During Fashion Week, Discovery Through Design, a nonprofit devoted to raising awareness of women’s health initiatives and spinal cord research, hosted its first Rolling With Style gala, a fund-raising dinner and fashion show. The 600-person event hosted by Lesley Stahl of CBS’s 60 Minutes honored four “roll models”—accomplished and influential women in wheelchairs— and featured looks from Baby Phat, Marc Bouwer, Lloyd Klein, Nicole Miller, St. John, and Zang Toi. On the planning team were Leslie Mastin, president of State of the Art Enterprises, and Ashley Lauren Fisher and Marilyn Hamilton, two of the four founders of Discovery Through Design. Supporters, socialites, and celebrities attending included Deborah Gibson (who performed at the end of the night), Prince Lorenzo Borghese, and Catherine Forbes. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Christopher Reeve Foundation, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and the Spinal Cord Injury Project at Rutgers University.
—Anna Sekula
—Anna Sekula
Honoree Michele Boardman modeled apparel and a custom-decorated chair from Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons.
Dominating the entrance was event designer Ed Libby’s topiary, highlighting the evening’s wheel motif and orange and purple colors. The trilevel piece included three globes covered with blue curiosa roses and oranges as well as golden gazing balls and large orange pillar candles.
The spherical visuals, representing the event’s tagline (“If you can’t stand up … stand out”), appeared in the tabletop decor, where short centerpieces of blue curiosa roses and clementines sat atop pools filled with floating candles.
The fashion show also included 28 able-bodied models including Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera and Carol Alt.
