It's Jacket Season

It’s a rite of spring. Butterflies escape from cocoons, toes seek sandal-friendly pedicures, and the basic jean jacket becomes something beautiful, too. The Dallas Chapter of the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) encores its wildly successful Jacket Collection fundraiser. Jackets are beaded, feathered, furred, and re-cut into haute couture creations showcased in theatrical vignettes. The sensational show took place in the Trinity Ballroom of the Anatole Hotel on Saturday, March 18. This year’s theme is Celebration: Live, Laugh, Love. It once again united passion for fashion and commitment to civic service. The dynamic and diverse lineup of designers included Kenneth Cole, Baccarat, Oilily, Jay Strongwater, Derek Lam, Giuliana Teso, and BCBG. Contributing local personalities include Rhonda Sergeant Chambers, Mattie Roberts and Brad Oldham. 

After a season of fantastic pre-Collection fetes, the big night featured dinner, runway show, and both silent and live auctions. According to Chairman Donna Fishel, the expected attendance at the Anatole Hotel was about 2000, up from 1100 last year. “It has grown year after year because the need has gotten bigger, and because there are so many talented people,” says DIFFA Legend Jill Rowlett. “There is a lot of depth to these people. We are so blessed.” It takes a village to put on the lavish affair. Along with contributors ACS, Ben E. Keith and Absolute, DIFFA Style Ambassadors and Legends raise funds for the event. Though DIFFA is a national organization, the Dallas chapter provides financial support to AIDS service organizations here in North Texas. Legend Yvonne Crum simply states, “DIFFA money goes where it should,”