In case you missed it, I enjoyed 3 minutes of fame last night on King5 TV. Mimi Jung and her camera man followed me around the Lynnwood Goodwill a couple weeks ago, while I shopped for recycled textiles and offered thrift store tips. They even filmed me in my studio sewing up some ruffles.
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If you were watching After the Runway last Thursday, you probably also felt the absence of Mondo in the room. Turns out he had a great reason for missing the taping.
Project Runway All-Star Mondo Guerra Judges Goodwill Fashion Show!
In case you're not familiar, Mondo Guerra is a 32-year-old Denver native, who got his start in fashion by transforming thrift-store clothing into his own designs. He rose to national fame competing on season 8 of Project Runway and he is in the final 4 of this season’s Project Runway All-Stars. He is so creative and I am really surprised that he was only runner up of his season.
On February 8, he joined Goodwill Industries of Denver for an evening of fashion, food and fabulous finds at the second annual Good Exchange for Change Fashion Show & Clothing Swap. Such a cool event that I wish we had here in the Pacific Northwest. I would have been first in line to purchase a VIP ticket to get the opportunity to mingle with Mondo before the event.
The fashion show featured original designs using repurposed Goodwill clothing by students from Goodwill’s youth programs at Denver School of the Arts and CEC Middle College in Denver. All of the students designs are made from materials they found at Goodwill and then repurposed with mentoring from Mondo. Fellow Colorado Project Runway alumni Fallene Wells and Julie Tierney helped Mondo with the judging.
Uriel modeled his own winning design on the runway. (he looks like Mondo's little brother!)
More exciting than that, Mondo auctioned off an original outfit from his collection! The other two judges, Julie and Fallene, created high-fashion looks repurposed from Goodwill clothing and auctioned them off as well. All the proceeds went to benefit Goodwill’s youth services programs in 28 metro area and Northern Colorado high schools. Goodwill Industries of Denver seeks to reverse the cycle of poverty for at-risk youth, struggling families and individuals with disabilities. Discover the good at www.goodwilldenver.org.
Above photo from left to right: Uriel, Fallene, Julie and Mondo. All photos by Kevin & Betty Becker from Allée Photography
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On Wednesday night, November 9th, the fourth annual Seattle Goodwill Glitter Gala took place in the Sheraton Seattle Hotel's Grand Ballroom. This is my second year attending the Goodwill Glitter Gala - you can read about last year's event here. I look forward to the Glitter events every year, but the Gala is such a fun and fashionable evening, the volunteers and guests play along by dressing to the nines.
This year's fashion show was a visual delight representing all the colors of the rainbow. The theme was Fire and Ice, and the show started off with a red hot group of glitter gowns. My favorite dress of the evening was on the first model... she really sold the dress!
Each group of colorful gowns melted into the next and really showcased the variety of gorgeous clothing Goodwill receives in donations throughout the year. I have my eye on a few items and will be in line for the sale bright an early tomorrow morning!
For the second year in a row, Goodwill invited students from the Art Institute of Seattle to create garments from Goodwill clothing items in a contest for a spot on the runway. Also for the second year in a row, I was invited to be one of the judges of the AIS contest. It's a great opportunity for the students, and a great learning experience for them to be challenged to use unconventional materials.
The beaded gown in the purple segment was quite the showstopper. The dress fit the model like a glove and she was stunning.
The styling of the blue segment was very high fashion with grand hair pieces, and I loved that they paired those cobalt blue dresses with a pop of red in the shoes.
Held every year since 1983, this famous two-day sale features racks, rows and cases of glitzy and glamorous formalwear, gowns, jewelry, handbags, shoes and more, at fantastic prices! It has become Goodwill's most popular and well-attended sale—people from across the region and even other states make it a point to attend.
What makes the sale truly remarkable is that all proceeds—every penny our customers spend—go to support Goodwill's free job training programs. Every day, we help low-income people with barriers to employment get the skills and support they need to find work and support themselves. Because jobs change lives.
Seattle Goodwill's Dearborn Street store
1400 S. Lane St., Seattle
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The only consolation for this wet, chilly weather with its dark afternoons is the impending excitement of this year's Goodwill Glitter Sale! Last year I dragged my friends with me at 7 am and we sat around in camping chairs with lap blankets, in the rain, waiting for the doors to open at 9. And we were 150th in line!
