The Galleria Mall at Fort Lauderdale held the 8th Annual Men of Style Fashion Show, on Dec. 4th. Eleven local charities of South Florida each picked a man to represent their charity and strut down the runway.  One of those men was my husband John who represented my charity, the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre (FLCT).

Guests enjoyed a variety of finger foods from local restaurants, bar selections, and live musical entertainment before the event.   They had a few photo booths too.

The different charities compete to get the most attendees and support for their representative. So I invited a dozen neighbors and friends to come out and support us. Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre made up signs to support their Man of Style so people (mostly women) were walking around carrying signs with his face on them.  My husband had groupies!

VIP guests had preferred sitting in front of the runway, private bar access during the event, and an after-party at Blue Martini.  We took our seats and waited for the event to start with our signs ready to go.  This of course was John’s first time strutting his stuff on the runway.  Diana Diaz, the adorable WSVN 7 news anchor,  served as the special guest presenter of this fun holiday kick-off fundraiser.

The highlight of the evening was the high energy runway show featuring the eleven Men of Style honorees who took turns walking the runway between the professional models. Dillard’s and Macy’s provided their latest trend-setting outfits.   John was dressed by Macys.   They had two wardrobe changes throughout the show.  The crowd went wild over both the amateurs and of course, particularly over the professional models when they came out in pajama attire.

The participating organizations received the majority of the event proceeds.  At the end of the evening they announced the charity that raised the most money and the Galleria Mall awards them an additional $1000.   The Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre won again this year!!!   We were so excited.

The Men of Style event has always been one of my favorite events.  The last few years we’ve made it a girls night out.   Every year it grows in popularity.  This year they had over 800 attendances.  All “Men of Style” guests receive The Galleria’s “Passport of Savings,” which features store incentives from Jos. A Bank, Cache, Cole Haan, Macy’s and many more.

Hope to see you there next year !!!