How a charity raises big bucks auctioning frocks reconstructed by cutting edge designers.

It begins with a few yards of salvaged plum fabric and black tulle gathered by St. Vincent de Paul Society. It ends in a fanciful evening gown paraded on a catwalk amid flashing cameras and cooing from those who appreciate fashion as three-dimensional art. Bidders are informed the embellished frock, called Galatea at Twilight, was conceived by Cari Borja, and is a suggested size 4-8. They are cajoled to cough up cash to add the slinky fantasy to their wardrobe, thereby aiding victims of homelessness and poverty served by the San Francisco charity. Warmed up by sauvignon blanc and gourmet nibbles, the audience bites. That’s how Discarded to Divine rolls. Recycled fashions, renewed lives.

This much-anticipated annual event is such a heightened happening that the parking service controlling the ticket holders resembles a secret service militia supervised by former high school female gym teachers, standing by to interrogate ticket holders as they pull into the parking lot at St. Mary’s Cathedral. “What is your business here?” they bark, checking to see if you garnered a spot on their coveted list for courtesy parking, or if you should be directed to a spot in the hinterlands. Meantime, the wind is blowing like a Texas tornado and you’re just aching to get inside and preview the silent auction items that always get snapped up quickly. I don’t think New York Fashion Week is this tight.

Once inside, the show doesn’t disappoint. A large room with dozens of one-of-a-kind custom design student silhouettes on dress forms seem to beckon the seasoned eye, which marvels at the tailoring and fanciful embellishments – a ’60s white woolen Audrey shift with back panels on each shoulder displaying embroidered peacock quills or a delightful tunic featuring panels of woven textiles in the season’s pet shades of blush and salmon with a matching woolen shrug.

The silent auction showcases more of the fun and offbeat – at times even crafty party wear and accessories that let attendees walk away with an expertly tailored,  re-purposed dress for $75 – a dress with a great back story, not plucked from the rack of a department store but won via clever bidding tactics (be the last one on the list when they stop the silent auction and appetizers and direct you inside for the live show).

The live auction is an opportunity for more sophisticated formal, day and outerwear, and a chance to show what lesser known Bay Area visionaries can stitch: a stunning blue taffeta bodice dress by costumer Ulises Alcala made from a silk jacket; a gray pea coat by the Fashion Institute of Design’s Janice Paredes with an oversight yellow houndstooth trim that sprung from a woman’s blazer; a stunning Boho embellished folk coat by Olga Shor tweaked from upholstery fabric and window panels; a belted oversize purple ash woman’s coat by gr. Dano in a paisley pattern with dolman sleeves which required eight hours of hand dipping to achieve the ombre technique; and a truly divine Aphrodite Greeks style asymmetrical chiffon dress with a belt and detachable fur collar.

As with a familiar Project Runway plot line, the designers were instructed to take their inspiration from the collection of art at the De Young Museum – the location of a preview party for the fashion event – which raised more than $100 thousand for the cause. The fact that the crowd was curious to learn about the discarded part – the forgotten fabrics breathing life into the garments – proves there are plenty of good textiles to go around without ever having to produce new weaves in a factory again.  We are titillated by seeing something old become something new. Perhaps the design world will take note of this annual event and rummage through the lost pile to pull treasures for their own collections.

images: St. Vincent de Paul Society San Francisco; Xiang Zhang

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