Human Flower Project

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Head Up!

One of New York City’s major HIV treatment facilities keeps its chin up and its head in the flowered clouds.

At Tulips and Pansies: The Headdress Affair

Photo: Village Care of New York

How do you handle social stigma? With a hat the size of a satellite dish and buckets of orchids.

Village Care of New York held its fundraiser Tulips and Pansies: The Headdress Affair Monday, May 15, at Bridgewaters in Lower Manhattan. The event restores HIV/AIDS to the spotlight with an evening of ‘70s flamboyance—a runway show featuring floral megalocrowns—to benefit Village Care’s AIDS services.

“The AIDS epidemic is far from over. In New York City alone nearly 6000 new HIV infections occur each year.” Village Care operates a long-term care facility, two day treatment centers, an AIDS-specific mental health program and more.

Prepping for the runway, May 15

Photo: Village Care of New York

The stigma of AIDS, unfortunately, remains with us too. So how splendid that this charity event takes an over-the-top attitude. Hot-shot designers Betsey Johnson, Bill Blass, and others lent their names, though who needs names, really, when you can have flowers on your head? In the name of further excess, how about some quintessential fashion-prose?

“Empress XX Gefil Tefish took a royal stance in a crown of pepper berries and orchids designed by Imperial Court of New York… There was also a gun-toting cowgirl in a ten-gallon hat of fuchsia and red roses who wore a complementing Betsey Johnson prairie dress with gingham trim, while a masked marauder took stalk in a hat of over 1,000 white floral head buds shaped like hair curlers by Form and M&J Trimmings.”

Here are many more photos of the event. This organization serves patients (some 1500 daily)  “regardless of their ability to pay.” To make your own contribution, ask a question or play hat-fashion critic, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)