When wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Altadena and the Palisades, Lindsey Hartman and and Makena Andros were among the many fashion professionals moved to help. So they posted a call to action on Instagram, asking for other stylists to help. “I immediately thought about all of the irreplaceable pieces we collect in our lives and how heartwrenching that loss must be,” Hartman says. The response was overwhelming. What started as a clothing drive became a Give A Frock benefit concert and auction, hosted by John C. Reilly in partnership with Julien’s Auctions.
On Wednesday at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, the Give A Frock fire aid benefit and charity concert will offer people the chance to bid on their favorite artists’ red carpet looks and tour pieces, alike. The event will benefit Altadena Girls, One Voice, Friends In Deed, and The Pasadena Humane Society. “Things really got going when I connected with my close-knit community of stylists—particularly my mentor and close friend, Shirley Kurata, as well as Kat Typaldos, Chris Horan, Tabitha Sanchez, Genesis Webb, Jordan Grossman, Amber Simiriglia, and Johnny Valencia,” she says.
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The result? Multiple looks from Charli xcx’s brat tour, a sequined Rodarte dress that Olivia Rodrigo chose for the premiere of The Ballad of Songbirds Snakes, and the hooded blue velvet Alaïa dress Sabrina Carpenter wore for the “Please Please Please” music video. Hartman, who styles Hayley Williams, will also include one of the Paramore singer’s looks from her opening slot on the Eras Tour. (While the auction also boasts looks from Pamela Anderson, Kathleen Hanna, and Cyndi Lauper, Hartman admits she has a favorite among the lots. “It’s gotta be the three custom Beastie Boys Adidas tracksuits,” she says. “If those go missing it definitely was NOT me.”)
Hartman also encourages attendees to bring donations to the show, partnering with LA-based upcycling sewing and production shop SUAY. “SUAY has stepped up to the plate to take overflow of clothing donations rejected by other L.A. facilities during this time and re-distribute, recycle, and ultimately reduce harmful climate impact,” she says.
The fires, as the past several weeks have more than demonstrated, caused a massive swell of community care and mutual aid. Hartman hopes that the Give A Frock benefit will be no different. “Money and possessions aside, after talking to so many people affected by the fires I realized that something everyone could use right now was a really fucking good time,” she says. “And on February 5, we can promise that at the very least.”
