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"    Richard Chai, Thakoon Panichgul, Yigal Azrou\u00EBl; Photo: Neil Rasmus/BFAnyc.com   &amp;quot;Kiss me, I&amp;#039;m Mexican,&amp;quot; boasts the sombrero-clad-Chihuahua tee that Michael Bastian designed for last night&amp;#039;s Project Paz benefit, which he also co-hosted. While the menswear designer might not hail from south of the border (he&amp;#039;s from upstate New York), Project Paz&amp;#039;s cause is near and dear to him. The charity combats the daily drug violence and desperate living conditions facing the children in the Tex-Mex border town of Ciudad Ju\u00E1rez. &amp;quot;With this problem in Ju\u00E1rez, we&amp;#039;re all Mexican,&amp;quot; Bastian told us. &amp;quot;We live with it every day.&amp;quot;    Many have labeled Ju\u00E1rez as hopeless, yet Project Paz is working eagerly to keep kids off the streets and engaged in activities that open up future opportunities. In its three-year tenure, the charity has corralled the support of many famous faces in the fashion and art worlds\u2014and this year, those forces lent their creative hands for an auction of original photographs. The selection of glossy prints, which were curated by art adviser Anne Huntington, included a slew of boldfaced names: Yigal Azrou\u00EBl, Tory Burch, Prabal Gurung, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, Derek Lam, Aerin designers, Pamela Love, Gilles Mendel, Raf\u00E9 Totengco, Rag &amp;amp;amp; Bone, Narciso Rodriguez, Suno, Proenza Schouler, Peter Som, and Thakoon. The lot that was for sale last night and previewed last month online at Paddle8.com had a unique theme\u2014each designer captured a moment that embodied Mexico to him or her.  Totengco, for one, snapped a particularly reflective scene. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a photograph of my nephew, drinking from a coconut as a seven-year-old when we were in Tulum together,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;I look at that photo now, it was a magical moment. It has a sense of wonderment, curiosity and, literally, a thirst for life.&amp;quot;  While Mexico brings about warm memories for some, others interpreted the assignment a bit differently. &amp;quot;I didn&amp;#039;t want to do something that was so obviously pretty,&amp;quot; revealed Thakoon Panichgul of his rosebud-pinned-with-nails picture. &amp;quot;There is a conflict and we need to recognize that.&amp;quot; He paused, &amp;quot;But there&amp;#039;s something lurking behind beauty, and we have to solve it.&amp;quot; When asked what beautiful things he had in store for the runways of Fall 2013, Panichgul laughed and replied, &amp;quot;You tell me!&amp;quot; Richard Chai, overhearing the conversation, winked in approval.  Peter Som, on the other hand, offered a hint at his upcoming collection. &amp;quot;Colorful!&amp;quot; he chirped. &amp;quot;Maybe a Mexico theme\u2014who knows! It&amp;#039;s very mysterious.&amp;quot; Perhaps Som&amp;#039;s own photograph of a glinting sunset is the inspiration? Fans of his ever-feminine line will just have to wait and see. Som did offer that the tranquil scene serves as a daily mantra\u2014an especially fitting one for Project Paz. &amp;quot;Sometimes when times are tough, knowing the sun goes down and comes up every morning [soothes me], that&amp;#039;s what gets [me] through the day.&amp;quot;   Photo: Michael Bastian "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a17339/thakoon-peter-som-at-project-paz-benefit/>