THE CROWD:

The dynamic Gretchen Pace, vice president of Saks Fifth Avenue at South Coast Plaza, recently welcomed Newport’s Lisa Hallaian on behalf of The Sophisticates of the Assessment Treatment Services Center.

The petite blond Pace joined the petite raven-haired Hallaian bringing in the handsome men of Orange County to walk the walk and talk the talk down the fashion runway as Saks introduced their new men’s store.

The pre-holiday event was a lively in-store evening that featured plenty of jazz and a taste of the best Scotch in town, while friends of The Sophisticates ogled the gents in the latest menswear collections.

Some of the gals assisting Hallaian included a triad of Newport support — the glamorous Fran Cashen of Newport Coast, Debbie Newmeyer, and Susan Becker. Also front-and-center for The Sophisticates were Mary Pon Sullivan, Bill and Eileen Hanley, Linda Lamite, Ron Calame, Eric Rodriguez, and Marsha and Dave Willis.

The Sophisticates is a longstanding support group benefiting the family counseling programs of the Assessment Treatment Services Center.

Jazz in January is back. The very popular event benefits the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. The fun begins on Feb. 1 with a wine reception and concert followed by a second performance on Feb. 2, which includes a gala dinner.

The evening of jazz features performers Gerald Albright and Rick Braun with dinner prepared by an assortment of celebrated local chefs from the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa, The Island Hotel, The Fairmont Newport Beach, The Montage Resort and Spa, the Laguna Cliffs Marriott, and the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel.

Event chair Tim McMahon returns to lead the committee with assistance from Robert Beaulieu, Bill Burger, Marina Butler, Frederick Castan, Dennis Gabrick, Jens von Gierke, and Nicole von Gierke. The Ocean Institute is a nonprofit, academic center dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of the ocean environment. For ticket info, call (949) 496-2274, ext. 412.

Chapman University announces an important speaking engagement coming March 31. Sir Salman Rushdie will appear in Orange County on the Chapman campus to deliver a lecture and to sign copies of his novels, including “The Satanic Verses,� as part of the 2008 John Fowles Literary Forum. Rushdie gained international fame in 1989 when he became a target of the Ayatollah Khomeini as a result of writing the controversial novel.

Rushdie is also the author of “Midnight Children,� “The Moor’s Last Sigh,� “The Ground Beneath Her Feet,� and his most recent novel, “Shalimar the Clown.� He will speak in Chapman’s Memorial Hall; admission will be free. For more information please call (714) 289-2050.

The Aids Services Foundation of Orange County announced it received a $75,000 grant from the Weingart Foundation to do outreach within O.C.’s Latino community. Recent statistics indicate that more than 52% of all new AIDS cases in the county are in the Latino community.

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is working with other leaders to focus on this growing concern. Alan Witchey, executive director of the Aids Services Foundation commented, “Although we have made great strides in breaking down cultural taboos about discussing sex and HIV in the Latino community, the Weingart Foundation grant will provide an opportunity to establish a program devoted solely to outreach and development among Latinos in Orange County.�

The goal will be to provide information that may help turn the tide against the growing spread of AIDS. To find out more about the program, contact Doug Vogel at (949) 809-8763.

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