Neiman Marcus’s “Old Bags — Night Out”

A chic crowd took in a fashion show and bid on "gently used" handbags to benefit the Boys Latin of Philadelphia Charter School.

Last night at Neiman Marcus, the Boys Latin of Philadelphia Charter School hosted “Old Bags – Night Out” at the store. But it was not frumpy as the name might suggest, as a chic crowd of ladies came out to enjoy a unique “gently used and donated” handbag auction and a Neiman Marcus fashion presentation hosted by Neiman Marcus’s trendsetting and very funny fashion director Ken Downing. The event was held to benefit the charter school, which was co-founded in 2005 David P. Hardy and the evening’s honoree, Janine Yass.

Yass said her goal was to create an environment where underprivileged boys could receive the education that seemed to be failing in the school system. There are rules and standards the boys must live up to show their commitment, one being that they take Latin for four years.

The rigorous college preparatory school boasts a 99 percent four-year graduation rate and an 84 percent college enrollment rate. Next up for Yass is creating and funding the Girls’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.