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In what has become an annual tradition, the Heart Truth Fashion Red Dress Collection Fashion Show, sponsored by Diet Coke, kicked off New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week with a star-studded fashion show at Hammerstein Ball Room. The show, part of a larger campaign by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), featured major celebrities (Christie Brinkley, Jenna Elfman, Gloria Estefan, Lala Anthony) donning red designer gowns to bring awareness to heart health.
So.....What does a fashion show have to do with heart health?
Heart disease is the #1 killer of women (NHLBI, 2008), affecting close to 10 times as many women as breast cancer, yet it struggles to get as much attention as other, more heavily marketed illnesses. The folks at NHLBI understand that having Gloria Estefan shimmy down the runway in a red dress by designer Narciso Rodriguez, while singing along to her latest hit, is a great way to bring media attention and, let’s be honest, our attention to heart health.
So, yes, the show mixes an important public health message with a heavy dose of entertainment.
We LOVED the luminous Chaka Kahn, who wore a animal printed slinky number with a floor length red evening coat by Project Runway alumnus Chris March, AND, in the ultimate old school superstar move, wore a wig with red highlights.
Christie Brinkley, who apparently has been able to avoid pesky problems like aging, looked like walking hotness at age 58 in a Pamela Roland spaghetti strap number with a matching wrap.
Then there's Minka Kelly, who in person is like the beautiful Greek goddess Hera (except a lot nicer), who wore a Diane Von Furstenberg sequined wrap number that has us compiling a list of things we could sell (our wedding ring, blood) to purchase the dress.
For more information on having a healthy heart and The Heart Truth Campaign, please visit The Heart Truth Campaign website. February is Heart Health Month: learn about Go Red Wear Red, another Heart Truth initiative, and start improving your heart health right now with our series Healthy Heart.
For more thoughts on women, technology and business, please follow Kathryn on Twitter at @KathrynFinney
All images from The Heart Truth via Flickr
