Update: Lead photo removed upon request of My Sweet Charity blog on 3/5/12.   The Crystal Charity Ball Committee recently announced its Best Dressed Women in Dallas list for 2011. The group will be feted at a luncheon and fashion show at Neiman Marcus downtown on September 8^th.   Since 1952, Dallas’ annual Crystal Charity Ball and affiliated events have raised over $100 million for area children’s charities. Though most of us are acquainted with the nonprofit organization solely through splashy pictures in free glossies, the purpose of the CCB goes far beyond simply dressing up and sipping champagne.   Each year, a deserving group of donation recipients is selected by the Crystal Charity Ball committee. This year, for example, the list includes Communities in Schools Dallas, Inc., Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic, Inc., and the Trinity River Mission, among others. These beneficiaries carry out the CCB’s mission to ensure that “every child has the opportunity to become a healthy and educated member of the community.”   An admirable goal, to be sure. So, why does the Crystal Charity Ball Best Dressed Women of Dallas list leave us scratching our heads? The yearly ten-member group (some of whom graduate to the ‘Hall of Fame’) are selected to represent the most fashionable in our fair city. …But word around the campfire is that this list is more about popularity and buying power than true style.   Coming up on September 8^th, Neiman Marcus downtown will host this year's Best Dressed group at a luncheon and fashion show to be attended by none other than Valentino creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. The famed Italian house is this year’s luncheon’s featured designer. One has to wonder if the sale of some high-dollar dresses to these local ladies-who-lunch might also be a big part of the strategy behind the list.   In any case, it seems that many of our city’s truly fashionable women are passed over year after year. Syle risk takers like Barbara Daseke, head-turners like LeeAnne Locken, and trendsetters like Rhonda Sargent Chambers come to mind.   That said, we’d definitely like to point out that, while the ten women pictured here may not necessarily be the very best dressed in Dallas, they are surely among our city’s most generous. As Andy Cohen would say, “It’s all for the kids.”   Lastly, to wrap up, a question for you: Should DFW Style Daily spearhead a separate Best Dressed in Dallas list for 2012? What do you think? Is the CCB’s list truly representative of Dallas’ fashion all-stars? Who would you nominate for top honors?   (photo: The Crystal Charity Ball’s Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas: Lee Ann White, Nancy Rogers, Pat McEvoy, Ellen Winspear, Kim Miller, Pam Perella, Elaine Agather, Annette Simmons, Tricia Besing, Claire Emanuelson, Robyn Conlon and Nancy Carter.)