Stephanie Lessing Meets the Superheroes

When Stephanie Lessing told me she’d gotten tickets to the Brooklyn Superhero Company’s fashion show benefit for 826NYC at Symphony Space, I said of course I wanted a full report, because who doesn’t believe in “supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write,” right? It’s a swell organization which can still use your donations or your volunteer work–and not just in New York, but in any of the five other cities where the organization has built learning centers. Here’s what Stephanie had to say about the evening:

The evening kicked off with a live performance by the Hungry March Band followed by a brief fashion statement by fashion designer extraordinaire Edna Mode–via satellite–who made it very clear that cloaks, capes and ponchos–even the seemingly bullet proof variety– were nothing more than the fuel for fantasy and that in order to be truly “in fashion” one must have a firm grip on reality–particularly in terms of what’s needed to fund upcoming projects at 826NYC–the five day a week program drop-in program in Park Slope, Brooklyn that offers free tutoring, field trips and writing workshops to children ages 6-18.

Before the fashion show got underway, Rob Cordry of The Daily Show did a reading of a story by Jonathan Goldstein about his experience dating Lois Lane just after she broke up with Superman and how he was sure they were going to get back together as well as the circumstances that lead him to expose his fear of their reunion to his good friend Clark Kent.

Next up was Hodgman who explained why invisibility was a far greater super hero power than the ability to fly and equated anyone who chose flying over invisibility with the type of person who, if they had only one wish, would undoubtedly choose a really big swimming pool. It was a lot funnier when he said it.

And then came the fashion show.

The crime-fighting runway designs by Zac Posen, Rebecca Taylor, Behnaz Sarafpour, Marc Jacobs and Built by Wendy were modeled by children and their celebrity companions: Among them were Daily Show correspondent Ed Helms in butcher-like attire with a sidekick whose adorability was in itself a superpower. Then there was the magical star cape worn by an invisible Amy Sedaris as well as the ethereal white dress made of recycled t-shirts and grocery bags worn by a very pregnant Samanta Bee,which Sarah Vowell so articulately described as fierce and lustrous as well as covetable—words she found while perusing the pages of Vogue that very same day.

A fun time was had by all and over $1,000 was raised by generous audience members in support of 826NYC and its volunteers—the ultimate superheroes.

21 October 2005 | guest authors |