"What's Coco going to wear?"

It was the question I was asked the most during Derby week, other than

• Who's your Derby horse?
• Have you really been out of clean underwear since Tuesday?

Ice T and Coco's flight from New York Friday night was delayed a few hours, causing the celebrity couple to arrive at the Galt House for Unbridled Eve after dinner was served and many other featured guests had finished walking the red carpet. So when they casually entered through the Archibald Cochran Room's main doorway like any other attendees, the answer to that hot question was, most likely what she wore on the plane: a form-fitting (I suspect all of Coco's clothes meet that description) sheer Bebe shirt with an upside-down star across her chest underneath a gold jacket matched with tight black jeans.

It was perfectly appropriate just-got-off-the-plane attire—for a woman with those curves. And Coco and Ice T (black sneakers, black jeans and a black Yves Saint Laurent shirt that paid perfectly with a black leather jacket) deserve props for seemingly going straight from their car to the black-tie optional gala, without making guests wait while they prepped.

While 2012 was Unbridled Eve's first year, event co-chairs Tonya York Dees and Tammy York Day experience planning major parties showed:

• almost every seat in the large ballroom was filled (I was hoping the two empty ones next to me were for Ice T and Coco)
• Galt House chef Brian Riddle's five-course dinner easily compensated for my lunch at the track that afternoon (popcorn, popcorn and Derby Pie)
• auction items included a painting of a race horse signed by three Triple Crown winning jockeys that fetched $10,000
• it didn't matter what your drink was, with sponsors like Moët & Chandon, Kettle One and Maker's Mark, they probably had it

Proceeds from the gala benefited Blessings in a Backpack and the Les Turner ALS Foundation. Both the charities and Louisville's Derby celebration itself would benefit from Unbridled Eve becoming an annual event.

On to the celebrity photos…

Photos: Margaret Everson
 

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The red carpet attacts a crowd for Ice T! And Coco!