It’s in the Bag: Old Bags Luncheon to Benefit Crosstown Learning Center

By Jason Ashley Wright, Tulsa World, Okla.

Nov. 4–Hundreds of old bags will be at lunch in Southern Hills this week — and hundreds of beautiful women will be vying for them.

It’s time for the Old Bags Luncheon, a benefit for the kids of Crosstown Learning Center, featuring a silent auction of myriad designer bags starting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

Handbags will be available from around the world, with recognizable names like Fendi, Ferragamo, Bruno Magli and Lancel among them, the event’s super-sweet Claudia Abernathy told me.

Also among the 300-plus gently used bags that were donated is a small sterling silver clutch from Istanbul, Turkey, as well as a small black bag covered with chincilla rosettes. Plus, you can bid on bags from two of Oklahoma’s Miss Americas, a bag donated from Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon and a Ralph Lauren bag from the estate of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.

Following the silent auction is a champagne luncheon and style show at noon courtesy of Compliments and Glass Slipper, both of The Plaza, 81st Street and Lewis Avenue.

Only a few tickets ($125 each) are left, so get your skates on, ladies.

Call 392-4152 to reserve your spot. You can also visit www.tulsaworld.com/crosstown for more info.

PAWS for reflection

The Pet Assistance & Welfare Society — PAWS, of course — is running its annual Pet Photo Contest.

The contest runs through Nov. 15, and proceeds benefit the PAWS Spay to Save program, as well as the rescue of sick and injured animals.

Each year, the PAWS’ program helps reduce pet overpopulation in our community by offering spay/neuter assistance to those that can’t afford regular veterinary prices.

You can submit pictures of your furry and fuzzy loved ones in several categories, such as Cutest Dog, Cutest Cat, Best Dressed Pet and more.

An entry donation of $10 is encouraged and very much appreciated. Multiple entries will be accepted.

Mail photos with your name, address and phone number to PAWS of Tulsa, P.O. Box 14038, Tulsa, OK, 74159. Please make checks payable to PAWS of Tulsa. All photos become property of PAWS, and the winning photos will be published in the Tulsa World.

For an entry form, visit www.tulsaworld.com/pawsform. And for more info, call PAWS at 376-2397.

Charitable fraternizing

A professional fraternity is pairing with Dress for Success to do a suit drive Monday through Friday.

Sponsored by The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, Phi Delta Chi Pharmacy Fraternity, the suit drive will be held in the pharmacy wing of the Schusterman Center at 41st Street and Yale Avenue, the entrance of which is located in the southeast parking lot. If you’re directionally challenged, don’t worry — they’ll have signs up on campus to direct you.

Jenna Coxsey, a student at the college and member of Phi Delta Chi, said they’ll be accepting women’s professional clothing, handbags, shoes and jewelry.

Drop off times during the drive are noon to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday and 5-6 p.m. Monday and Thursday. In addition to the drop-off station inside the pharmacy wing, there’s also a car-side drop-off outside the doors all day.

For more info, call 599-8892.

Stylish goings on

Black Optical, 3524 S. Peoria Ave., will host a trunk show of Salt Optics’s 2008 sun and eyewear collection from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday.

For those unfamiliar with Salt Optics, you can see ‘em now before seeing them on the big screen, as my girls in the “Sex in the City” movie will be sporting them, according to store owner Gary Black. And if Carrie Bradshaw puts her seal of approval on them, that’s more than good enough for me.

The designs are beautiful and simple, exhibiting hand-made craftmanship created for people with fresh perspectives on style.

For more info, call Black Optical at 794-8000.

Loops at Utica Square is hosting a showcase of sock-knitting now through Friday.

It’s one of the hottest trends, es pecially among young knitters, said store owner, Shelley Brander.

To encourage local yarn enthusiasts to join the sock-knitting craze, Shelley started a “boot camp for socks,” which will offer basic training in sock knitting under a pink camouflage banner. She’ll have free yarn samples, handouts and, best of all, two free sock-knitting classes — one on Monday, the other on Thursday.

During this time, Loops will also feature TOFUtsies, a runaway hit in the yarn industry this year, Shelley said. TOFUtsies is a blend of superwash wool, Soysilk brand fiber and cotton. It also contains chitin, a fiber made from recycled shrimp and crab shells, which provides natural antibacterial properties. The yarn can be machine-washed and dried, and comes in creative color combinations.

For a complete class schedule, knitters can either call 742-9276 or visit www.tulsaworld.com/loopsclasses.

Miss Jackson’s at Utica Square will host a preview of Israeli designer Yossi Harari’s jewelry on Thursday.

The muse for Harari’s collection is 24-karat gold. From there, each gemstone or cameo or rose-cut diamond is hand-picked, with each piece handcrafted using 2,000-year-old techniques. No two pieces are exactly alike. The designs — strong, exotic and chic — are a stunning symmetry of the modern and the timeless, the material and the sensual, creating wearable art that is yours alone.

A portion of the purchases of Harari’s jewelry will be donated to the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art at 2021 E. 71st St.

For more information, call Miss Jackson’s at 747-8671.

‘Tis the season to care

The 2007 Care Card, which benefits Family & Children’s Services (F&CS), is on sale now at more than 100 Tulsa-area merchants.

The Care Card provides early holiday shopping discounts, all while helping a local nonprofit human service agency.

Care Cards sell for $50 and provide between 10 and 20 percent discounts on merchandise through Nov. 11.

Sponsors for Care Card are Tulsa World, TulsaPeople magazine, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, KJRH channel 2, St. Francis Health System, Harold’s, Moody’s Jewelry and John Daniel Footwear.

Care Cards are sold at most participating stores and Family & Children’s Services’ central office, 650 S. Peoria Ave. For a ist of participating vendors, visit www.tulsaworld.com/f&cscarecard.

And for more information about the Care Card program or Family & Children’s Service, call their office at 587-9471.

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Jason Ashley Wright 581-8483 jason.wright@tulsaworld.com

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Copyright (c) 2007, Tulsa World, Okla.

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