MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2025
10:30 AM - 2 pm
arizona biltmore
This December, Arizona Costume Institute (ACI) and Phoenix Art Museum will celebrate fashion at the annual ACI Holiday Luncheon, the most fashionable fundraising event of the year in the greater Phoenix metro area.
As a support group of Phoenix Art Museum, ACI hosts the Holiday Luncheon to support the Museum’s fashion department. The fundraiser raises more than $800,000 in vital resources, which benefits fashion exhibitions, acquisitions, and education programs. Each Luncheon features an internationally recognized fashion icon presentation, a champagne reception, a stylish lunch, a meet-and-greet with the keynote speaker, and a luxury raffle featuring high-end items from both local and nationally recognized designers, boutiques, and businesses. All proceeds benefit fashion exhibitions, acquisitions, and education programming at Phoenix Art Museum.
Past guest speakers have included fashion-industry VIPs such as designers Christian Siriano, Jonathan Simkhai, Rubin Singer and Michael Costello, Vogue editor Tonne Goodman, milliner Stephen Jones, costume designer Patricia Field, creator of New York Fashion Week Fern Mallis, and fashion illustrator David Downton, amongst other notable fashion experts.
TICKETS
Seating for the ACI Holiday Luncheon is extremely limited.
$500 /// $750 /// $1,000 /// $1,500 VIP
Guests who purchase a VIP ticket will receive (1) one invitation to a private reception for a meet-and-greet experience with Veronica Beard hosted the evening of December 7.
All proceeds benefit fashion exhibitions, acquisitions, and education programs at Phoenix Art Museum.
For inquiries, contact ACI at 602-307-2011 or support-aci@phxart.org.
Raffle Tickets
Pre-purchase your raffle tickets online for the luxury drawing to save time the day of the event. Pre-purchased tickets will be available at check-in. Raffle tickets will also be available for purchase at the luncheon.
2025 ACI Holiday Luncheon is presented by
Jacquie Dorrance
Thomas Carlton Rogers II
Miriam Sukhman
With additional support from
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona /// Lana Breen /// Cathy Dickey /// Elizabeth Garrett /// Janet Henrich Glaser /// Justine Hurry ///Jane Jozoff /// Ellen Katz /// Beth McMullen /// Debbie Monti-Keland /// My Sister’s Closet /// Neiman Marcus /// Lisa Shapiro /// Ann Siner & Tess Loo /// Lauri Termansen /// Trends Magazine /// WUNDERKIND
Support as of 9.15.2025
about the designers
Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, sisters-in-law married to brothers, co-founded Veronica Beard in 2010. They bring two perspectives and a unified vision to their namesake label, making it a go-to for the modern woman whose days and life are full. Over the past 15 years, Veronica Beard has established itself as a leading lifestyle fashion brand. VB maintains the highest standards for quality and fit, designing each item to feel as good as it looks. Designed for real life, their cool classics give women the confidence to take on the day—and own it.
Veronica Miele Beard is an entrepreneur, brand-builder, and CEO. Originally from New Jersey, Miele Beard began her career in equity sales and trading on Wall Street and advertising sales at Vogue, before becoming partner and COO at the premier technology hedge fund Coatue. While there, she learned how to build a thriving brand and business in a tumultuous tech market. On a quest to create a modern uniform for women, she is forever inspired and driven by real women and the make-it-happen mindset. She lives in New York with her husband and five children.
Veronica Swanson Beard is an entrepreneur, fashion designer, and CEO. She grew up between Florida, London, and California before heading to New York to study at Parsons School of Design. Swanson Beard began her career in sales at Narciso Rodriguez and Alberta Ferretti before becoming a buyer at specialty retailer Marissa Collections. These experiences honed her ability to identify trends and understand branding and marketing, while sharpening her understanding of how women want to dress. Today, she is co-CEO of Veronica Beard and thrives designing the dream wardrobe for real life. She lives in New York with her husband and three sons.
About the honorary chair
Miriam Sukhman is a valued and long-time supporter of Phoenix Art Museum. She and her husband, Yefim, first began their support of the Museum in 1998, and since then, she has served on the Museum’s Board of Trustees (2001 to 2007), been a member of support groups Contemporary Forum and Friends of European Art, and served on the PhxArt Collections Committee (2018-2020). She also made significant contributions to the Museum’s 2006 capital campaign to support campus expansion and assisted the Museum in purchasing Waltercio Caldas’ The Black Series: Still Life (2005) in honor of the Museum's 50th anniversary, as well as Chris Rush’s John with the White Pumpkin (2002).
Of note, Sukhman has been a steadfast supporter of the Museum’s fashion program. A longtime member of Arizona Costume Institute, she has served as the sole underwriter for the annual Holiday Luncheon speaker since 2018 and supported fashion exhibitions such as Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor, Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion, Barbie®: A Cultural Icon, and MOVE: The Modern Cut of Geoffrey Beene. She was also instrumental in helping the Museum secure key acquisitions, including the Emphatics Archive, over the past two decades.
2025 ACI Holiday Luncheon Committee
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Lana Breen
Justine Hurry
ambassadors
Philip Manghisi
Diane O’Malley
DeeDee Vecchione
Committee
Ronna Beeson /// Lisa Bell /// Charlene Berge Blum /// Jen Biello /// Matthew Boland /// Jan Bracamonte /// Juliet Burgess /// Sasha Clements /// Meredith Cohen /// Jenna Condas /// Anne Davy /// Oscar De las salas /// Nissa Dell /// Catherine Delnero /// Shawnee Doherty /// Jacquie Dorrance /// Carol Dries /// Amy Dwyer /// Ruby Farias /// Wendy Farrell /// Lisa Geyser /// Laurie Goldstein /// Missi Harrington /// Jan Herwick /// Suzi Hilton /// Donna Johnson /// Elizabeth Katzman /// Theresa Kleinlein /// Kelly Kolicko /// Jill Krigsten /// Joseph Leeds /// Dawn Lenhardt /// Brooke Levy /// Lynne Love /// Barbara Lytle /// Philip Manghisi /// Martha Martin Henkel /// Kathie May /// Susan Mayer /// Beth McRae /// Denise Monti /// Diane O'Malley /// Joanne Osborne /// Mahsa Page /// Lisa Payne /// Donna Pettigrew Hicks /// Dawna Pitts /// Tobi Placenti /// Lisa Portigal /// Helene Presutti /// Sherri Quinn /// Jen Reid /// Andrea Robertson /// Bea Rocklin /// Jake Sanders /// Chrissy Sayare /// Liz Schatz /// Jennifer Schuitemaker /// Lisa Shapiro /// Hillary Sher /// Nancy Singer /// Sabrina Sirianni /// Khamsone Sirimanivong /// Joy Sprink /// Lauri Termansen /// Catherine Tuton /// Vicki Vaughn /// DeeDee Vecchione /// Amy Walters /// Janet Walzer /// Mischelle White /// Lisa Wightman /// Lauren Winegardner /// Eileen Yeung