Top this ONE

I have said that you will not find me promoting t-shirts on this blog unless it's unequivocally fabulous and runway ready. And here is your chance to design one for a great cause.

ONE’s NEXT TOP T-SHIRT

"We want you to design our new African-produced, fair-traded, 100% organic T-shirt. A panel of expert judges will select the top 3 designs -- and then ONE members will choose the winner by voting for their favorite. In addition to advancing the fight against poverty, the winner’s design will be printed on the African-produced T-shirts and made available to ONE members and the general public for purchase."

ONE is a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization backed by more than 2 million people who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.

Rue La La for Breast Cancer Research

I knew there had to be a good reason for being up at midnight. Here's a quick blast on a great sale - but you only have until Thursday, October 22nd at 11am EST for my East coast readers and 8am PST for my West coast readers... At Rue La La you will find huge discounts on select items from over a dozen well-known designers such as this Juicy Couture terry hoodie (US$59 was $158) or Betsey Johnson raincoast (US$99 was $250) and 25% of the proceeds goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. It's a win- win, so hurry and claim your status as a die-hard bargain (and early bird) shopper and philanthropist!

Pink Crocs and Cocktails

If you're in the Los Angeles area and you'd prefer to shop for the cure instead of race for the cure this year, the Lacoste Boutique in Beverly Hills, California and Vogue invite you to celebrate the Pink Croc Collection to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Monday October 5, 2009 (7-9pm) 447 N. Rodeo Drive. RSVP 866.689.2106) Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served and 100% of nights proceeds benefits BCRF. If you can't make this event, you can still support this worthy cause and shop Lacoste's online store.

THINK PINK

October is breast cancer awareness month and the boob is one cause that has everyone running and shopping towards a cure. We are all encouraged to think pink, and although a few times that manifests into the amusingly bizarre (yes, that is a cement truck... for the cure), the branding and message is clear... we cannot lose site of this worthy cause. Plus, it definitely makes for a fascinating pictorial and a little chuckle.

But in all seriousness, it is estimated by the American Cancer Society that in 2009 about 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States. In 2009, ACS estimates that about 40,170 women will die from breast cancer in the United States. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. In men, 1,910 new cases are projected in 2009, with 440 deaths. At this time there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. (from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation). And one of the premiere foundations in the U.S., having raised over $250 million for breast cancer research, is the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

And although I have no idea where you can buy your very own pink cement truck, there are an extraordinary amount of pink products you can find on the BCRF website from major corporate partners like Sony (pink Vaio laptop), Cartier and Coach to reknown designers like Michael Kors, Michael Stars and Tory Burch.

While we're all encouraged to shop to our (pink) heart's content, it's understandable that it may not be everyone's color of choice. So here's one super simple yet sophisticated product I think is smart on so many levels and you can get it in black - a quilted, insulated lunch bag (CABC lunch tote, $10) and $4 of every purchase is donated to BCRF. It doesn't look like my 5 year-old's lunch box. It's affordably priced and eventually pays for itself as you save on buying lunches. It's reusable and thus you're doing your part for the planet. And it supports a worthy cause. Thinking pink can lead to some genius results!