As spring gala season approaches, we look back at fall’s leading ladies for inspiration; these women enchanted the crowds in elegant fairy-tale evening gowns. Whether it was a regal, tulle-stuffed skirt or a hip-hugging silhouette, the key was finding a dress that kicked things up a notch with intricate details like embroidery, ruffles or ruching. With the fall gala season so glamorous, we can’t wait to see what the stylish set pulls out for spring.

Where to be and what to see this week: ‘Victoria Sambunaris: Taxonomy of a Landscape’, Lynne Jordan: The Music of Nina Simone, ‘Strike a Pose’ celebrity fashion show, ‘Irving Penn: Underfoot’, Mummenschanz and Double Edge Theatre.

This week, we raise our glasses to Mellody Hobson and George Lucas, Maria Ponce and Trey Berre, and Jenny McCarthy.

If you haven’t heard this song on the radio, then you must be living on Mars. It’s a catchy little tune with a story that allows us to easily access our imagination and cast our exes as the main character in the song. I love the fact that it shows both points of view. The boy sings first about the girl and then the girl sings about the boy, both of them blaming each other for demise of the relationship.

Chicago actor/rapper Common talks movies, music and romance in anticipation of his new indie film.

An evening under the stars at the Adler Planetarium proved a perfect way to close out 2012 for Chicago’s up-and-coming business owners at the second annual Entrepreneur’s Eve. More than 600 guests danced their way into the new year, raising not only their glasses but also funds for the H Foundation, which benefits the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. In between fireworks displays, attendees explored exhibits, traded puffs in the cigar lounge and tried their luck at the casino into the wee hours of the morning. The event raised nearly $70,000 for a brighter 2013.

More than 300 partygoers celebrated at Vertigo Sky Lounge for lifestyle website CheekyChicago’s Winter White New Year’s Eve bash. The revelers rang in 2013 atop the lounge’s 26th-floor patio, where DJ Mister Wolf spun tunes throughout the night. Views of the city skyline complemented the unending flow of Grey Goose Cherry Noir and Bombay Sapphire cocktails, along with tasty bites crafted by the hotel’s Argent Restaurant and Raw Bar.

While other Chicagoans were braving the cold, local bloggers and fashionistas were sampling summer at Escada’s Goodbye 2012 event. Jennifer Worman of Redsolesandredwine.com hosted the fête, where Chicago bloggers like Cha’rron Davis of Cchicchicago.com, Melissa Figiel of Shophautespot.com and Johanna Grange from 101thingsilove.blogspot.com got a sneak peek at the luxe line’s spring/summer 2013 collection. Vibrantly hued sheaths, hand-beaded gowns and classic, curve-hugging pieces were just some of the styles on display at 51 E. Oak.

On the night before New Year’s, more than 2,000 revelers celebrated at HighSight’s 18th annual Eve of the Eve bash. Attendees mingled, sipped from an open bar and danced to live performances by Pat McKillen and South of 80 inside Union Station’s Great Hall. The evening’s festivities — which included a silent auction with prizes ranging from Bulls tickets to a Mexican vacation — helped net more than $175,000 to provide scholarships, tutoring and mentoring for Chicago’s high school students.

Do you guys remember the post I wrote last week about cell phones? The one where we all chose to give up our Starbucks coffee in order to keep our phone addiction alive and well? Well, it got me thinking about that love/hate relationship we all have with the alert sounds our phones make when we receive some form of communication. You know, the DING! mixed with a vibration noise that grabs your attention faster than a crying baby, but haunts you as you’re trying to sleep. Who knew I could love a vibration from my phone as much as…..? Nevermind.