Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!

New York Transit Museum Auction Ends With Great Success, Thousands Raised for Museum Programs

Metro Bib Necklace on display at the Transit Museum Gallery at GCT.

With the click of a mouse, fashion savvy subway riders and rail fans recently opened up their hearts and wallets and swiped up some one-of-a-kind original designer fashion accessories. The occasion was the FASHION UNDERGROUND: Subway Inspired Accessories exhibit and auction, hosted on Overstock.com. The auction, part of the NYC Subway Centennial celebration, raised $8,000 to support the New York Transit Museum.

The 30-day FASHION UNDERGROUND: Subway-Inspired Accessories online auction coincided with an exhibit currently on display at the New York Transit Museum's Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal, which, due to its incredible popularity, has been extended through April 3, 2005. FASHION UNDERGROUND was a collaboration between MTA New York City Transit, the New York Transit Museum and the generosity and vision of the notable designers from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Participating designers were Simon Alcantara, Kenneth Cole, Stephen Dweck, Lambertson Truex, Colette Malouf, Matt Murphy, Judith Ripka, Michael Simon, and Gerard Yosca.

During the auction, participants were willing to deal with the stress, fun and excitement of bidding to help support the Transit Museum and to have a unique gift of museum quality to give to the love of their life or to keep for themselves. "When I saw the [Metro Coin] Bib necklace, I thought it would make a great gift for my wife's 70th birthday," said Kansas City Missouri's winning bidder. "I'm quite excited about the necklace as a great gift for a special birthday."

Judith Ripka's Gotham Gold Necklace raised almost $3000, while Michael Simon's Lex Bag racked up 72 bids and was so coveted that a bidding war continued until the early hours of February 28. "The bidding quickly reached, then passed, the upper limit I had set for myself, but then hung just above that mark for a full week," said the Lex Bag's winner. "I decided to jump back in at the last minute, creating a new ten-minute window for other bidders. Perhaps it was the fact that the cutoff was 2am, but I'm in the theatre and used to late hours! At any rate, the ten minutes ticked away, and I was surprised and delighted to find myself the winner."

"You see, the Subway really is an inspiration, especially for these talented designers and the lucky auction winners," said Gabrielle Shubert, Director of the New York Transit Museum. "We're so pleased to have raised nearly $8,000! — a real boost for the Transit Museum."

Peter Arnold, Executive Director of the CFDA added, "we were pleased to be able to contribute to such a worthy New York City organization, and we're delighted that our members' creations were such a hit."

Michael Simon, creator of the Lex Bag at the Transit Museum Gallery at GCT.

"I was thrilled to be a part of the Subways' anniversary," said designer Michael Simon. "Being a New York boy I spent my life riding the trains. I can still remember in my childhood being rocked to sleep by the constant back and forth motion from my rides to and from the Bronx."

The funds raised during the auction will benefit the New York Transit Museum's collections, exhibitions and educational programs. Pending the exhibits closure, the winning bidder of each item will receive their one-of-a-kind fashion accessory, a certificate of authenticity and a limited edition MetroCard designed and autographed by the item's creator.