“The Fashionista event of the year“ – that is what one of the attendees called the Eighth Annual Silk Threads Charity Gala on Oct 14th. The event benefited the Asia Center at University of Dallas, and was held at the new Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center on UTD campus.

The morning started with an interview of Ruby Bhandari, CEO of Silk Threads, on Fox4 News, talking about the event and giving a sneak peek of what to expect.

The evening weather was perfect for the gala – clear skies, and pleasant – and the location was sparkling. The decor, provided by Decor by Faiza, was fabulous and matched the colorful theme – which was the influence of fashion on cinema. This year again saw a sold-out crowd of Dallas’ who’s-who come out dressed in their finest.

By 6:30 pm, everyone was in place, with volunteers and wait staff looking sharp dressed in black, the drink sponsors Kruto vodka, Ironroot Republic Gin and Bourbon, and Topo Chico, as well as food sponsors The Gardens Restaurant and Bombay Chopstix ready and waiting for the guests. A dessert table was setup inside the hall, featuring Indian sweets from Royal Sweets and pastries from Delicious Cakes.

The VIP reception started at 7 pm, with guests mingling, photographers busily clicking, and bloggers live-blogging. Quite a few of the local media personalities were present from organizations like Fox, ABC, TV Asia and Dallas Morning News.

The show itself was divided into multiple segments, showing the progression of fashion from 70’s to modern day, and the influence of Hollywood on Indian cinema to begin with, and how the trend has slightly reversed nowadays. Over 40 models from different agencies, including Bella Modeling School, participated in the show. Ruby Bhandari, the Chief Designer of Silk Threads, created different looks to highlight this underlying theme, and each of her pieces drew appreciation from the crowd.

The Master of Ceremonies was LeeAnn Locken, the star of Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of Dallas. The show was kicked off by a mesmerizing song by a local singer, Priyanka. LeeAnn kept the crowd entertained, as the models changed between segments.

Terry Gajraj, the famous Indo-Carribbean singer from New York, performed a song – his take on the famous “Om Shanti Om” song from a Bollywood movie, which really got the crowd in the mood. Terry was brought to Dallas by the Platinum Sponsor of the Gala, Pete Persaud Productions, which is also shooting a music video with Terry in Dallas.

The final segment was themed “The Monsoon Wedding“, which showcased the men’s and women’s bridal line from Ruby Bhandari. All the pieces in the line were head-turners, with attendees mentally booking some of the pieces for themselves.

The party wasn’t over yet. Outspoken Visions Entertainment and DJ Raj from Stereo Nation LA took over from here, and brought the crowd to their feet – dancing away till it was closing time!

This event raised more funds than any of Silk Threads’ previous Galas – and all proceeds are being used to setup a scholarship at UTD. As Sanjeeb Samanta, one of the guests, said “Great event!

I know it takes a lot to put these together and the amount of planning that goes into it. Your team did great and the designs and show was impressive. As an alum of UTD, thanks for supporting one of our programs. As an active leader in the DFW non-profit community, thank you for your compassion and generosity every year to support different causes and groups.

We need more people in the DFW community with your heart and will”!

Ruby Bhandari, CEO of Silk Threads said, ” Thanks to all our guests, volunteers and sponsors for their effort to provide educational opportunities for the needy. We are amazed at the support, and this is what keeps us trying to raise the bar for our events every year”.