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in New York. "Unwrapping those jackets from the designers was like unwrapping a big surprise each time. They were spectacular, so creative. You sent out a simple jacket, but it would come back transformed with the sculptural bib of a Geoffrey Beene bolero or covered in pearls from Lagerfeld or gold medallions from Versace." Jacket designs became increasingly more outlandish, including one embellished entirely in disposable cutlery that had been covered in Swarovski crystals, recalls longtime DIFFA volunteer and board member Carol Quist. "It was unbelievably amazing," she says. Later events featured jackets with incentives such as donated trips or merchandise that bumped up the auction prices even further. "One year, it might have been a ticket to Paris," she recalls. "Another, it might have been a diamond necklace." With productions growing increasingly lavish, the event moved to the Dallas Apparel Mart's Great Hall, where Kim Dawson emceed many of the runway shows that featured her models. The jackets and 2002 2003 2005 2007 2004 2006 2008 continued on page 6 "IT'S TRULY INSPIRING TO SEE THE COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER AND DEDICATE COUNTLESS HOURS TO PROVIDE BETTER LIVES FOR THE NORTH TEXAS MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS." — Brittanie Buchanan Oleniczak, chair emeritus Theme: "PURE 2002," hosted by chairman Todd Fiscus; introduced the inaugural Style Council; emceed by Leeza Gibbons. Theme: "NUESTRA FAMILIA," produced by chairman Rhonda Sargent Chambers and Brian Brothers of Planet Productions. Theme: "EVOLUTION," chaired by Densil Adams and Neale Jones; Excellence in Design award presented to Kenneth Cole; jacket designers included Trina Turk, Jay Strongwater, Donald J. Pliner, David Meister and Jason Weber for The Jim Hensen Company's NY Muppet Workshop. Theme: "DREAM," chaired by Greg H. Johnson and Dr. Gary Tigges; held at the Hilton Anatole's Trinity Ballroom; included jackets designed by Jennifer Lopez, George Michael, Carson Kressley and the cast of Queer as Folk. Theme: "LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE," chaired by David Nelson; held at the Hilton Anatole; introduction of the Legends of Style; included jackets designed by Baccarat and Derek Lam. Theme: "UPSIDE DOWN," chaired by Jeffrey Horn and Bryan Long; held at the Hilton Anatole; Style Council members photographed in vintage DIFFA jackets; auctioned jackets included designs by Delta Burke and Rosie O'Donnell. Theme: "CINEMA DE LA VIE," chaired by Neale Jones; held at the Hilton Anatole; entertainment by Kenimattix and Shanghai 5. STYLE COUNCIL EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN AWARD HOUSE OF DIFFA Timeline From left: Clint Bradley (board chair), Steve and Anne Stodghill (honorary chairs), Chuck Steelman (House of DIFFA chair) PHOTO SCOT AND KRISTI REDMAN shows were so spectacular, in fact, that in 1995, Neiman Marcus underwrote a national eight-city tour of DIFFA Dallas, including stops along the West and East Coasts. Fashion magazines such as Elle and W often covered the jacket designs and DIFFA events in their pages. No matter how glamorous, however, the early shows always had an undercurrent of desperation, says Chuck Steelman, chairman of DIFFA Dallas' 2015 event, themed "House of DIFFA No. 25." After speaking with Duane Jeffers, who produced the first denim collection show in '89, Steelman recounts Jeffers' experience: "You could go into the office in the late '80s, and two or three people would have died since yesterday. Or go into a bar, and there'd be several people missing who were always a part of your group. Everyone was in a panic, so many people were dying every day. Everyone was just trying to raise money to keep people alive." Rhonda Sargent Chambers, who began modeling in the shows in 1989 and later co-produced nine