Friday night I attended the Little Black Dress Gala in support of the Help Change My City Alliance (HCMCA). Mara, my usual partner in crime, was not available. Fortunately, I managed to round up some other glamorous friends for an inspiring evening of fashion, fun and fundraising.
Help Change My City
The Little Black Dress Gala is an evening of live music, fashion, and performing arts. In addition to it being a night of lively entertainment, it is also a night when young people gain life-changing opportunities. Money raised through ticket sales of the LBD gala fund the many projects and campaigns of Help Change My City.
Help Change My City bestows post-secondary education bursaries to marginalized youth in high school. Furthermore, they aid youth struggling to graduate due to hapless circumstances or significant obstacles in their lives they have to navigate. (High school is challenging enough for the average teenager.) Additionally, they assist young single mothers and help sponsor youth employment work-experience hours.
Giving Feels Good
Help Change My City Alliance reminds me there are good people in the world. The gala would not be such a big success without the generosity of volunteers, donor gifts and resources. As well as the LBD gala, hundreds of volunteers give their time to other HCMCA projects. The Eats on the Streets campaign and the Warm the Eastside campaign are just a few of the programs having a positive impact on our city. Scroll down to find out how you (or your teen looking for community service hours) can give your time, get involved and most of all, make a difference.
The Fashion Show
The highlight of the evening is always the fashion show. Probably the thing that impressed me most about the fall 2017 show was the variety. Almost every label was a sharp contrast from the next. The designers presented everything from romantic to edgy, vintage to ultramodern, and positively wearable to I-would-not-be-caught-dead-in-that. After all, fashion, like art and music, is intensely personal. Fashion shows should be fun, and thought-provoking and this one did not disappoint. Most of all, it proved Vancouver has some remarkable talent.
The crowd was wowed by some of these looks strutting down the catwalk. I had many favourites, but due to my not-quick-enough on the draw though, I was unable to catch more. Argh!
Some of My Favourites
She sparkled from head to toe.
This model appeared to be floating down the runway. I found the tulle skirt to be romantic and ethereal. Seems like there were differing opinions because I heard the woman sitting behind me say it reminded her of dryer lint. I had to laugh. Indeed, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.
I enjoyed the flamenco vibe of this dress. Who doesn’t appreciate a statement sleeve? I’d be waving for days in this number.
This fabulous floral fabric was donated by Alison Kent of AK Home and Aleem Kassam of Kalau Interiors.
Rock on, Sister! This Steam Punk look is from Carolyn Bruce Designs.
Our glam squad (L-R Melanie, Janine and me with one of the models from the show) Photo credit: Marcia Chorney
Me with one of my favourite bloggers, Melanie Kobayashi of Bag and a Beret. Photo credit: Random Stranger
To find out how you can get involved with Help Change My City Alliance go here.
Photo credit: Melanie Kobayashi
PS The Christmas Season is around the corner and there’s no better excuse to dress up. Rather than stressing out about a new holiday outfit, get in touch and let us make shopping a more relaxing and joyful experience for you.
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Melanie
October 23, 2017 at 9:27 pmI had a great night out with you, Dee, and for such a good cause. Your write-up says it all – there was something for everyone in the show, from song to dance and art to fashion. I enjoyed making new friends too. Thanks!
Dee Clarke
October 29, 2017 at 4:56 pmThank you, Melanie. The pleasure was all mine.