Replies

NYC Story - Ford Models

Back in the 70’s Knoll Furniture (commercial) had a big roll out of their new “return to nature woolen upholstery and carpet fabrics”. As our design firm had just completed a multi floor contract on Park Avenue we received invitations to this cocktail hour gala event in the GM Building.

Knoll did it up right. Subdued lighting with baby spots on their product line, Moet in crystal flutes, very nice hors d’ouvres, and female and male models from Ford Models as servers in well fitted tuxes. Live chamber music topped off the elegant event.

But.

The PR spark at Knoll had decided that live sheep would top the evening and guarantee press and word of mouth coverage.

Just after the spiel about the woolen product line peaked a dozen sheep were released to wander the space. Now these weren’t your run of the mill stinky lambs. This was the Big Apple by God and they had been lathered, rinsed, shampooed, and curried and blow dried to a fair the well. Never had such pampered sheep appeared in Manhattan. If one of these sheep had been chosen to co-star with Gene Wilder I would not have been surprised.

Well, sheep will do what sheep do no matter how pampered, so it was no surprise to me that calling ovine cards were dropped left and right. You’re probably thinking, “what a disaster!”.

Not so. The Ford models rose to the occasion and with perfect nonchalance smoothly dipped the emptied crystal flutes scooped up the offending objects and glided from the space with many of the guests none the wiser.

Ford Models saved the evening. Worth the price of admission.