M. de Phocas designers Jesus Torres and Alexis Zambrano with Patricia Harteneck, Yaz Hernandez and Leticia Presutti.

El Museo del Barrio’s 19th Spring gala was held on May 17th at Cipriani on 42nd Street in the heart of New York City. Various celebrities and fashion world luminaries attended the lively event which is among the most important Latino fundraisers in New York. The highlight of the evening was honoring the Cuban-American fashion designer, Narciso Rodriguez.

Actress Julianna Margulies, Fashion Designer Narciso Rodriguez and Yaz Hernandez.

A sea of fashion designers such as Bibhu Mohapatra, Cristian Cota, Carlos Campos  and editors from Vogue and W Magazines among others intermingled, as actress Julianna Margulies presented the award for Excellence in the Arts to Rodriguez for his longtime patronage to El Museo del Barrio. Margulies described the designer as “the only designer to win two consecutive CFDA awards for women’s wear and her dear friend for the past 18 years”.

Carolina Herrera

Fashion designer Carolina Herrera also served as presenter, bestowing Yaz Hernández with a trustee leadership award for her generosity, exemplary years of service and influential work on the museum’s Executive Committee. Ruben and Isabel Toledo presented Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. with the 2012 Corporate Excellence in Arts Award as the company celebrates the 150th anniversary of their founding in Santiago de Cuba.

Ruben and Isabel Toledo.

The glamorous fundraising event benefits New York’s leading Latino cultural institution and was chaired by Nina Garcia, Alex González and Sarah G. Wolfe. All honorees received a one of a kind piece designed by jeweler John Hardy.

Leslie Sardiñas, Rafa Marquez y Jaydy Michel and GRB Communications’ Gabriel Rivera-Barraza.

Fashion Designer Bibhu Mohapatra and Model, Mackenzie Hamilton. American Vogue’s Valerie Boster.

American Vogue’s Valerie Boster, Fashion Designer Christian Cota and Eugenia Gonzalez.

Marjorie Gubelmann, Carlos Mota and Nina Garcia. Monica Zaldivar.

Fashion Stylist Claudia Talamas, Karla Martinez and Menswear Designer Carlos Campos.

Jose Solis Betancourt, Yaz Hernandez, Valentin Hernandez Jr. and Makeup Artist Karlo Karlo.

Models in Narciso Rodriguez Dresses and Carlos Campos Menswear. From left, Anita Hodosi, Julia,Wayne Stephens, Jordan Hathaway, Daniel Broitman, and Dontus Borg.

Julianna Margulies and American Vogue’s Fashion Director, Tonne Goodman.

Victor Vargas

Since 1994, Victor Vargas has been masterminding fashion, celebrity and cover sittings for some of the world's most prestigious publications, working with such stars as Milla Jovovich, Iman, Isabella Rossellini, Carmen Electra and Ryan Reynolds. He has been creating editorial and advertising images with an eclectic mix of photographers on a wide range of projects from a Courvoisier Campaign with Karina Taira, an Eli Lilly campaign with Hollywood legend Julie Andrews and photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders to styling all of the Editors in Chief at Hearst Publications. With a natural talent and eye for polished looks, Victor has worked alongside fashion's elite for the last 15 years, including such entities as the art world's Tina Barney. The assignment was a double page spread commissioned by VOGUE HOMME'S Richard Buckley. His career as fashion editor and stylist reads like a "Who's Who" of the international fashion world. Having started his career at the young age of 22 at San Francisco's society paper, The Nob Hill Gazette, Victor has since moved on to style for publications such as PAPER, IN STYLE and the LA Times Magazine among others. Victor has served as contributing fashion editor for SOMA as well as Singapore's Brave Magazine. He's worked with new and established Hollywood royalty (Chloe Sevigny, Christina Ricci, Eartha Kitt and Tim Burton to name a few). He has also worked on a sea of fashion stories, TV commercials and advertising campaigns. As fashion editor at Improper Bostonian magazine, he began writing about designers such as Michael Bastian and Alessandra Facchinetti. Victor is represented by Stockland Martel in New York and is the founder of LUXETIGERS. He and his two miniature pinschers now split their time between San Francisco and New York City.
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