Leigha Ali - Boston-Based Boutique Supporting Breast Cancer Research

Outfit Details:
Tanya Taylor floral tie waist dress | Proenza Schouler metallic eyelet mules | Proenza Schouler satchel bag | Smoke X Mirrors sunnies

There are thousands of charities out there. Local and national organizations, all supporting worthy causes. As good-hearted citizens of the world, many of us want to contribute and support as much as we can. But, it can be hard to decide which ones are most worth our time, talent and treasure. Recently, I’ve learned more about Art beCAUSE, a breast cancer research organization that focuses specifically on identifying the cause of breast cancer. Did you know that a woman has a 1 in 8 chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime and that 90% of those diagnosed have no family history? Learning these simple facts, and many more, such as the fact that Europe has banned over 1,000 chemicals from use in cosmetics, while the United States has only banned 11. That means we are likely exposing ourselves to carcinogens on a daily basis by using products that are absorbed through our skin.

Art beCAUSE is on a mission to educate the public about environmental risk factors, conduct research to find the cause, and ultimately prevent breast cancer. They believe the best way to cure the disease is to prevent it altogether – an ideology I can surely stand behind.

^^Couldn’t resist trying on this floral cold shoulder dress while choosing an outfit in the Gretta Luxe boutique in Wellesley.

Recently, I was lucky enough to team up with my favorite ladies over at Gretta Luxe for a fashion show to benefit Art beCAUSE (you might have seen my Instagram takeover). Many familiar faces of the Boston social seen attended the event to demonstrate their support through in-kind donations and volunteering to help out. Several local celebrities, such as Gretta Monahan of Gretta Luxe, Jenny Johnson of Dining Playbook, Janet Wu of 7 News, Taniya Nayak of HGTV and Food Network, and so many more (see the full list here) modeled looks by Gretta Luxe and Mr. Sid.

It was such a blast trying on several of the gorgeous designer looks in the boutique. It was a tough decision, but ultimately I went with a Tanya Taylor floral tie waist dress, Proenza Schouler metallic eyelet mules, a Proenza Schouler satchel bag and Smoke X Mirrors sunnies. I will certainly be popping back into Gretta Luxe the next time I need a chic and on-trend outfit for a big event.

The actual fashion show was such a unique experience – I loved being able to see some of my favorite local celebrities, news anchors, and radio DJs moonlight as models for the evening. I shared all of the looks on the @art_because Instagram account, and I feel lucky enough to have had the opportunity to donate my time and talent in a useful way to the cause. If you take away anything from this blog post, I do hope you’ll read up more on what Art beCAUSE is doing, educate yourself on known carcinogens to stay away from and donate if you can to the research efforts.