Carmen teamed up with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and twenty-five designers
to create the most significant fashion show of the fall season, the Red Dress Collection 2005
Fashion Show at Olympus Fashion Week in New York. The show, in its third year, marks an
ongoing effort called The Heart Truth, a national campaign to increase women's awareness
of heart disease. The symbolic red dress, a standout in any crowd, and the color of strength
and vitality, has become the national emblem of the campaign.
Twenty-six celebrated women, from First Lady Laura Bush to Christie Brinkley,
graced the runway, each in a red gown created by an esteemed designer.
The room exploded with applause as timeless beauty, Carmen Dell'Orefice,
floated down the runway in a gown specially created by Carmen Marc Valvo.
The Heart Truth campaign was launched in 2001 out of a dire need to inform
women of the prevalence of heart disease and the associated risk factors, such
as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. At that time, nearly half of women
polled did not know that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America.
Several health organizations joined forces with celebrities, such as Vanessa Williams
and Katie Couric, and designers, like Carmen, to turn the spotlight on this issue.
The red dress is a vibrant, external reminder to care for the internal you.
Understand what preventive measures can be taken, get screened, and
work with Carmen and a growing number of others to fight heart disease.