City of Hope X Fancy Swimwear Fashion Show

Who wouldnt’t love a beautiful LA rooftop venue full of gorgeous models in swimwear, on a night of celebration to raise money for cancer awareness?! Sounds like a winning combo to me!… and it certainly was.

This past Thursday, September 29th, I hosted the first annual Fashion on Fourth, Fancy Swimwear Fashion Show for City of Hope alongside my longtime friend (and 2 time cancer survivor!) Jason Dennis in order to raise money for the hospital’s chapter “25 to 5.”  It was my first time hosting an event like this and I have to admit I was nervous at first, standing in front of a large group of professionals. But once I got to talking it was a lot easier than I had anticipated. Being that the evening was about a topic I am passionate about, I was able to speak from my heart which made it a hell of a lot easier. The event was held at the absolutely stunning LEVEL Furnished Living, a new skyrise building in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. Seriously, the place was A-MAZING!

 

 

The “25 to 5” chapter raises awareness and funding for cancer prevention, research and treatment. “The group brings together quality professionals through an ongoing series of social gatherings in the Greater Los Angeles area while creating a fun and friendly environment for networking, fundraising and scientific discovery in support of City of Hope.” These events raise money for Dr Jacob M. Berlin of City of Hope to fund his ongoing research projects, whose goal is to shorten the traditional timeline for the introduction of cancer drugs/therapies from an average of 25 years to as little as 5, thus saving countless lives. Dr Berlin shared his research and recent discoveries with the audience, what an incredible man.  His commitment to research and saving  lives is a blessing to us all.

 

 

After the formalities of the evening were wrapped up, my badass friend, swimwear designer and two time cancer survivor Liz Luque, showcased two collections from her line, Fancy Athletica, and 15 Shades of Pink, a collection honoring women and their fight with breast cancer. The beautiful bronzed models, spray tanned by our favorite Sunless Beauty Tans (using all natural and organic ingredients), graced the runway while concealing their hair with Fancy Caps, in honor of women who lose their hair while undergoing chemo, recognizing that bald is beautiful.  Fancy Caps is a charitable extension of Liz’s swimwear line. She designs and makes these bright and colorful caps and distributes them to cancer patients at hospitals around the country with the inspiring message that they too can beat cancer and to keep swimming. 

 

 

And let me not forget to mention that the ladies in the audience were certainly not forgotten.  LA fashion designer, Wardr0be featured his bright and colorful 80’s inspired swim trunk collection by Richbums X Fancy Swimwear,  a sexy, bright and cool collab worn by the ever so handsome male models. A raffle and silent action were also held with 100 percent of the proceeds also going to the charity. This was definitely a night to remember, shedding light on a cause near and dear to many of us.  A huge thank you to all who donated their talents and services to make the evening so special and for all of those who came out and supported.  We look forward to and anticipate future events with City of Hope to help make an even bigger impact in cancer research and awareness.

 

 

XO