Lying in the Scrap Heap, Staring at the Stars

Spring: Sex drives briefly rise from the grave, the sound of hysterical citizens on temporary leave from seasonal affective disorder fills the air, and youthful designers fuse scraps of damaged garments together to raise money for the less sheltered. Discarded to Divine celebrates the latter condition. The event features an enduring background story about St. Vincent de Paul Society Help Desk Director Sally Rosen, who was routinely sifting through a pile of ripped, stained, and generally unusable donated clothing one day, when all of a sudden the flea of inspiration bit hard. The itchy red bumps of an idea appeared shortly thereafter, compelling her to first wash everything she owned in hot water and then solicit designers to construct couture from the free pile. The story ends with an enchanted auction of mongrel garments, the proceeds used to ease the hardscrabble existence of our nation's booming homeless population. Items on parade include lusciously urbane designs by Nice Collective, resourcefully executed elegance by Colleen Quen Couture, and shapely frocks from Michael Boris. Additionally, a cadre of impressionable fashion spawn from FIDM, Academy of Art University, and City College offer up their finest silks to the vicious scrutiny of the hoi polloi.
Sat., April 26, 7 p.m., 2008