VIENNA, May 18, 2009 / FW/ — With a list of celebrity attendees that rivaled the currently on-going Cannes, the 17th Annual Life Ball was held at the Vienna City Hall last Saturday, May 16th living up to its name of being Europe’s largest and most spectacular annual charity event dedicated to raising support for the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS.
With Bill Clinton, Katy Perry, Eva Longoria, Pamela Anderson, Ivana Trump, Dianne Brill, Tinsley Mortimer, Lydia Hearst, Alan Cumming, Patricia Field, The Blonds among the world’s most recognizable faces attending, Life Ball reinvents the great Viennese Ball tradition with glamorous, outlandish performances and inspirational speeches while celebrating the beauty of life and the diversity of world cultures.
A sparkling show with a series of music and dance performances opened the event on the square in front of the picturesque Vienna City Hall. Each year, some 40,000 Viennese, the international media and the city’s guests from around the world gather on the square to experience this glittering spectacle at close range.
Amongst the highlights of the opening show is the award ceremony of the Crystal of Hope, an award endowed with 100,000 Euro donated by Swarovski that honors the work and dedication of pioneers in the field of HIV/AIDS.
President Bill Clinton and Fran Drescher, known for her role in the TV-series the Nanny, was on stage when a representative of the William J. Clinton Foundation receives the award.
Since 2005 Life Ball has partnered with amfAR (the foundation for AIDS research). The funding from Life Ball made available to amfAR benefits the TREAT Asia project, a network of clinics, hospitals, and research institutions working to ensure the safe and effective delivery of HIV/AIDS treatments throughout Asia and the Pacific.
After Sharon Stone, who has visited Life Ball for the last three years, it will be Eva Longoria, known for her role in the TV-series Desperate Housewives, represented amfAR for this year.
A fashion show was also held wherein famed stylist Patricia Fields presented The Blonds, a label by designing duo Phillipe and David Blond. Taking the fashion world by storm with their mantra “You don’t have to be blond to be Blond” Phillipe and David created styles that are closer to the pulse of fashion than the conventional street wear, which by the way is the genre where their collection are supposed to belong.
Elaborate couture with sex appeal and highest glamour factor, flamboyant outfits with stunning accessories, glittering, sparkling and striking – for a life in the spotlight.
Stars such as Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Shakira, Madonna, Britney Spears or Dita von Teese love clothes by The Blonds for their grand appearances.
Supermodel Amber Valetta Ivana Trump played a special role during one of the performances.