So this year, I'm setting my alarm for just a bit earlier. Did you hear about the jewelry selection? You should be aware that they hand out just about 300 tickets beginning at the front of the line for a chance to peruse the jewelry with your own personal shopper.
If you're not familiar with the Glitter Sale (did you just move here?) you can read my recap of last year's event or you can check out the Goodwill Glitter Blog. The blog is featuring some of the actual items available for sale on Saturday and Sunday, November 12th and 13th, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. This sale is really like no other - there are racks and racks of glamorous and sparkling items absolutely filling the back room of the South Lane location of Seattle Goodwill. The Glitter Blog will continue to preview sale items over the next few weeks. I've got my eye on those Tory Burch heels!
Held every year since 1983, this famous two-day sale features racks, rows and cases of glitzy and glamorous formalwear, gowns, jewelry, handbags, shoes and more, at fantastic prices! It has become Goodwill's most popular and well-attended sale—people from across the region and even other states make it a point to attend.
Above images taken at the 2010 Glitter Sale Press Preview
What makes the sale unique is that all proceeds — every penny spent — will go to support Goodwill's free job training programs. So every purchase will help low-income people with barriers to employment get the skills and support they need to find work and support themselves, because jobs change lives.
How can you go wrong?
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For the second year in a row I had the pleasure of being asked to judge the annual Goodwill Glitter Gala Student Competition at the Art Institute. It's always fun to be on the other side of fashion, and these students are so creative! Talking to them about their designs and looking at their story boards outlining their inspiration and then seeing the final garment - it's fantastic! I see in them all the passion and thoughtfulness I experienced when I first discovered the limitless possibilities of refashioning thrift store items.
My fellow judges and I had our work cut out for us, since there were lots of entries this year. One of the judges was the lovely Lifestyle and Fashion blog editor for Kiss 106.1 FM, Carina Van Son. The other was a gentleman named Scott Tomes who happens to be the Visual Merchandise Coordinator for Seattle Goodwill.
The theme for this year's Glitter Gala is "Fire Meets Ice." The students were each given a budget they could spend on anything in the Goodwill thrift store. I would say most of the designers gravitated toward non-clothing items, or if they did use clothing they completely tore the times apart to make something new out of it.
We scored each design based on the following criteria: creativity, appropriate for the theme, craftsmanship and wow factor.
Here are the three winners, along with three honorable mentions, all of which will be included in this year's Glitter Gala on Wednesday, November 9th at 6:00 p.m.
First the Honorable mentions...
This sweet silhouette by Susy Gregoire really speaks to the theme, with wonderful craftsmanship.
This fantasy ice queen designed by Pierre Davis has the wow factor of costume that brings it to life.
Penny McMillan's lovely ice themed design that hearkens back to the 70's and the Supremes, but it's also totally wearable.
In third place...
You can't help but be impressed with the amount of work that went into this gothic fantasy party dress. With the mirrored bodice and walking stick, mirrored platform heels and full voluminous skirt, I was in love with the silhouette and the styling.
Second place (and my personal favorite)...
The dress above by Daniel Bordner, won second place, but it was actually my favorite. He's the only designer who incorporated fire into the garment - he burnt edges of the fabric to create the lovely decorative bodice. I was also impressed with the fit and the shape of the dress that was handmade from curtain fabric. Great job!
...and the winner!
All images by David Sandler
The winner of the competition was clearly Alyson Mendez. All three of us judges were wowed by the textures she created with this dress. The hours she must have spent tearing strips of multi-colored fabrics to create this layered and textured strapless garment... she really invented her own fabric in the process. The whole thing is astonishing!
Congratulations to all the winners and honorable mentions - I can't wait to see these garments walk down the runway at the Glitter Gala!
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Somehow I missed the phone call when Planet Green was looking for a host for this show and it's premiering tonight! Please read their description and tell me why I wasn't their first choice.
"Dresscue Me follows the fashion world's best-kept secret-Shareen Mitchell, beloved by fashionistas and recessionistas alike for her unique, affordable approach to vintage clothing. A self-taught designer with retail outlets on both coasts, Mitchell is renowned for her ability to give new life to dowdy old duds by turning them into chic, fashion-forward frocks. To create these one-of-a- kind pieces, Mitchell welcomes her exclusively female clients into her hip boutiques in both downtown Los Angeles and New York's Chelsea district, to hear their stories and make them over in a distinctly Shareen Vintage style that helps them look and feel their best."
