I never had the money to go out all the time, or to don a fancy dress for the ball. Living is expensive, and that's especially true in San Francisco. But I found another way into the room: I became a fashion designer.
In the 2010s, that meant harnesses and bootie shorts and a long, sloppy migration from one Castro bar to the next. I was broke and overdressed, and very visible. The bars watched me arrive often enough that, eventually, they started paying me to be there. The costume had become the credential.
Note that my Midnight Sun event was until 2019.
The 2020s rearranged the same lesson. Sober now, I turned toward the local red carpet and began sewing ballgowns. SF Ballet noticed first and invited me in as a local influencer, and the rest followed. Now there are organizations that invite me to their events specifically to see what I'll wear. The dress arrives before I do.
So when the Dress for Success gala landed on my calendar, it wasn't a maybe. Their entire mission is what I've been living: the right outfit can be the difference between a closed door and a job. They dress women for interviews. I've dressed myself into rooms for fifteen years.
This year's Disco Ball Gala was the 20th for Dress For Success SF, held April 18 at Terra Gallery, and it raised $420,000. Twenty years ago they began in a church basement with a few racks of donated clothes and 21 clients. It now serves more than 19,000 women across the Bay Area, with wardrobe support, coaching, and cohort programs that, by their own count, lift participants' incomes by an average of 191 percent within a year.
Terra Gallery is not a magnet venue. It is south of Market, awkward to get to, and lacks the gravitational pull of City Hall or a de Young opening. And yet this is the second year in a row I've left the Disco Ball thinking the bigger galas could learn something from this one. The food, cocktails, and service are all fabulous. The crowd actually looks at each other's outfits in a way that's especially effusive.
The program itself was stacked. Rita Moreno and her daughter Fernanda Fisher served as Honorary Co-Chairs, and at one point during the live auction, the two of them offered to host a private dinner for six people in their homes. I was today years old when I learned Moreno is an EGOT. I think we all know her for winning the Oscar as Anita in West Side Story. She's been making the rounds on the gala circuit—earlier this year at the SF Ballet gala and now as a featured guest at Dress For Success SF. (And since then, she also appeared at the Gay Men's Chorus gala, Crescendo.)
I remember hanging on Moreno's every word during speech time, but the auction got rather awkward, lol. Without an auctioneer present, Moreno kept offering things like "and you can hold the Oscar." And people came up to stack on items to hers, including PlumpJack wines courtesy of Newsom Callan, Timothy Adams chocolates, and some rest at the Palace Hotel from Glodow Nead Communications.
I kept waiting for Dress For Success Executive Director Erin Badillo to shout, "And the dinner will now be hosted on a boat cruise!" (That was one of the other auction items.)
The pièce de résistance of speeches went to Melissa, a single mother and immigrant from Mexico City who talked about how she rebuilt her life after escaping domestic violence with her two children and a backpack.
"Dress for Success didn't just give me clothes. It gave me confidence, dignity, and hope. Your donations, your time, your compassion don't just change appearances. They change lives, restore dreams, and help women like me find our wings again," she said.
Listen Dress For Success you don't want to hear this, but the speeches ran lonnng. In addition to those already mentioned, we also heard from gala chair Sharon Seto, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Governor Gavin Newsom via video and his sister Hilary Newsom in person. Joanie Bily, CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide.
And more! A couple weeks later, someone actually came up to me at an unrelated performance in Civic Center and said something to the effect of, "It's unfortunate nobody got too drunk to not speak."
I both love and am intimidated by Sharon Seto, who is a one-woman fundraising machine who has chaired galas for the SF Symphony, SF Ballet, and the Arthritis Foundation, and who in eight years grew this one from $150,000 to $420,000 before passing the baton.
This Dress For Success was her final year chairing. Albeit, personally, I hope it's like when a musician does a retirement tour and then keeps taking the stage.
I wish I could have stayed and danced more that night, but I was pulling double duty that night with the LGBT Center Soirée. Dress For Success, though, is genuinely a happy vibe with the people who go. And I know everyone who remained for the after party danced their gogo boots off, which is the only correct response to a disco ball and an open bar.
Saul Sugarman is editor-in-chief and owner of The Bold Italic.
The Bold Italic is a not-for-profit media organization, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. We operate under a fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)(3).
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The Disco Ball 2026 at a glance
- Dress for Success San Francisco's 20th Anniversary Gala, held April 18 at Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison Street
- Sold-out crowd of more than 350 guests, raised $420,000 for the organization's career programs across the Bay Area
- Chaired by Sharon Seto, with honorary Co-Chairs Rita Moreno and Fernanda Fisher
- Emceed by NBC Bay Area's Janelle Wang, who also emceed the organization's first fundraiser nearly 20 years ago
- Event production and design by Nicole Villa Krassner
Honorees
- Hilary Newsom, President and Partner of The PlumpJack Group, received the Beacon Award presented by Anne Cochran Sutton, with a video tribute from Governor Gavin Newsom
- Kenzie Ferguson, Vice President of the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation, recognized for workforce development and community care, including a $35,000 matching gift during the paddle raise
- Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of the Union Square Alliance, recognized for her leadership in the district's post-pandemic recovery
- Client speaker Melissa, a single mother and immigrant from Mexico City who rebuilt her career through the program and now co-runs Home Support and Companionship, a worker-owned home care cooperative in San Francisco
Live auction
- Donated lots from Boisset Collection, Scott Cooley, United Airlines, and others
- The night's signature moment came when Rita Moreno and Fernanda Fisher spontaneously offered to host a private dinner for six in their homes, which expanded mid-bid to include wine from The PlumpJack Group, an overnight stay at the Palace Hotel, and chocolates from Timothy Adams
Food and drink
- Catering by McCall's Catering & Events
- Wines from longtime supporter Wente Family Vineyards, including their 2020 Serenity Red Blend and 2024 Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc
- Mezcal tasting by Mezcal La Jicarita
- Non-alcoholic cocktails by Abstinence Spirits
- Late-night sliders and grilled cheese sponsored by Bank of Marin
Entertainment and design
- Circosphere performers worked the room and the dance floor in disco-ball attire
- DJ Paz and Heart of Gold DJs on music
- Live painting by Ali Hall
- Florals by Paul Robertson Floral Designs
- Projection design by Slide and Spin Productions
- AV production by Illuminate Events
- Photography by Drew Altizer Photography; photo booth by CreativeLei (and CreativeLei 360)
After Party
- DJ Paz, open bar, late-night snacks
- Co-chaired by Stephanie Block, Daniel Hung, Jason Lim, and Melanie Seto
Gala Sponsors
- Diamond: Delta Dental
- Platinum: Cochran Family Law
- Gold: Dauray Tannahill
- Silver included Amazon, Golden State Warriors, Nia Community Foundation, Seyfarth Shaw, and the Seto Family
- Media sponsors: Nob Hill Gazette and San Francisco Magazine
- Guest gifts: Timothy Adams Chocolates
