Dressing for a Good Cause

Philanthropy has found a home on the red carpet of the Academy Awards. Several fashion companies found famous faces to help launch fund-raising projects at the Oscars.

Actress Sally Kirkland carried a solid-gold handbag made by Beverly Hills designer Kathrine Baumann. The 24-karat gold, amethyst and diamond minaudiere will be auctioned at Christie’s to benefit a World War II veterans’ memorial planned for Washington, D.C. The auction date for the Military Purple Heartbag hasn’t been set, but the opening bid has--$250,000.

Singer Celine Dion tilted the brim of her fedora long enough to show off a pair of diamond-studded Ray-Ban sunglasses that also will be auctioned at a later date. Los Angeles jeweler Martin Katz created the bejeweled shades that Dion said would be sold to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Last week, a Christie’s auction of 56 dresses worn at the Oscars over the decades raised $786,120 for AmFAR. Elizabeth Taylor’s periwinkle blue and violet crepe dress, designed by Edith Head in 1969, sold for $167,500 to Mattel Inc., which also bought Diane Keaton’s Richard Tyler tuxedo suit for $11,500, and Sharon Stone’s infamous Valentino skirt, Armani coat and Gap T-shirt for $9,775, surely the highest price ever for anything from the Gap.