Last night was the Annual Charity auction by Progetto Sorriso Nel Mondo, (The World Smile Project) which goes to support the curing of cranio-facial malformations and deformities in developing countries (essentially fixing the smiles of children born with facial defects- clef lips and palates). From their website:
Progetto Sorriso nel Mondo (Smile Project in the World) is a non-profit organisation that operates in Bangladesh since 1997, in Africa (Congo and Burundi) since 2005, and in Guatemala since 2008. It deals mainly with the correction of facial disfigurements and the healing of burns. -Progetto Sorriso Nel Mondo
At the Charity Auction there was a small gallery of photographs by Italian photographers and of course- the secret Auction. The Auction wasn’t really an auction of sorts, rather it was a room filled with sealed paper bags that had a list of brands inside, and a price stapled to the top. Essentially you were to simply pick up a bag for a price that you were happy with (the bags went from 30 euros to 600) and you bought it. Only after you bought it could you open it up to see what was inside. It is a really nice way to convince people to donate to charity, as someone who might find it difficult to part with 30 euro’s in a normal circumstance, might be willing to go up to 100 euros if the bag contains unknown treasures from Prada, Versace or Diesel.
In the end, from what I saw you couldn’t go wrong if you went for a brand that made eyeglasses or travel bags (Think Samsonite) but I saw some hideous creatures coming out from some bags from brands you think only make catwalk-worthy clothing. One girl, very petite, pulled out a pink dress- a cross between ballerina and victorian sleeping costume (the type a british actor in drag might wear in a 1980′s tv-show) and the size of a hippopotamus. It was so large that she could have fit herself four times over inside and still have space for a friend. She laughed hysterically as it became the conversation piece of her friend group for the evening.
All and all, it was really a wonderful event. Free drinks, ice cream (Gelato), charity and snacks with a chance of walking away with a steal on some top designer brands. What more could you ask for!
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