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46 AN OSCAR-WINNING PERFORMANCE BY CHRISTINA GEYER. PHOTOGRAPHY THOMAS GARZA. W hen we learned Heather Esping and Claire Emanuelson were leading this year's Crystal Charity Ball charge — the former as the Ten Best Dressed Fashion Show and Luncheon chair and the latter as Ball chair — we knew it would be an unforgettable season. It started in spring, with the announcement of this year's Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas. The top 10, named to the exclusive pack as much for their sense of style as for their civic leadership, was a particularly fashionable crowd: Cate Ford, Amy Hegi, Piper Wyatt, Tucker Enthoven, Kimberly Schelgel Whitman, Anita Arnold, Delilah Boyd, Lisa Cooley, Jennifer Dix, Cara French, and hall of fame honoree Robyn Conlon. But it was this year's honorary chair — a title reserved only for those few women whose contributions to The Crystal Charity Ball and the community's nonprofit world far outweigh the average philanthropist — who wins top marks in the glamour department. Norma Hunt is best known as the matriarch of the Kansas City Chiefs gridiron dynasty; her dynamite personality and larger-than-life good taste lit up Neiman Marcus Downtown when she took her turn down the runway. To up the glam, Neiman Marcus tapped Oscar de la Renta as this year's featured designer. Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, the fashion house's darling creative directors, jetted in from New York just a few days after showing their Spring 2019 collection to rave reviews. Also in town was Margot McKinney, the Australian jewelry designer known for her megawatt pearl jewelry. This was also a momentous occasion as it marked the first Ten Best Dressed Fashion Show and Luncheon for Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Neiman Marcus' dapper new CEO. "I arrived in Texas almost seven months ago — just in time for Nancy Dedman's birthday!" he enthused. La Dedman was, per usual, sitting front row with a posse that included Annette Simmons, former First Lady Laura Bush, Lee Ann White, Gene Jones, and Kelli and Gerald Ford. Neiman Marcus' fashion savant Ken Downing made his catwalk entrée to David Bowie before proclaiming his love for Oscar de la Renta. FOR TEN BEST DRESSED Ken Downing Fernando Garcia, Laura Kim Geoffroy van Raemdonck Lynn McBee Kristi Sherrill Hoyl Margot McKinney Tina Craig Laura Bush Nancy Dedman, Kelli Ford Shelby Goff, Annalee Aston Paige Slates, Elaine Agather Tim Adair, Claire Emanuelson Alex & Eliza Bolen, Jim Gold Myrna Schlegel, Krystal Schlegel Tia Wynne, Jonika Nix