Dress for Success Pulls Off Sit-Down Gala With Flying Colors

Photographer:  Moanalani Jeffrey

Dress For Success (DFS) is the flourishing organization founded in 1997, which promotes economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools to help them to thrive in work and in life.

On July 26, DFS San Francisco held its 7th annual fundraiser, Success: You Wear It Well Gala 2012, the first sit-down style gala for the San Francisco affiliate. In years past, Dress For Success has thrown fabulous cocktail-party-plus-fashion-shows for the event. This year, DFS graduated to the iconic Sir Francis Drake Ballroom.

The thriving organization has grown and so has the big-name support.  With gala sponsors that included Benefit, Banana Republic, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, American Airlines and many more, support for the organization is growing steadily.

The gala began with a cocktail hour where guests mingled, sipped cocktails and perused their favorite silent auction selections.  Following cocktails, guests made their way into the grand ballroom for the swanky sit-down dinner, sparkling fashion show by Banana Republic and a live auction.

The evening continued with a heartfelt speech from Christina Laygo, who recounted a touching story of tragedy turned to triumph, facilitated by Dress For Success.

Finally, the evening concluded with an award presentation to Rita Steel, president of Robert Half International (RHI), the world’s largest staffing service. In her role as president, Steel is committed to developing a strong workforce and works closely with Dress for Success to fill positions.

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