RYAN LEE
| 9.3.2008
AFTER DOZENS OF pool parties, months of preparation and thousands of cocktails, the race to become the queen of Atlanta Cotillion 2008 is in its final stages.
The seventh installment of Atlanta Cotillion, which raises money for AID Atlanta and gives its crown to the male 'debutante' who raises the most money, had its share of drama and consternation. But heading into the climax event, all signs point to another successful year, says Cotillion Chair Edward Holifield.
“Having only six debs this year, we had a concern in the beginning, but these guys have done a really amazing job of motivating the community and creating some truly imaginative events,” Holifield says. “The funds are coming in, and they’re a lot better than I thought they would be."
The exact total this year’s Cotillion class has raised for AID Atlanta, along with the debutante who collected the most donations, is set to be unveiled at Atlanta Cotillion Ball VII on Sept. 6. Proceeds from ticket sales to the event will be added to the debs' fundraising efforts.
THIS SPRING, SIX GAY ATLANTANS were tapped as Cotillion debutantes and competed to see who would join the ranks of past Cotillion Queens. Last year’s deb class raised more than $100,000, the with winner, Rodney “Miss Rondah Jean Davenport” Hinote, pulling in about $29,000 alone.
“We always try to make sure we donate as much as possible,” Holifield says.
Six was already a low number for Atlanta Cotillion debs to try and match the funds raised last year. That task was made even more challenging when one of the debs, Omar “Paloma Picasso De La Fuente” Nino withdrew from the competition after moving to Miami.
Clawing, scratching and partying their way toward the Cotillion crown are the remaining five debs: Jeffrey Hopper, whose deb name is Jacqueline-Jane Dior Daniels; Ronnie Mallette, aka Dominique Devita Devereaux-O'Hara; Erick Mosquera, aka Audrey Margarita Montenegro; David columnist and local playwright Topher Payne, aka Eudora Maybelline DoraBelle Kosciusko; and Justin Ziegler, who now also goes by Scarlett Magnolia Candler.
THIS YEAR’S DEBUTANTE ball includes many of the staples of Atlanta Cotillion tradition, including a limit on the number of attendees who may show up wearing men’s attire.
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No more than 200 gentlemen are allowed to show up to the formal ball in a tuxedo, and those who do so must pay $150. The rest of the attendees — which organizers predict will total about 400 people — pay $75 to party in formal women’s clothing.
The event maintains the formal ambiance, but is lightened up by this year’s theme, “Un Ballo in Maschera,” or “A Masked Ball.”
“Essentially, it’s a costume party,” says Holifield, who plans to wear a black gown and a Venetian mask with black and silver feathers.
This year’s ball takes place in the exclusive, majestic Schwartz-Goldstein Hall at The Temple on Peachtree Street, which is typically available only to Temple members. The Jewish sanctuary becomes an Italian metropolis for Cotillion, thanks to the design work of Jeffery Powell from the local company Jeffery Blooms.
“It’s a really beautiful ballroom, and you’re going to feel like you’re in Venice when you get there,” Holifield says.
DESPITE THE SMALLER size of the 2008 deb class, Holifield strongly believes that the contenders took Atlanta Cotillion to a higher level than the backyard fundraisers that defined the pre-ball events in the previous six years.
“We’ve come a long way from everybody thinking all we do is throw pool parties,” Holifield says. “These guys just really did a great job this year.”
Among the more creative fundraisers this year were a luau party hosted by Mosquera, a staging of two “Golden Girls” episodes by Payne and his actor friends, and a benefit for Hopper at WETbar that featured a concert by former “American Idol” finalist Diana DeGarmo.
“These guys truly did it from the heart because they believe in the cause and believe in AID Atlanta,” Holifield says. “Which is wonderful to see in the younger community.”
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