For the Dogs

Tonight was to have been one of animal activist Wendy Diamond's biggest and best Howlaween celebrations to date. The annual event is regarded as a must-attend party by dog-lovers and Halloween revelers alike, attracting a celebrity crowd that is beautiful, fun and of course, canine friendly.

This year's venue, brand-new danceteria District 36, on West 36th Street, is one of the fall's most-buzzed-about openings. And yet, the nightclub preview that guests expected to have this evening was simply not to be. Instead, thanks to a negative ruling by the NYC Board of Health concerning dogs and food occupying the same space, guests arrived at District 36 to closed doors plastered with signs redirecting them 20 blocks south, to 14th Street. It was there that another new spot, Snap, owned by Matthew Isaacs, had generously come to the rescue. Coincidentally, Snap was celebrating a low-key friends and family preview before its own opening next week and agreed to host the party at the 11th hour. But no sooner than you could say "Oh, snap," the redirected guests told that here, too, dogs would not be allowed inside. Thank you, New York City Health Department.

With a "show must go on" attitude that only a dynamo like Diamond could muster, she and her longtime friends Sandra DeFeo and Anne-Marie Karash from the Humane Society of New York decided to hold the dog costume contest and judging right on the sidewalk. (Much to the chagrin of the NYPD.) In front of a hastily arranged step and repeat affixed to a plywood construction barricade, celebrity judges Dylan Lauren (daughter of Ralph and founder of the delightful Candy Bar); high-society gal Tinsley Mortimer (in pigtails); and ubiquitous TV personality Sara Gore, looking glam and Gatsbyesque, presided over a contest that included purebreds and mutts dressed as everthing from Cleopatra to a centipede.

It was most certainly not the sort of night anyone had imagined it would be, and yet, tempers remained calm as the good dog people in attendance mixed and mingled just as they would have in a nightclub. (Albeit sans cocktails and thumping house music.)

Despite the circumstances, every dog did indeed have his day, with multiple prizes awarded before the group went home with tales (and tails!) to tell to loved ones of a crazy New York night.

Want to see who won? Watch for the top dog and his owner to appear with Diamond on the Today show this Friday.

Diamond in the Ruff (Party 2)

Last night, animal lovers, royalty and other friends of author, animal activist and philanthropist Wendy Diamond gathered to toast her on her birthday at a private residence in Millennium Towers, overlooking Central Park. Guests included Prince Waldemar ZuSchaumburg-Lippe Nachod of Denmark and Animal Planet stars Victoria Stilwell (host of It’s Me or The Dog, seen with Diamond at left) and Lincoln O’Barry, whose three-part series, Blood Dolphins, premieres August 27. A special toast was given to Lincoln's father, Ric O’Barry, who starred in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove.

Other guests included Scott Delman, Nunu Deng, Alex Goldberg, Melissa Breitbart Sohn, Robin Cofer, author Anisha Lakhani, Anita Sarko, Heidi Kelso, and United Nations Executive Director of Partnerships Amir Dossal, along with his wife, Tas, and son, Zecki. Last but certainluy not least was Diamond's Maltese rescue, Lucky, who had plenty of company thanks to the other four-legged friends who made it to the event.

For slideshow, click here.

Diamond in the Ruff

Animal activist, author and New Yorker about town Wendy Diamond (center, left) hosted a birthday party at Philippe in East Hampton last night, complete with a fashion show by designer Richie Rich. The jubilant night was one for the dogs...literally, as proceeds from the party went to help the Humane Society of New York, one of Diamond's (forgive the pun) pet causes.

Also in the house was fellow animal lover Paul McCartney, who had popped into Philippe for dinner. No word on whether Macca was able to catch a scant glimpse of Richie Rich's scanty clothing line.

For slideshow, click here.

East End Goes Eco!

On Saturday night, environmentally conscious sophisticates found themselves among the stables and vineyards of the famously eco-friendly Wölffer Vineyard Estate in Sagaponack, where they dined alongside other members of the glitterati at the the 2010 Green Gala, benefitting the Group for the East End. This barking good time was characterized by balmy Hamptons breezes, willowy beauties and truly divine cuisine. In their efforts to protect and restore eastern Long Island while encouraging an environmentally conservative ethic, the Group for the East End recruited the most prolific local chefs to craft dishes from the farm-fresh foods that have come to define dining in the Hamptons.

While indulging in the culinary creations of the likes of James Carpenter, Tom Schaudel, Michael Dean Ross, and Brian Fishman, guests mingled with the big names responsible for the success of the event. Acclaimed fashion designer Nicole Miller, heiress Amanda Hearst, Campion and Tatiana Platt, Summer Rayne Oakes and the elegant Kick Kennedy rounded out the star-studded roster of attendees.

Cocktails and a silent auction set the initial tone of the evening, followed by a decadent three-course meal paired with the vineyard’s own signature wines. The music of Henry Haid and The Only in America band brought guests to their feet as the dusk bled into starry night. Food, friends, and a common concern for the delicate ecosystems that make earth the liveliest planet of them all made the Ecofabulous Green Gala an event to be remembered. The Group for the East End knows that for all of its idyllic luxury, the Hamptons are an important home for an entire host of life, regardless of the size of their estate. --WENDY DIAMOND

For more pix from the party, click here.

If You Have to Ask How Much...

One can always dream, right? Christie's expects the Evening Star diamond, which was plucked from the Golconda mines of India, to sell for anywhere between $3.6 and $5.5 million. It is part of the Magnificent Jewels from a Distinguished Private Collector sale, which takes place next Thursday, December 10. In addition, Bulgari, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, will be auctioning off jewelry and watches with a total value of $4 million at Christie's on December 8. Proceeds will go to Save the Children's Rewrite the Future project.

If you like sparkle, you'd better reserve your paddle now.

Gone to the Dogs

We've all seen them on the streets of New York....hapless canines dressed in "cute" outfits by their owners. "Get me out of here," the dogs' eyes seem to plead, as the biped holding the leash grins from ear to ear about how adorable the ensemble looks on his or her pet.

Not so the dogs at Howlaween last night, an event benefitting the Humane Society of New York and sponsored by Wendy Diamond and Animal Fair magazine. Dressed as characters from the Big Bad Wolf to Shrek's Princess Fiona, Jackie O to hero pilot "Sully" Sullenberger, these pooches loved every minute of being in Halloween costume. Parading on a runway at M2 Ultralounge, in Chelsea, the dogs (and their costumed caretakers) delighted a standing-room-only crowd that came out to enjoy the kind of creativity that was truly something to bark about.

Celebrity judges for the night included the cast of National Geographic's Rescue Ink,  Real Housewives of New York's Ramona Bass and Miss Teen USA, Stormi Bree Henley. For more pictures of man's best friends lapping it up on the runway, click here.