PARIS – The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade and designers Marc Jacobs, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren added A-list sparkle to a sumptuous AIDS charity gala on the margins of Paris' menswear week.
An auction of luxury lots — including a red-crocodile covered bottle of Piper Heidsieck Champagne, invitations to haute couture fashion shows and VIP tickets to a Black Eyed Peas concert — fetched tens of thousands of dollars for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, a charity founded by the late Elizabeth Taylor.
Fergie and Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf were honored for their contributions to the fight against AIDS at Thursday night's dinner, where other A-list guests included German-born actress Diane Kruger, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese and actor Jeremy Iron's son, emerging model Max Irons.
Fergie tried to take to the stage to receive her award but was waylaid by her skirt, a black Louis Vuitton number so narrow she couldn't lift her leg high enough to climb up the steps. Vuitton designer Jacobs, the man behind the hobbling garment, had to help her hop up the stairs.
Finally onstage, Fergie did a victory booty shake and waxed nostalgic about the start of her blockbuster career, saying she "never wanted to be a role model." But as she learned how she could use her celebrity to support causes that she cared about, "I learned to take responsibility for helping other people and started to make up for all the crap I used to do."
The evening also included performances by Irish singer Roisin Murphy and French duo Brigitte, whose head-to-toe sequin outfits stood out even among the outrageously dressed crowd. Other top looks included the two Paris party promoters wearing Swarovski-crystal-covered masks complete with bling bling antlers.
Last year, the first annual Paris amfAR gala raised $180,000 for AIDS research.
Also see: Fergie Pictures
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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