Overheard: “You Look Great! Is it Winter in Miami or Cosmetic Surgery?”

The very dapper Anthony Corey with PR icon Colette Phillips. / Photo by Eric Antoniou

Boston’s swankiest cocktail reception took place in the Back Bay atrium adjoining Davio’s restaurant when Community Servings held its annual LifeSavor benefit. The charity, which grew out of the AIDS crisis, provides medically tailored meals to families impacted by chronic and critical illness, and increased need means that they now deliver more than 20,000 meals per week, or 1 million a year. As a result, they’ve outgrown their Jamaica Plain headquarters, and at the party, CEO David Waters announced the opening of a satellite operation in Mansfield—which prompted someone to remark, “I never thought Mansfield would get a standing ovation.”

The evening started with drinks and general merriment before everyone scattered to different restaurants and venues for intimate dinner parties. Front and center that night were former board chair Karen Bressler and her affable other half, Scott Epstein; real estate bigwig Ken Tutunjian; painter extraordinaire Anthony Corey; power couple Dan Moon and Harry Collings; Blue Cross Blue Shield VP Jeff Bellows; professional do-gooder Saskia Epstein; BECMA head Nicole Obi (in a fabulous red dress); patrician restaurateur George Lewis Jr.; doting dads Andrew Sessa and Brian Sandstrom; banking exec Joan Christel; and one person who greeted a friend by saying, “You look great! Is it winter in Miami or cosmetic surgery?”

Then there was the woman who had to explain to her husband, “I’m not talking about a blond man named Bob. I said, ‘She has a blond bob.’ As in haircut.” To which the husband replied: “So her husband’s name is not Bob?”

However, the evening’s funniest remark came from the parent who said, “Yesterday, my five-year-old asked me why I was always looking at my laptop or phone. I said, ‘You’re right, sweetie. I should be more present. Just give me two more minutes to finish this email.’”

Author and honoree Dave Eggers with board chair Alyce Lee and event co-chair Lisa Pierpont. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

Calling All Bookworms

The venue was new, but there was still a high-minded Ivy League vibe to Literary Lights, the annual fundraiser to preserve the BPL’s Special Collections, which was held this year at the Fairmont Copley Plaza by the Associates of the Boston Public Library. Cochairs Christy Cashman, Lisa Pierpont, and Julia Shivers, along with board chair Alyce Lee, hosted a heady mix of writers, bibliophiles, and black-tie habitués at the dinner, which honored distinguished authors Jill Lepore, Heather Cox Richardson, Alex Beam, Dave Eggers, Claudia Rankine, and Scott Turow. As always, guests left weighed down with killer swag, namely books by the evening’s awardees.

Renowned historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and Boston Globe Media CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

Master of historical fiction William Martin. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

The fashion trifecta of Sofia Ostrer, Melissa Steffy, and Sarah Mars. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

Tequila titan Emilia Fazzalari and Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck. / Photo by Invincible Multimedia

Staying Power

That shift in gravitational force you felt might have been the top brass in business, sports, and more heading over to the ’Quin House for a party hosted by cofounder Sandy Edgerley to celebrate this magazine’s 150 Most Influential Bostonians issue. NBC10 Boston anchor Latoyia Edwards served as emcee, and remarks came from Boston editor Chris Vogel, Boston Foundation head Lee Pelton, and NWN Carousel bigwig Andrew Gilman.

Chris Vogel, Latoyia Edwards, Sandy Edgerley, and Lee Pelton. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

Broadway legend and A.R.T. head honcha Diane Paulus. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

Andrew Gilman of NWN Carousel speaks to the crowd. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

Restaurant partners Eric Papachristos, Jody Adams, and Jonathan Mendez. / Photo by Michael Blanchard