The Heart
Truth Red Dress
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week
The Tents at Bryant Park
February 2, 2007
mercedesbenzfashionweek.com
Written by Bob Bland
Photographed by Evens Lamour
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Angela Bassett |
The last word I would
use to describe our American government is “stylish”,
but on Friday morning sponsor Laura Bush and the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services put
on a wildly successful runway show to a packed audience
of celebrities, designers, press and other fashion
insiders. The Hearth Truth teamed with 20 designers
and 20 celebrities to present a collection of red
dresses that ranged from classic to striking to
absolutely edgy. Celebrity highlights of the show
included Katharine McPhee in a slip dress encrusted
entirely with ruby red Swarowski crystals, tennis
great Billie Jean King sporting sneakers on the
catwalk to a standing ovation, and Betsey Johnson
closing the show with her signature dance routine.
Other notable celebrities joining them on the runway
included Kelly Ripa, Angela Bassett, Rachel Ray,
Kim Cattrall and Lauren Hutton. While every style
was a designer favorite, best of show unquestionable
went to Kristin Chenoweth in a perfectly-proportioned
satin confection by Oscar De La Renta.
Now in its fifth year, the Red
Dress Collection is continuing to partner with the
fashion industry in raising national awareness of
heart disease as the #1 killer of women. Along with
John Bartlett, the Heart Truth opened Fall 2007
Fashion Week by raising more than a few pulses in
the audience. Offerings from legendary designers
like CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg and Carolina
Herrera, as well as frocks from up-and-coming labels
such as Jovovich-Hawk, were worn on the backs of
celebrities of every shape, size and color. With
the topic of model health standards weighing on
everyone’s mind this month, Red Dress created
an unintended moment of reflection for industry
professionals who support designer’s right
to choose dangerously skinny models for their runway
presentations. Though the show was an exuberant
and fun reminder to protect heart health, it was
also a display of beautiful women in beautiful dresses,
with not a size zero sample to be found.
For more information on
the Heart Truth Red Dress Fashion Show and to learn
more about women’s risk of heart disease,
go to http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth.
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| Mary Hart |
Kristin Chenoweth |
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