Deep and Secret Things

Have you ever been part of a live auction? How about a live auction offering up exclusively designed fashion-forward pieces for charity? The energy is infectious.

Last Thursday night my sister and I went to Discarded to Divine, a silent and live auction event featuring exclusively designed pieces made from discarded clothing, benefiting the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco, and the invisible, “discarded” people of San Francisco that they help every day.

Shopping cleanse aside, I went in not expecting to bid on anything because I figured everything would be out of my league. But as soon as I entered the room that housed the pieces up for silent auction (and even though I already saw them at the preview) something inside of me clicked. I was ready to bid!

The ones that got away (silent auction):

Left: “Ms. Tuxi” by Melissa Moorcroft. How cute is this dress?! I love how it looks structured and formal but the super short length makes it cheeky! I fell in love with it. The “buy-it-now” price for this dress was either $200 or $250. Sadly I got to it after it had already been purchased.

Right: “Tiffany” by Paula Aguado. This is actually a hoodie dress with asymmetrical sleeves. Awesome! My sister put down a $125 bid and I was ready to go $150 but we figured it was silly for me to out-bid her, so we resolved to check back to make sure one of us got it. Unfortunately we were not at all aware of when bidding closed, so by the time we checked back bidding had closed and someone else won it for $150.

At the live auction, enter “Madame Militaire” by Jay Nicolas Sario.

This is when things started getting crazy. I WANTED this outfit. Cute, chic and totally wearable, yet super-creative and absolutely one-of-a-kind! I had to have it, but in order to maintain my sanity I resolved to bid no more than $350. In about 5 minutes the bidding got up to $400. I was hemming and hewing about spending more than $350, but in my ear my sister kept urging me to up the bid. Finally it was at $475. A far cry from $350, no? It was going once, going twice… another bid! for $500. from ME! That moment was so exhilarating – throwing up my bid card, feeling the eyes of the entire room as everyone turned their heads to see who swooped in at the last minute. Unfortunately the moment didn’t last long. The other bidder wasn’t having any of that and quickly upped the ante. Going from $350 to $500 was such a huge jump for me I wasn’t prepared for more. And without my sister urging me on I declined to bid again. And that’s how I lost Madame Militaire.

But here’s what we took home:

“Midnight Sunset” by Heather Craig. My sister won this dress for $75 – she was just letting me try it on. I could barely walk in it. The tiered hem is the most beautiful hem I’ve ever seen on a dress that I’ve also actually touched. And the peacock feathers made me feel like a diva.

“Deep and Secret Things 2” by Aurelio. My sister and I bid on this dress and an accompanying jacket together. In the beginning I think she was more interested in the pair than I was; but I smitten, bitten by the bidding bug. She bid, then I – high on the excitement, out-bid her by $25. Which was silly, of course. The bidding eventually went up to $375, and having agreed with my sister that we would split the pieces and the cost, I triumphantly I won the bid at $400. Well, I was triumphant until I realized I had just spent $400. (I was still on the shopping cleanse, which I didn’t remember until the day after. But I feel like this doesn’t count). And here, my friends, is my half of Deep and Secret Things 2:

I am the proud new owner of a jacket adorned with a purple animal head. A feature I had somehow not noticed when it came down the runway. Working this jacket into my wardrobe will certainly be a challenge, but I’m up for it.

Still, I am proud to have it. Trying on the clothes with my sister after we got home I realized how special these pieces are. They are designed and created specifically for Discarded to Divine, made from a collection of materials gathered and distributed for this one event, this one year, this one moment in time. And they’re all handmade pieces, works of art. Technically it’s not couture, but it’s pretty damn close. There is only one, and will only ever be one of each piece featured at Discarded to Divine. Pieces of art that live with you and clothe you, while touching the lives of homeless people, battered women, and other people who seek help from the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Not just the title of Aurelio’s piece, it is a deep and secret thing to share in this experience.

Photo credits:
Ms. Tuxi – Adelle McElveen
Tiffany – Adelle McElveen
Madame Militaire – Shelley Prevost (Renegade Photos)
Midnight Sunset – Emily McElveen
Deep and Secret Things 2 (dress) – Adelle McElveen
Deep and Secret Things 2 (jacket) – Irene Yoon

For more information on Discarded to Divine visit http://www.discardedtodivine.org/.