The show goes on at Bette Midler’s Hulaween fundraiser

In the face of mass power outages, flooding, and the endless wail of sirens in Manhattan following Hurricane Sandy, Bette Midler insisted that the show must go on at her 17^th annual Hulaween fundraising gala. According to Bette’s Twitter, the flamboyant evening at the Waldorf Astoria raised $1.8 million for New York Restoration Project, the nonprofit organization she founded in 1995 to beautify and conserve the city’s green spaces.

Bette honored the party’s French theme by dressing as zombie Coco Chanel, sporting a black bob and classic skirt-suit, and hamming it up with a colossal pair of fabric scissors. Performer Debbie Harry showed off her age-defying gams in a feathery Moulin Rouge showgirl costume, while Debra Messing inspired awe as Marie Antoinette, and costume judge Michael Kors rocked the staples of a French caricature (beret, stripes, neckerchief et baguette) alongside husband Lance LePere in matching garb. Also spotted in the crowd was Dita Von Teese, cutting a sharp silhouette in a sassy top hat and tails, as well as Broadway star Evan Jonigkeit and Betsy Mugavero as Beauty and the Beast.

Other guests arrived as cheese, absinthe and other French products we all love. We hope some of the funds raised help to get New York’s parks and green spaces back up to par in the weeks following the storm!

Shirin Borthwick
Photos: Shirin Borthwick