A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting with two lovely women at The St. Vincent de Paul Society: Help Desk Director, Sally Rosen, and Chief Development Director, Jen Shelnutt. For the past three years, they have put on Discarded to Divine, a fashion show and auction at the Academy of Art featuring extreme haute couture designed by fashion students and local designers. Proceeds from the auctioned items re-vamp the surplus of women's clothes at SVdP and help more than a thousand people trying to overcome poverty, homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence in the Bay Area.

While taking a behind-the-scenes tour of all of the garments, what really amazed me was the magic a piece of thread and a needle can do. The recycled offerings were not only fashion forward, but "green" to boot—a fact underscored by a sneak preview cocktail reception boasting eco-friendly French Rabbit Wine and sustainable bites. Among the bevy of special guest designers I spotted a handful of Gen Art alumni: Colleen Quen (Inspiration 2004), Cari Borja (Fresh Faces 2004), Verrieres & Sako Fresh Faces 2006) and Sara Shepherd (Fresh Faces 2007), who gave me some insight into her exhibition piece:

"I wanted to create a dress that would have life and energy, but at the same time be very wearable and fit different body types, since the clothes are being auctioned off after the show. For inspiration, I looked at some of the art work at the De Young museum—some of the paintings tied into my research for the collection I was working on at the time (Leonardo Da Vinci, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I)."

To check out Shepherd's piece in person, and all of the other designers' work, email us here for a chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to the event on April 26th. And if you can't go, here's what you can do to help: Donate men's clothing to SVdP. The ladies were telling me that their clientele is 90 percent male, and they definitely need the basics to take charge of their lives again. So go ahead and raid your boyfriend's closet. You know he hasn't looked at half of that stuff in years!

The Third Annual Discarded to Divine Fashion Show & Auction will be held April 26th at 7 p.m. at Academy of Art University. To purchase tickets to the event, click here!

- Charm Bitanga

Similar Topics:benefit, event, fashion

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