DECORATED DENIM: THE AIDS BENEFIT - 1986
Bringing together the worlds of fashion, music, art and celebrity, Decorated Denim was the first major AIDS benefit held in New York City at a time when the city was reeling from the onset of the epidemic. Barney's Department Store, in collaboration with Levi-Strauss & Co, hosted what would long be remembered as an evening of fantasy and glamour in their newly expanded women's store. Jacqueline was asked to supervise the dressing of all the models and ready them for their runway appearance.
Artists and designers were each asked to decorate or transform a denim jacket; these were modeled and then auctioned off to raise money for the cause. Celebrities and models including Nell Campbell, Peter Allen, Andie MacDowell, The B 52's, Susan Sarandon, and Iman were invited to descend Peter Marino's spectacular spiral staircase, wearing jackets by such artists and designers as Basquiat, Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Max, Paloma Picasso and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Fashion designers outdid themselves to come up with the most outrageous creations. Charity patrons paid up to $5000 to take a turn at modeling. Madonna, a young rising star and early advocate for AIDS action and awareness, modeled a jacket and waved coyly to the audience. Andy Warhol, whose relationship with Barney's was already well established, attended with a camera.
Excerpts from the above were taken from the Sotheby's 2010 Contemporary Art Catalog.