The setting was fit for the stars. It is just a shame only a few of them showed up.
The Ball in Abu Dhabi promised a multitude of stars from Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford to the legendary Prince and American actor Tom Cruise.
And while the red carpet was a busy place to be, the celeb-spotting wasn't exactly a taxing experience.
UK singer Gabrielle, British music trio the Sugababes, who were singing at Yas Hotel later in the evening, Basement Jaxx, designer Diane von Fürstenberg and a few of the cast from Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, currently being filmed in Dubai, arrived at the Palm Terrace, Yas Hotel, on Saturday night.
Video: Star-studded night in Abu Dhabi
Natalia Vodianova, co-founder of the Naked Heart Foundation, the benefiting charity, seemed unsure on the red carpet, but once she'd done her homework about local designer Ingie Chalhoub — she wore a dress from her collection — she finally found her voice. Her foundation builds play areas for some of Russia's poorest children.
"Being a child myself growing up in Russia, I didn't know any different. It was only when I had my own children I started to wonder how my mother had raised me in such hard times in Russia," she told tabloid!. "I was really inspired by a terrible event in Russia where children lost their lives, in Beslan. It touched me in a big way and urged me to give back."
Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan lent her astonishing vocals to the event, putting in an impressive performance, including her global hit Angel and tracks from her latest album, Laws of Attraction.
She broke with the evening's dress code of black tie glamour by taking to the stage in black jeans and biker boots — although with such sparkling vocals, few in the audience would have noticed.
More upbeat shows from UK singer Sophie Ellis Bextor and American disco queens Sister Sledge had the majority of the guests — who had paid Dh3,500 per head to attend the event — hitting the chequered dance floor later in the evening.
More than $300,000 (Dh1.1 million) was raised for the charity during an auction, with lots including trips to Paris and Russia, and even an internship at Von Fürstenberg's New York studio.
