Consignment sale benefits Prom Wishes

Green Jeans Consignment, a popular consignment sale, will have a pre-sale shopping event limited to 50 women at 7 p.m. March 25 to benefit Prom Wishes, a program sponsored by the Statesville nonprofit Faithful Steps, which helps dress teens in need for their proms. 

We are so honored to be the beneficiary of the Green Jeans’ charity pre-sale," said Faithful Steps President Tori Cearlock in a statement released to the media.  "With the donation, we will be able to enhance the Prom Wishes experience by not only offering beautiful dresses and accessories, but salon gift certificates for hair and nails. We know this will show the love of Christ to these wonderful girls, especially on their special night."


Tickets to the Prom Wishes benefit are $12 each. The consignment sale opens to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 26-28, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 29. Most items will be marked half-price March 28-29. Teachers with ID are invited to shop during the half-price pre-sale event at 6:30 p.m. March 27. 

The sale takes place inside Merinos Home Furnishings, 500 S. Main St., Mooresville. Details:  www.greenjeanssale.com. 

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Viking apocalypse y'all

I was at the Wolfman Pizza at Cotswold recently and got a kick out of the restaurant's menus that resemble newspapers with funny headlines.

As a  redhead with Viking ancestors who was born in the South, I had to take a photo of this headline. It truly turns over my tickle box. I think I just came up with the theme for my next party.

A few days later, I was at Park Road Shopping Center and saw a car with possibly my favorite bumper sticker ever (only because I haven't seen a sticker that says Viking apocalypse y'all). I'm a huge Scooby-Doo fan - when I was a kiddie I would gather all my stuffed animals together and we would watch the Saturday morning cartoon together - so this made my day.

Follow Olivia on Twitter @oliviafortson

Bechtler Museum gala March 28

ARTchitecture, cleverly billed as an evening built for fun and philanthropy, is the theme of this year’s annual fundraising gala for the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art inspired by the museum’s current exhibit, “Mario Botta: Art and Architecture.”

I don’t want to give away all the details about the March 28 party, but a specially constructed entry is being built for the gala that will blend art and architecture through sculpture, dance and musical performances.

Create-your-own dessert stations, craft cocktails and gourmet hors d’oeuvres are also part of the fun.

Individual tickets are $150. If you buy a ticket at the $250 level by Tuesday you’ll receive recognition in the event program and an invitation to a pre-gala reception. 

Details: www.bechtler.org. 

Follow Olivia on Twitter @oliviafortson

Prom dress sale

I'm working on a story about prom dress trends, so I called Tracy Burke, owner of Charlotte Prom by New York Bride & Groom, located at 4618 South Boulevard. 

During our conversation, she told me that the prom side of the store is closing and all the dresses are priced at $100. The store carries all the major prom dress lines including Sherri Hill, Toni Bowls, Flirt, Night Moves, Blush, Paparazzi and more. 

The original prices range from $400 to $2000. All the prom store's accessories are 50 percent off, too. When I talked to her this afternoon, there were 200 dresses left. 

Burke decided to dedicate a space in her bridal store to prom because of requests from customers, but after a year she's decided to go back to focusing just on brides and grooms. 

The store's hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Sunday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday. 

Details: 704-529-8424; www.charlottepromdress.com.

Follow Olivia on Twitter @oliviafortson

Hoops Madness for Mitchell's Fund

When the three-month-old son of  Meg McElwain and Frank Turner III was diagnosed with pediatric cancer in 2012, the family was stunned by the number of their family, friends and business associates who offered to give them money to help with medical expenses. 

They quickly realized that they wanted to use the money to start a foundation that would help parents who were struggling with the financial hardship of having a sick child.

"When you see a child go through chemotherapy - whether it's your own or someone else's - it's shocking," says McElwain. "We looked around and realized we wanted to help families who didn't have the great jobs or the great insurance that we have."

They started the Mitchell Bays Turner Pediatric Fund and organized its first fundraiser last year. Called Hoops Madness for Mitchell's Fund, it raised $75,000 and was such a hit that it's moving to a larger venue for this year's event on March 22 at SMS Catering. (Tickets are $75 at www.mitchellsfund.org.)

So far, the fund has helped struggling families with expenses that they could not have covered on their own including assistance with mortgage payments or car payments for parents who are underemployed or unemployed due to the time-consuming task of caring for their sick child, and the travel costs of taking a child with a life-threatening illness to another city for additional specialized care.

The party itself has healing powers of its own.

"It's a very casual, fun-loving party," says McElwain. "It completely recharged us. We could be normal for a night." 

Carmen Marc Valvo at Neiman Marcus March 6

Eveningwear designer Carmen Marc Valvo will be at Neiman Marcus at SouthPark mall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 6 to work one-on-one with clients.

Models will be there showing off his latest collection from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

I had the chance to interview him recently about fashion trends and entertaining and here's what he had to say: 

What's the inspiration behind your spring collection? "My summer garden. It's all about color; pink and corals with metallic and floral prints."

Do you think it's fine for women to wear cocktail attire to black tie events? "If you're going to wear cocktail to a black tie event  it should be special. A simple little black dress will not do. It should be embellished and elegant and look like an evening dress."

Are there any fashion mistakes that drive you crazy? "Over accessorization! For evening, I like to see the woman shine. A beautiful fitted gown and some simple earrings are more than enough."

What's your favorite spring trend? "The return to lady-like dressing."

What's your favorite way to entertain?  "When I entertain at home, I like to host small dinner parties where I can cook for my guests." 

Follow Olivia on Twitter @oliviafortson