Joy Bryant as stunt car driver? The cute model-turned-actress-activist, a freshman newlywed to a hunky stunt man, had Kerry Washington and I gobsmacked as she regaled us with details of her recent certification as a speed demon on wheels.

Of course, most of the dames at last week's charity luncheon, preferred their danger on heels. And Gela Nash-Taylor, for one, was walking on the wild side in her sky-high snakeskin, ruffled Louboutins across the sprawling lawn of the grand Beverly Hills estate of her Juicy Couture other half Pam Skaist-Levy. Pam opened up her spectacular place (which once belonged to the late Merv Griffin) as co-host with Elizabeth Stewart and George Kotsiopoulos of the PS Arts Bag Lunch.
The two super stylists founded the annual "bag lunch" in 2003, and since then have raised $850,000 to benefit P.S. Arts, a non-profit dedicated to restoring arts education to the public school system. "We can't wait to hit our first million!" George told me. They're well on their way. Last week, they raised $120,000.
Their method looks straightforward enough: They call on the many fashion brands they work with through the year--Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Gucci, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Chloe--to donate incredible bags. From the silent auction, 100% of the sales, along with 70% of the entry ticket, benefit the organization.
That said, simple as it looks, Elizabeth and George manage to pull this off year after year with great panache. They get the socials and celeb pals there who will make great pics for the press. To fill P.S. Arts' coffers, they score the It bags--and this time, even Brian Atwood sample shoes and two Birkins, one each from Pam and Gela. And, with a lot of determination and pluck, they manage to get an underwriter and fab host, like Pam this go-round, to ensure the ladies return next year to lunch for another bag.


All Photos by Donato Sardella