screenwriter/producer Roman Coppola. They'll be screening The Grand Budapest Hotel and holding a discussion panel afterwards. They'll also be mingling with the passengers in general -- cause that's how things roll on the glamorous Queen!
And that gives you an idea of the caliber of talent on this ship. No cheesy dinner theater B-list people here (though, hey, I've seen some very good dinner theater in my day) -- it's strictly Broadway, West End, Juilliard, and the like. Along with fascinating lectures by academics and professionals on art, architecture, design, history, literature, astronomy, you name it. That was our favorite part of the trip last year -- the lectures. Though it's impossible to overstate how extraordinary the whole experience was. This isn't a cruise; hubby and I aren't cruise people. This is a crossing. And we can't wait to do it again.
Who knows -- maybe Tilda and I can hobnob over our love of fashion. God knows we have that in common!
