MySweetCharity has received notes about the “sponsors’ paper dresses” that were displayed at the KidneyTexas Fashion Show/Luncheon last Wednesday. So we went to the source of how the project came about. And that source is none other than Lady Jan Strimple (pictured), who reports:
When we reigned in the dollars and removed video, it was my challenge to come up with a fresh way to thank our top sponsors. I asked my Chairs for their decor budget for the reception area, turned to a friend of mine to secure the Rootstein mannequins, and found 13 designers that were up to the challenge of working with paper. Ten of them are students from UNT and El Centro, the other three industry professionals who were willing to support Kidney.
I told Carmaleta (Whiteley) I needed paper goods from each sponsor and some generic paper, so she got on the phone and worked her magic! Millet paper trucks pulled up to my garage and dropped off ends of reams and over runs from jobs … my interns drove to American Airlines and CBS to pick up programming and travel posters, ticket jackets … at Baylor I asked for X-rays and surgical gloves. Apparently x-rays have patients names on them and it would be against regulations to put them into my hands, so Suzette (Derrick) gave me her personal x-rays.
The designers came to my house – and shopped supplies and paper goods from my garage. We talked concepts – gave them the mannequin measurements – they sent sketches – and then arrived on Tuesday with the results you saw at the luncheon. We had two last minute sponsors come in, and were able to find two more designers at UNT, so one of my assistants (also a UNT student) drove paper to UNT campus and between classes she did two parking lot paper and design meetings. Great stories from this project!
The designers loved the creative challenge and all ran with it. They were all backstage all eating pizza (my friends at Boston Pizza Restaurant fed all of my crew and the paper dress designers) and swapping stories about meeting their sponsors and being a part of this luncheon. Several told me they had never seen anything like this before and how proud they were to be a part of something so meaningful. Gracious and talented …. a great group.
Nice things have happened for these talented young adults. Mary Kay now has their dress, as do CBS-11/TXA 21 (dress pictured with designer Jonathan Aparicio), Park Cities News, Stanley Korshak and Kid Biz. The art procurer for Baylor’s new facilities received a tweet of the dress from a Baylor associate at the luncheon and he tracked me down to see if they could acquire it. Told him we built them to thank our sponsors and all I asked what that the designer’s name be credited with signage in his installation. Suzette’s x-rays are going to on public view! Now that’s a dedicated Prez! Her bones are now part of the actual boning (ha ..ha ) for the corset of the dress. Love a designer with a good sense of humor. Love a President with a good set of ribs!
Also luv it when the world spins like it did yesterday.
Everyone’s hard work paid off and beaucoups of generous people left some money at Kidney’s doorstep. It was all good.
Rawlins Gilliland says
What a great thread you posted here. It’s easy to see people gush over this & that…what I call the ‘OOOoo-la-la’ syndrome. But this round of dresses & gowns were really like an art installation rather than simply a Project Runway jaw dropper. I kept returning to look at the dresses up closer & to speak with the designers.
It’s not like I haven’t been around the creative block; my major was art design @UNT, grew up in a house where Norman Norrell’s hung in the closet & spent 2 decades with Neiman Marcus. But I really could not imagine what I was seeing up close with these designers, those created garments. I just kept marveling, like those soldiers in the Korean War when Marilyn Monroe came on stage.
We can all ‘oooo-la-la’ ourselves to death, but it is not overstating te case that Jan Strimple is a world class inspiration, mentoring, challenging…those who are the very young taking fashion & art into the future. Looking at their work…those paper dresses…I was sincerely moved. Thanks to you & jan for expanding on the ‘back story’. (And to Suzette~~~ when can I get a copy of your brain scan so I can analyze your unique gift for boundless positive thinking upbeat optimism?)
yvonne says
After reading Rawlins post.. I will simply say “Amazing”. What these young people can do now days is so “amazing”.. Jan , Jan and more Jan… may she long rule and continue to help students and non-profits work together.. They learn early what it is to give back.
Ok so that’s more than “Amazing”… I write like I talk… with a smile on my face.