setting records and restarting traditions

Photo by The Roosevelt New Orleans, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel/Oscar Rajo

Two triumphant events rolled out last week in New Orleans. The first was a real-life breaking of a world record as Ribbons Rock the Runway saw some 430 models take to the stage in a single fashion show. The cancer fundraiser beat the previous record, set in Madrid, of 421 people, and an official from the Guiness Book of World Records was there to adjudicate and certify the achievement. All of the money raised went to the WE LIFT YOU UP fund, helping women find a path forward after a cancer diagnosis by offering a sisterhood of support and year-round empowering activities. Artwork from the night (pictured above, left) by the artist Frenchy is still available to be bid on - his works go for thousands in galleries, so click here if you’re interested in snapping it up. 

Meanwhile, The Blue Room and Sazerac bar of the historic Roosevelt Hotel welcomed back its renowned “Stormin’ of the Sazerac” celebration. “Stormin’ of the Sazerac” raises a glass to the fearless group of women who stormed the hotel’s Sazerac Bar in 1949 demanding equality, and a drink, during a time when women were only allowed to be served on Mardi Gras at the bar. At the glamorous, sold-out event, almost 200 guests, dressed in stunning 1940s fashions, gathered in the Blue Room to enjoy lunch, a fashion show designed by New Orleans’ Yvonne LaFleur, and the induction of this year’s Reigning Spirit of the Sazerac, Ti Martin, of legendary restaurant Commander’s Palace.“The Storming of the Sazerac symbolizes some of the things I love most about this town. People, a bunch of strong dames in this case, banding together to force important changes, like the right for women to drink in any establishment they damn well please,” said Martin. “A perfect reminder of the zest for life and tenacity of the women of New Orleans. Whether storming the halls of Congress demanding help after Katrina or barreling through the door of the Sazerac Bar, make way for the women of New Orleans. “ Following lunch, guests gathered in the lobby to reenact the historic 1949 moment of those courageous ladies “Stormin’” the Sazerac Bar.