League to Save Lake Tahoe | Saks Fifth Avenue Annual Fashion Show and Luncheon

Amid the ongoing pandemic and annual wildfires, the world can feel out of control. The League to Save Lake Tahoe and Saks Fifth Avenue gave stylish do-gooders a chance to take charge of their lives, cautiously proceeding with the annual Oscar de la Renta fashion show and fundraiser for Keep Tahoe Blue.

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For safety, the gathering at Hollye and Kern Schumacher’s beachfront estate, with stunning views of the alpine lake, was limited to 350 guests, down from the usual 600.

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Tables were spaced farther apart than is customary along the runway, where models paraded in the 2022 Resort collection. “It was a socially responsible way to do it,” observed attendee Carolyn Chang, a San Francisco plastic surgeon. “Everyone rallied, and it was a success.”

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With tickets at $1,000 each (double the norm) and a strong live auction (a “custom gown experience” went for $40,000), the event raised roughly $980,000, nearing the record $1.1 million raised in 2019 — heartening for league officials and the late designer’s stepdaughter, Eliza Bolen, her husband, Alex Bolen, the fashion house’s CEO, and co-creative director Fernando Garcia, all there to see it. (Co-creative director Laura Kim did not attend.)

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With the lake’s clarity measuring to a depth of only 62.7 feet this year, the second-worst since record-keeping began in 1968, the mission is urgent. “Everyone there was more serious about the event,” said Jessica Hickingbotham, a luncheon committee member, “and truly there to support the league.”