More sparkle for this year’s prestigious Butterfly Ball

One of the UK’s most exclusive charity balls has re-named its annual fundraiser in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations.

The re-branded “Diamond” Butterfly Ball is an annual fundraiser, staged by national charity Caudwell Children, which attracts worldwide media attention and a host of A List stars; and will take place on Thursday, May 31st.

Each year the event raises millions of pounds to help change the lives of sick and disabled children living in the UK. In 2011 alone the Butterfly Ball raised £2.2million, which has helped change the lives of hundreds of disabled children in desperate need.

In previous year’s the prestigious evening staged at Battersea Evolution has included live performances from an array of world famous artists, including Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Sir Elton John and the late Whitney Houston.

This year’s live act is still a closely guarded secret.

The 2012 event will be hosted by West End star Jonathan Wilkes and the fundraising auction will be led by former politician and best-selling author, Jeffrey Archer.

Trudi Beswick, Chief Executive of Caudwell Children, said “Since launching our flagship fundraiser in London during 2007, the event has gone from strength to strength.

The charity is truly privileged to receive the support we do year on year and in 2012 we hope to build on this success.

We have named this year’s event the Diamond Butterfly Ball to celebrate the festivities taking place on Jubilee weekend.

The success of the ball is crucial in our bid to provide a lifeline to disabled children and their families by providing vital donations of treatment, therapy, equipment and family support services.”

To date Caudwell Children has provided services worth over £17 million to thousands of children with over 350 different medical conditions.

The Caudwell Children Diamond Butterfly Ball will take place at Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, London, on Thursday, May 31st from 6.30pm.

Anyone interesting in attending the event or receiving more information should contact the Caudwell Children events team on 01782 600611 or email events@caudwellchildren.com

Bob Mackie Debuts Series of Fashion and Costume Illustrations

Legendary fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie is launching the first series of his fashion and costume illustrations for sale exclusively at BobMackie.com and on the Bob Mackie Facebook Fanpage. The illustrations, curated from Mackie’s extensive archives, showcase Mackie’s exquisite, imaginative, whimsical and wonderfully glamorous designs over the past four decades.

The first series of reproductions, comprising 46 illustrations, are fine art giclees, printed on archival stock, and sold stylishly matted and framed. Each illustration is available in two sizes, 14″x17″ ($69) and 21″x25″ ($179).

Bob Mackie’s stunning costume designs have earned him nine Emmy Awards, 31 Emmy Award nominations and three Oscar nominations. His innovative work in the entertainment world, including designing costumes for “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” is legendary. His awe-inspiring costumes have been worn by hundreds of celebrities including Carol Burnett, Cher, Tina Turner, Pink, Katy Perry, Eva Longoria, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Diahann Carroll, Diana Ross, Madonna, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez , and of course, Barbie. The crowning achievement, thus far, is his 2002 induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Mackie is the only costume designer in the Television Hall of Fame.