Did somebody say less glitz?
No, ma’am, this is Detroit. We don’t wait three years for the return of the city’s biggest social event and do less glitz.
When it comes to the Charity Preview, the Detroit auto show gala, think fashion, think dancing, think vehicles, think giant rubber duck.
“This is a life-changing event,” said Karyn Rogers, a Chandler Park teacher glowing in an iridescent floor-length dress. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
The black-tie affair, which opens the latest North American International Auto Show, was so razzmatazz Friday that it couldn’t be bounded by one place, stretching from Hart Plaza to Huntington Place convention center.
Some 6,000 swells in spotless tuxes and glittering gowns sipped champagne as they ogled the latest designs from auto makers. Let’s say the vibe was electric.
Like other auto shows, Detroit scaled back this year as automakers prefer to introduce their newest wares during times when they have all the attention to themselves. The show will offer fewer model debuts and fancy displays.
But somebody forgot to tell the charity gala folks.
It was goodbye frigid January and hello unseasonably warm September. It was no fewer than three stages with Mr. Good Times, Nile Rodgers, on Stage Number One.
Rodgers, a composer and producer in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is known for his dance-floor sensations like “Le Freak.”
“Electric guitars, electric cars — this show is going to rock,” said Joe Lunghamer, the auto show chairman.
All the pols were here and all the car bosses. Standing on stage at the Huntington Place atrium were Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said he was glad to see the show’s return after three long years.
“We are just so pleased to be back here,” he said.
And the bubbly wasn’t the only thing flowing.
The spectacle was expected to raise $3 million for six children’s charities in southeast Michigan, but the numbers won’t be known for several weeks. That comes from the revelers paying $400 a ticket to see and be seen.
Whitmer’s favorite part of the event was the charity. The gala has generated $121 million since its inception in 1976.
“It’s a beautiful, beautiful reason to be back together,” said the governor, sporting a metallic purple A-line dress with a wide collar.
While the hoi polloi hoofed it up at Huntington Plaza, the regular folk got down at Hart Plaza.
One Detroit family stumbled upon the event, no $400 ticket necessary.
Anna Swiontoniowski and her tribe were walking along the riverfront when they saw monster trucks at the plaza. Her son is obsessed with monster trucks, so they joined the celebration.
“The city is so beautiful tonight,” she said. “This weather’s perfect, the sunshine and the river. I think it’s great.”
For those not obsessed with monster trucks, Hart Plaza also featured food trucks and artists’ booths.
At Huntington Place, the autos weren’t the only ones who looked good.
The black tie affair was complemented by all-white looks by women with a few shorter dresses. Sparkly navy and blue dresses of all shades were also prominent.
“It’s a trend. I think the state is going blue,” joked U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat wearing a glittery blue coat over floor-length black dress.
Al Trombetta of Royal Oak wore light-up shoes in honor of the electric cars in America’s future.
He’s a car guy, especially when the car is a Corvette. He has two: a 2022 model and restored 1959 one. Both are red, naturally.
“I have gas in my veins,” he said.
Organizers flirted with the idea of having more casual dress but didn’t do so for a simple reason: people are tired of wearing their pajamas, Lunghamer said.
People were looking for a reason to wear their fanciest threads and the auto show was here to be of service, he said.
“Everyone is so happy to be out and about together, dressed up, having this party,” he said. “It’s exciting because when’s the last time they got dressed up in three years?”
Some attendees said they didn’t mind having the event in January. They said there was little else to do in Detroit during the Siberian season.
In September, locals said they have a lot more options of what to do. But, really, what competes with the Charity Preview?
The Rev. Wendell Anthony, senior pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit who leads the local NAACP branch, was representing with a black blazer with intricate gold sequins on one side.
He said that, with all the electric cars, he felt like he was stepping into the future.
“The future is now,” he said. “I’m seeing so many different things, innovations.”
He said the charity preview was an iconic event, a place to spy cars and old friends. After three years of a pandemic, it was sorely needed, he said.
fdonnelly@detroitnews.com
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