Remember those shampoo commercials from the '70s? You know, the ones where each friend "told two friends, and they told two friends," and so on? Stepping into the ballroom at the Fairmont for that San Franciscan social institution, the Junior League of San Francisco fashion show, the Socialist couldn't help but think of those commercials. Or that he had crashed a reunion of Tri Delts.

With such an incredible turnout—the banquet rooms filled to the gills with women—it was clear that the JLSF does a better job of getting its members to toe the party line than a Congressional majority leader does. Considering that attendance at charity events around town is down significantly (it's the war, stupid!), chairs Susan Malott and Gaby Jackson Renstrom accomplished a minifeat when they delivered a packed audience at four separate Junior League fashion shows.

People turned up for their friends rather than for the fashions. Some came to see their husbands and children strut and pose down the catwalk. For Carolyn Duryea, formerly of Atherton, now of Hourglass Wines in Napa, the purpose was to cheer on Gaby. Dressed in a slim-and-trim printed vintage Yohji Yamamoto top, Duryea clearly wasn't there for the technicolor Lily Pulitzer fashions on the runway (they weren't kidding around when they titled the event Vivid), even if the production and models came with the gloss and patina of a professional fashion show.

A blast from the past blew into town, turning up at the show. Cathleen Ristow Lambridis, a former social fixture who decamped to Athens, Greece (along with her Greek husband), for almost a decade, was back in the city to help pal Angela Alioto in her mayoral run.

"It's strange to be back here," said Lambridis, remembering once again how small and insular the city's social swirl really is (and noting its musical chairs of marriages and divorces). Well, she's not long for the city: Once again single, she's poised to accept a job in Brussels working on the social side of things (diplomatic functions, protocol) for the American ambassador to NATO.

The protocol at the annual Bark & Whine Ball was a different animal entirely—guests' pets take center stage. Groomed, fluffed, and festooned in boas, tiaras, masks, and jewelry, the pets paraded around S.F.'s Gift Center. (Now if we could get some of our charity circuit-goers to take such fashion risks.)

There's nothing quite like the effect of animals at a party to loosen up the ambience (how can you be serious when a pit bull in a skirt wiggles past you?) and break down social barriers. Whereas at most events around town, you rarely speak to someone without an introduction, people went up to strangers to talk about their pets. So you have Wilkes Bashford (sans his dachshund), accompanied by his date, Jeannie Taylor, casually mingling and making acquaintances with some of the city's finest four-legged friends.

"I saw the most beautiful French bulldog puppy," Wilkes told the Socialist as he pulled me along

to meet the pup. "He's only four months old."

"It's a crack-up," said one young socialista. "With all the leash laws, it's great to have a place where dogs run free and can take center stage."

But enough about dogs. At the annual circus of glamour animals known as the Oscars, the city's Claude Jarman, an Academy Awards winner (1946, Outstanding Child Actor for The Yearling), made the red-carpet rounds with wife Katie Jarman, hitting both the Vanity Fair and the Governors Ball parties, while locals here watched him share the stage with past winners. Originally hesitant about whether to attend the ceremonies, Claude "just had a ball."

Katie herself wore a backless Halston column sheath and the requisite "improbably high heels." By 2 a.m., she and Janet Jackson were commiserating that their feet hurt.

"It was very relaxed at the parties," Katie added. "When you get them among their own crowd, they're very friendly." And so it was with little compunction that Claude approached Nicole Kidman—who graciously obliged—for an autograph for his daughter Sarah, a big fan.

On a more serious note, Roselyne Swig opened her Presidio Heights home to drum up support for the upcoming gala benefiting Partners Ending Domestic Abuse. L.A. Law stars Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry stopped by to give a boost to the cause. Deputy City Attorney Kamala Harris addressed the crowd in Swig's living room and spoke passionately on the darker reality of domestic violence. "It affects everyone in every circle," Harris said, mindful of the life of privilege everyone in the room clearly enjoys. 

Sometimes social happenings aren't a joyous celebration or a political or charitable fund-raiser. The cavernous Grace Cathedral was filled with loved ones, friends, and acquaintances for the memorial service for Bill See, or "Mr. Tiffany," as the 21-year-veteran sales manager of Tiffany was affectionately nicknamed. In honor of See, 47, who had died unexpectedly from bacterial pneumonia, many in attendance wore a piece of jewelry they had bought from See over the years. Earlier in the week, Heidi Cortese Sherman hosted a private cocktail buffet in See's memory at the Four Seasons Hotel. At the party, the centerpieces were inside the signature Tiffany gift boxes. "Bill was a very good, gentle man," said Joy Venturini Bianchi. "He loved parties. People flew in from New York, Seattle, and L.A. to come."

On to a more joyous note: Lori Puccinelli, who introduced herself to the Socialist at the Glitter Ball, talked of her upcoming wedding plans for 400 at pal Gavin Newsom's Lake Tahoe outpost of PlumpJack. She will wed Peter Stern in Squaw Valley on July 5.

"It's going to be really casual," said Puccinelli. "We're going to have burgers, and the bridesmaids are going to wear whatever they want, instead of some ugly dress they're forced to wear."

Among the bridesmaids will be Kimberly Guilfoyle

Newsom and Hilary Newsom (Gavin's sister), while the flower girls will be the daughters of former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci and Knots Landing actress Donna Mills.


Coming Attractions: The Socialist drops in on a tribute to S.F.'s First Lady of Philanthropy, Dede Wilsey.