Holy Toledo and Target Too!

Is it possible to fall in love and to stay in love? Is happiness an illusory phantom? Does nothing last? It must be the time of year that prompts such quires. Spring has sprung! Tulips and toddlers, flowering fruit trees and Isabel Toledo's wonderful white dress all prove it's true!

Dinning with the Enemy? ' What? Am I no longer a preservationist-hell-raiser, once described by Stanley Crouch as a "flame-thrower," you ask? If so, then how did I manage to attend a dinner given by Target, in honor of design mavens Isabel and Ruben Toledo at El Museo Del Barrio?'

Why yes indeed, I'm still as dedicated as ever to preserving Harlem's unique architectural heritage, of which I and others felt the Washburn Wire Factory to be a significant element. Retaining and restoring the old industrial-complex would have made Target and the other 'big box' retailers scheduled to open on the Harlem River waterfront this summer, all the more welcomed as an engine to revitalize East Harlem. It would have been friendlier to the environment as well. But the opportunity is lost, the wire factory, no more. To be successful in the public arena, one must be discriminating in choosing "targets" for outrage and know when it's time to make peace to tackle problems in productive alliance.

In any case, Target is a fantastic resource for whatever is chic and new at a crazily affordable price. Moreover, not that I, any more than Margo Channing, "am to be had for the price of a salted peanut," they are making an all-out effort to win friends and influence people. Target Sundays at the Studio Museum, an oasis-like community garden in El Barrio, and a series of delectable dinners with stylish guests, honoring cultural icons like filmmaker Albert Maysles or the Toledos. What else can one say other than that these people are "on target."

Only I was terribly confused. The handsome, colorful invitation suggested a mad benefit gala for 500 or more. I had flattered myself that I was only invited to submit a blog about the event. Imagine my surprise to be one among just 30 guests?

Every offering was as tempting as possible, be they drinks or canapés. Our host and their staff of helpers could not have looked lovelier or been more engaging and friendly. The vibrant bouquets were 'the bomb.' The menu was inspired -- and we were permitted to take home our Ruben Toledo designed place mats!

Then there are the Toledos themselves: Isabel, vivacious yet serene, Ruben, playfully creative, employing a chocolate box ribbon as the smartest necktie ever. Both warm, outgoing, irreverently witty, outrageously attractive, attentive to the smallest detail of their appearance, knowing "details make perfection" and that an arresting smile is the most effective and inexpensive accessory.

Micheala Angela Davis and Norman McHugh

Caridad and Mathew Modine

Their fellow guest, including Micheala Angela Davis and Norman McHugh, Mathew and Caridad Modine, followed suit. What an air of utter élan they all expressed. How neat to meet Mr. Modine, one of my favorite stars, from Weeds, one of my favorite TV shows! How hopeful to hear that he and his wife have been together for 31 years, that Micheala and Norman are as happy as when they first met, that the Toledos met at 13. Yes, spring has truly sprung!