Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/400933
photography by paige newton With its Champagne brunch and items for sale from favorite boutiques, the Beauty of Life fundraiser for Hospice Austin is one of the city's most popular annual charity events. But the fundraiser, which took place last month, has a dramatic second half: Beauty Unveiled, a seated dinner and party on November 13 that is the brain- child of beloved local jewelry designer Nak Armstrong. As creative director of Beauty Unveiled, Armstrong is excited for the possibility clockwise: Designer Nak Armstrong; sought-after for their intricate designs and precious stones, his jewelry is also helping to raise funds for Hospice Austin. The Beauty of Giving CFDA AWARD–WINNING JEWELRY DESIGNER NAK ARMSTRONG PLANS AN INNOVATIVE NIGHT FOR HOSPICE AUSTIN. BY JANE KELLOGG MURRAY of helping Hospice Austin even more than he did last year with this event at Brazos Hall. He is planning an elegant seated dinner for 86 people (sold out), followed by an afterparty for 200 ($150 per ticket) that includes a performance by the group Goodbyemotel, which the Australian band bills as a "4 -D experience." Beauty Unveiled is actually based on a similar event Armstrong did last year during Tribeza Style Week, during which all events raised money for Hospice Austin. This year, Armstrong wanted to strip away the third-party element and donate all proceeds directly to Hospice, with a goal of raising $100,000 for the organization. "I wanted to create an event that felt truly like a New York fashion event. Obviously, not an actual New York event, but one that rises to that level—where people go and say, 'Wow, that's a place I want to be'—because it's an experience," Armstrong says. "I felt like last year we really achieved that. Now that it's [solely] a Hospice Austin event, we have a much greater responsibility in terms of raising more money for the charity and also in making the event that much more spectacular." Beauty of Life, which this year featured best-selling author Mitch Albom, is Hospice Austin's signature fundraiser (netting an impressive $277,568 in 2013). But that's only a fraction of what Austin's only nonprofit hospice care provider actually needs; Hospice Austin spent $2.4 million in 2013 in charity care to provide for terminally ill patients lacking insurance or Medicare. "We have a strong need to reach a greater audience of support," says Hospice Austin Development Director Robin Clemons. "Beauty of Life has its own legacy," Armstrong says. "So many people are excited to come [to Beauty Unveiled] because they were there last year, or they heard about it, and they know the kind of event we are now capable of hosting." Armstrong initially rose to fame as part of the design duo Anthony Nak, which won the esteemed Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award for accesso- ries design in 2005. He launched his eponymous collection in 2011; from his South Congress studio, Armstrong sells his precious jewel work internationally and nationally, including at Barney's and locally at By George. By George, 524 N. Lamar Blvd., 512-472-5951; bygeorgeaustin.com; nakarmstrong.com AW INSIGHT EvEnt: Beauty Unveiled What: A cocktail party and seated dinner, followed by an afterparty and concert WhEn: November 13, cocktail party at 6:30 pm, dinner at 7:30 pm (sold out), afterparty at 9 pm WhErE: Brazos Hall, 204 E. 4th St. ContaCt: hospiceaustin.org 40 AUSTINWAY.com style style of Generosity