Feb 25, 2007

Valentine's event celebrated with dads, daughters and diamonds

By Janet Duca Norton / Society Columnist

Tiffany & Co. at Stanford Shopping Center hosted its third annual dads and daughters event titled "Moonlight and Diamonds" in honor of the high school seniors who will be presented at this year's Peninsula Ball. This year 40 young women will take their bows at the June event.

Tiffany Director Bebe Kokab and ball committee co-chairs Beth Martin and Nicole Patton welcomed everyone to the Feb. 9 sparkling event.

"It is always a genuine pleasure to celebrate these young women at such a special time in their lives. The sparkle of pride in the eyes of their fathers is as bright as our diamonds," Kokab said, at the first community event since the store had been remodeled.

Kokab had the pleasure of continuing the tradition of presenting each deb with a commemorative silver bracelet. The father-daughter event is a newer tradition, which replaced the long-standing breakfast with the mothers. And the dads had fun selecting Valentine mementos for their wives and daughters.

Many debs were wearing variations of the "little black dress" (celebrating its 75th anniversary) and breathed new life into the fashion tradition forever associated with Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Some of the guests included Avery Wood, Grace Pluvinage, Laura Michelson with her dad Mike Michelson, and Lauren Duncan with her dad Andy Duncan.

The Peninsula Ball, celebrating 47 years of tradition, culminates with a mix of social occasions and community service activities over the course of the year. More than 1,000 families have participated in the celebration of these young women's transition from high school to college. Many debs are legacies, including Kristen Hiller, Katherine Jordan, Samantha Carr, Melissa Davison, Elizabeth Englert, Lauren Olson, Katie Riddle, Melissa Seipp and Alexandra Shepard.

The Peninsula Ball has raised more than $3 million for Family and Children's Services, a nonprofit agency that provides individuals, couples and families throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara County with counseling, education and violence prevention and treatment programs.

E-mail Janet Duca Norton at society@paloaltodaily news.com.