AROUND TOWN

SOCIAL SEASON OPENERS

DONNA SHOR

Two savvy Washington hostesses pitched season openers: Lynda Webster's stylish gathering for coffee brought 200 women to the Chevy Chase Club; Giselle Theberge Jeppson's luncheon for 60 at her Spring Valley home had many of the same social scene regulars and ambassadors’ wives attending, and vacations were the topic.

Lynda and Bill Webster went fishin'at Joe Robert’s Colorado place; Giselle and John Jeppson's trip with the Bob Crafts was a true odyssey as they sailed the Ionian sea to Ithaca, following the route of Odysseus, Homer's mythological hero.

Didi and Walter Cutler returned to southern France's Luberon; Ina Ginsburg loved showing her grandson her hometown, Vienna. Brenda and Jacques de Suze headed for Eastern Europe; Alma Gildenhorn kept cool in Aspen, where Alma Powell went while husband Colin gave a speech in China. Returning, he injured his leg, got a cast put on and left the same day for Chicago and Montreal speaking commitments.

Willee and Finlay Lewis headed for Umbria; Gail and Togo West hit the Turkish coast/Greek islands, then Gail and her sister admired the mile-high Norwegian fjords from the same ship, the Seabourn Pride, that sailed the Baltic a week later with a load of Washingtonians aboard. More on that below.

Seen: Karna Small Bodman, who used her TV and White House background writing the political thriller, Checkmate; Tandy Dickerson; Esther Coopersmith; Nini Ferguson; Shirley Small; Renée Robinson; Marcia Jackson; Shaista Mahmood; Marlene Malek; Ann Hand; Donna Pflieger; Judy Esfandiary; Sheila Saleh; Diane Coleman; Pam Howar; Marcia Carlucci; Debbie Sigmund; Grace Bender and Georgetown gallery owner Shigeko Bork, who later chaired the Asia Society’s Spices and Rices Gala at the Australian embassy. Among ambassadors’ wives spotted were Rima Al-Sabah (Kuwait); Cheryl Catarino (Portugal); Carmen Ducaru (Romania) and Flor de Maria de Castillo (Guatemala).

HOW SWEET IT IS

That chick Giorgio Via is squiring around town is actually his longtime wife Anna Maria, who says for her summer she had some nips and tucks done by cosmetic surgeon Steven Hopping. (Frankness is the mode today; surgery is now as straightforward as changing your hair color.) One happy bonus: at a recent Italian embassy evening she heard someone ask Giorgio, “How does it feel to have a trophy wife?

Steve Hopping and his wife Julia are chairing Arts for the Aging’s gala Jean-David and Marie-Cécile Levitte will host at their French embassy residence. Julia is the daughter of the late Guillermo Sevilla-Sacasa, for over thirty-five years the Nicaraguan ambassador here, with direct access to the president when he presided as dean of the diplomatic corps.

SHIP AHOY

The luxurious National Museum of Women in the Arts Baltic cruise, from Copenhagen to Helsinki, Tallin, Stockholm and St. Petersburg, was planned by that matchless pair, Climis and Carol Lascaris, who design a cruise with as much style as the palaces and mansions they create here and abroad.

There were interesting passengers: One surprise, sweetfaced Mary Jones Meyer, there with husband Bob, turned out to be poker shark Mary Jones, first place winner of a quarter of a million dollars at the 2006 Ladies World Poker Championship in Las Vegas. When word of her identity spread, Mary obligingly held an impromptu exhibition game, helpfully critiquing the play of those at the poker table.

Others: Air Force Secretary Mike Wynn and Barbara (he runs the show and administers the $110 billion Air Force budget); Andres and Nohra Pastrana, he’s the former president of Colombia who had just resigned in protest as Colombian ambassador here, standing on principle over a policy split; prodigy pianist Sara Daneshpour, who gave four concerts with mentor Gilan Tocco Corn watching happily as her playing brought the audience to its feet each time; also Myrna Colley-Lee, costume designer wife of Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman, from their farm in his home town, Charleston, Miss.

Wallace and Wilhelmina (Billie) Holladay, the museum’s founder and chair, sailed along with 100 other of the museum’s loyal and far flung supporters. Among them: haute couture-clad Ondine Langford joined from Paris; Peter and Helga Keilbach from Berlin; LLoyd and Kathy Otterman from Greenwich, Conn.; there was a large contingent of Texans and New Yorkers; and from Napa, California, the just-married John (wine-buff) Koza and his bride Linda-Marie Loeb and James and Susan Mellor from Laguna Beach.

To measure supporters’ loyalty, consider the Mellors: Billie had only to mention, during a welcoming speech, her upcoming drive to raise $50,000 for a museum project, and the Mellors promptly underwrote the whole thing!

Others aboard included generous philanthropist Mary Mochary and Dr. Phil Wine; businessman and internationally acclaimed sculptor John Safer and wife Joy; fertility specialist Dr. Pierre Asmar and wife Darlene; author (and art authority) Patti Sowalsky and her attorney husband Jerry. Among the locals, a few of the Watergaters were Judy Esfandiary, Jamie McCampbell and sailor Katrina Piano, who keeps a 40 foot craft in the marina.)

Café Milano owner FRANCO NUSCHESE and LADY MARGARET THATCHER on September 11th, when Lady Thatcher was in town for the 9/11 ceremonies at the White House. She had lunch at Cafe Milano where the menu featured a “Lady Thatcher” special with her favorite dessert: raspberries with vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

Shakespeare Theatre Company Board Member MICHAEL KLEIN and Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director MICHAEL KAHN at the opening night of An Enemy of the People on September 5th.

Vida Fitness owners CHRIS CARNECCHIA and DAVID VON STORCH with Bang Salon owner NIKKI ESOLDO at the grand opening for Vida and Bang at the Verizon Center on September 9th.

ANDREW KLINE CAROLYN REYNOLDS and BRIAN KOMAR at “Cocktails Just Because,” held July 27th at Blue Gin.

Washington Post columnist MICHAEL WILBON publisher DON GRAHAM —also chairman of the DC College Access Plan — and columnist TONY KORNHEISER on September 8th at the 4th Annual Tony Kornheiser/Michael Wilbon Celebrity Golf Classic at Lansdowne. Conference Center and Resort, which raised $300,000 for DC-CAP.

JERRY PIERCE-SANTOS PATTY ARRIAGADA and KENYA PIERCE SANTOS at the surprise birthday bash Jerry threw for Kenya at Agua Ardiente on August 26th. Two hundred people attended, dancing the night away to world-famous salsa/merengue band Oro Solido.