Imagine the pages of Vogue brought to life and you have some idea what attending the Friends of New Yorkers for Children gala was like. In fact, if you paid attention, you’d have learned more about those pages than you ever could from merely reading them. And living them was so much more fun.

The committee chairwomen – dressed in Gucci, which made a donation to the charity – arrived early, all the better to be photographed. Then the designers and their muses filed in, eager to see and be seen. The editors – from Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar – were there, too.

So while some un-fabulous female banker was critiquing dresses in the freshly arrived May issue, the fabulous ones were on the top floor of the Mandarin Oriental, ignoring the city views and critiquing the dresses in front of them. Live observation has its hazards, though: One had to be careful to avoid stepping on those long trains, or being hit by an errant stiletto heel.

There was some substance to the evening: New Yorkers for Children, founded 10 years ago to raise money for extras that aren’t covered in the Administration for Children’s Services budget, made time for presentations by two college seniors who grew up in foster care in Queens. Both Chantal Johnson and Glenn Coleman have received college care packages from the organization, which included gift certificates to CVS, Staples, and Barnes & Noble. Ms. Johnson also received support that helped her spend a summer in London.

The organization made sure that the foster children at the event were attired in style. Ms. Johnson, who after graduation will start a job in information technology at Citigroup, wore a dress donated by Tracy Reese, which she got to keep. The men weren’t so lucky – they got to wear rented tuxedos.

About 400 guests attended the event, which raised more than $300,000.

agordon@nysun.com