We don't currently get the Planet Green channel at my house, which is killing me at the moment, but I can't wait to watch the reruns on iTunes! I promise I will eventually be up to date on all things rescued and share it with you. The good news is, Shareen is blogging about each episode, so I'll be adding this link to my daily clicks.
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I knew I wanted to wear something that I had bought at Goodwill, since that was sort of the theme of the evening. The runway would be showcasing all the fantastic garments that are donated throughout the year, to show the world the quality of items they receive. I pulled out the black Vera Wang gown I found last year and still haven't worn. I got it for $19.99 and it's stunning. I'm far too short to wear a floor length gown, even with 5 inch heels, but one of these days... but no, not tonight.
I needed something comfortable as well as stylish and I wanted to be nimble enough to navigate the crowds with my camera and a glass of wine, but still look put together in case someone wanted to take my picture. I scanned the pile of dresses in my sewing room waiting to be refashioned and there it was! The pale blue shantung silk iridescent bubble hem cocktail dress I bought this summer for $3.99! The Goodwill price tag was still on it, and I hadn't dry cleaned it, but it looked like it was in perfect condition. Then I tried it on, and was reminded of the 6 pounds I lost this summer because it fit like a glove.
I couldn't be happier with the weather we had last Thursday. Nothing makes me want to get dressed up and go to a Gala like an unseasonably warm day in November, but add to that the fact that I left the house at 4:30 when the sun was still shining, and I felt like a Hollywood Starlet on her way to the Oscars. It was a bit tricky driving in the bubble hem. In fact, I had to hike the skirt up pretty far in order to climb up into my Jeep Cherokee, so I made a mental note to park in a dark garage, maybe the 2nd or 3rd level below the street, so I could exit the vehicle discreetly and arrive at the Gala with my hem where it belonged.
As I navigated my way to table 2 there was a handsome couple already seated, and I asked if I could sit beside the lady. Of course! Have a seat, these are open. It took me a minute to realize that they had wireless microphones in their hands. "We're the MC's for the evening." How cool is that? Now I have the inside scoop! They walked up on stage to let everyone know that the silent auction was closing in 10 minutes and introduced themselves as Jackie & Bender from KISS 106.1. When they returned to the table, I apologized stating that they were obviously too good looking for radio, and that's why I had no idea who they were, until they opened their mouths. Jackie said "Nobody recognizes us, don't worry about it!"
I even met Nicole Fowler (above, bottom right corner) who is going through the job training program right now. She is really enjoying the program and can't wait to get out into the world and rule the retail sector.
The centerpieces of every table were in themselves another auction item. Our table was decorated with a lovely tree, upon which was dangling about a dozen vintage watches. The food was such an unexpected treat! A tasty hunk of salmon (my favorite), complementary wine, and very attentive service - they really went the extra mile. They even decorated the tables with vintage record albums as place mats.
Another of the couples at my table were parents of one of the student designers featured in the fashion show. I told them I had been part of the judging for the Art Institute of Seattle's competition and that I was also looking forward to seeing the garments again. I was however, shocked, when the mother told me she was not wearing an original outfit by her son. Isn't that the best perk of having a child that is a fashion designer?
Following dinner and the "passing of the special envelopes" for donation, came the much anticipated Fashion Show. Introducing the fashion show was none other than Sir Mix-A-Lot! I was hoping for a performance, but his introduction was very entertaining.
The way things work at this event, the clothing on the models comes straight out of the donation piles. They receive some of the most amazing vintage gowns and period pieces I've ever seen. They did a great job of pairing the outfits with the music and taking us on a journey through the decades from the 1920's through the grunge era. I saw a few pieces that I really loved, so I'll have to look for them at the sale on the 13th.
Although I only bought one raffle ticket, at $20 each, I wasn't ruling out the possibility that I could win the Fashionista Package. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, but I had a wonderful evening of fun, fashion and food, and this event is now a recurring event on my calendar! See you this weekend for the Glitter Sale!
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