STYLE

Rubbing elbows with stars of style

What a weekend — not just the Rolling Stones but the pre-Stones parties, too.

First, let the record show that designer Zac Posen complimented me on my Michael Kors sandals, which I bought at a sample sale for a mere $50! I was allowed to interview Posen for five whole minutes Saturday before St. Thomas Boutique's Look For Love gala benefiting the Austin Museum of Art. It's tough to warm anyone up in just five minutes, but he was ever so charming.

The gala was a smashing success, and guessing from the exorbitant amounts people spent in the live auction — almost $3,000 for a Yorkshire terrier puppy! $16,000 to go to a few shows at New York Fashion Week! — it was a financial success as well.

The empty lot at Third and Guadalupe streets was transformed into a swanky New York-style lounge. The lounge format was a stroke of genius, because in years past, when they went with a conventional runway layout, people seemed a bit awkward and unsure what to do with themselves or where to look. This time, they were visibly more at ease.

The show itself, Zac Posen's spring collection, was gorgeous. Top model Erin O'Connor and rock royal Lizzie Jagger were in the lineup. Proud papa Mick Jagger made a brief appearance.

Afterward, I headed to the after-party at the Four Seasons, which was hopping between all the partiers, the Rolling Stones encamped there and a large wedding.

Jagger stood a few feet from where I sat, unknotted a pink sweater from around his shoulders and pulled it on. He left after a few minutes. Never mind that we never spoke or even made eye contact. I don't care. In the retelling to future generations, that was the night I partied with Mick Jagger.

Sunday, I made my way to Zilker Park for the Stones concert. I had a strange feeling, because it felt like going to the Austin City Limits Festival but much more peaceful (until the Stones came on, of course), much less hot (actually there was a nip in the air) and with a much higher average age.

The backstage pass fairy paid me a surprise visit, and suddenly I was hobnobbing in the VIP lounge during Los Lonely Boys' set. I said hello again to Zac Posen. I wandered around until the Stones went on, but I did not actually lay eyes on any Stones until they took the stage.

The backstage area is anything but intimate. Mainly, I gained a sense of what a massive enterprise the concert was. All those trucks, all those people, all that steel.

Because the show was being filmed for a DVD and everything needed to look good, security was tighter than usual. Even backstage, they were extra controlling about where people could stand, so random faces wouldn't show up in shots.

After the show, I was heading to the Continental Club.

There will be many a working stiff with red eyes Monday, and I will be one of them.

jscheidnes@statesman.com; 445-3974