Mrs. Bush: Red For Healthy Hearts
On Valentine's Day, hearts and the color red are everywhere. But in Bryant Park, they have a special meaning.
As part of Fashion Week, a campaign called The Red Dress Project is raising awareness about the dangers of heart disease for women.
First lady Laura Bush is a participant, and, wearing a magenta Oscar de la Renta suit, she visited The Early Show to talk more about the project and the "red dress pin that designer Angela Cummings did for us to let people know about heart disease, and how it can be prevented."
Women worry more about cancer (especially breast cancer) than about heart disease, Mrs. Bush said. According to a survey commissioned by the National Council on the Aging, only 9 percent of women ages 45 to 64 name heart disease as the condition they most fear, while 61 percent name breast cancer.
Mrs. Bush said heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women. Heart disease, which includes coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, angina and other conditions, is actually deadlier for women than men. It claimed the lives of more females since 1984, killing more than half a million women a year.
"I want to encourage women to see their doctors, to watch their weight, to eat healthy foods and to get some exercise," said Mrs. Bush.
Money raised by the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week's Red Dress Project will used to fight heart disease. The Red Dress Project includes an exhibit of red dresses donated by designers to raise awareness of heart disease in women.
The 19 designers participating are: Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Badgley Mischka, Chaiken (Jeff Mahshie), Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, Vivienne Tam, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Carmen Marc, Valvo, Tommy Hilfiger, Luca Luca, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Catherine Malandrino, Donna Karan and Nicole Miller.
The exhibit will also feature a photograph by David LaChapelle of model Angela Lindvall in a dress designed by Donna Karan. After the exhibit tours the country, the dresses will be auctioned off.
Also debuting during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is a specially designed red dress pin, created by leading accessory designer Angela Cummings.
Mrs. Bush says heart disease risk factors include those that are beyond women's control and those that can be changed. Those that can't be changed are a family history of early heart disease and age. The risk factors that can be controlled are smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes.
For Valentine's Day, the first Lady is planning to go to Camp David along with the president, "which I'm looking forward to," she said.
"When I go back home to Washington in a little bit, I'm going to go to a Valentine's luncheon that one of my friends is having. I'm going to have valentine cookies that I'm going to take into the president's office this afternoon."