Breast Cancer Awareness

Courtesy Lee

PEOPLE magazine’s Most Beautiful person of the year, Christina Applegate, is using her beauty for a good cause. The breast cancer survivor is the 2009 Ambassador for Lee National Denim Day to support the fight against the disease — and PEOPLE.com has an exclusive first look at her stunning campaign shot. As part of charity effort, which is one of the country’s largest single-day fundraisers for breast cancer, the Samantha Who? star is asking companies to get casual for the cause and encourage their employees to wear jeans to work on Friday, October 2 — in exchange for $5 donations to support the charity. “Lee National Denim Day is such an effective grassroots campaign and its importance has become even more real to me in this past year,” Christina says. “By joining together on October 2, we can raise millions to support breast cancer research. It’s so simple and so powerful. I truly believe that events like this help save lives.” Proceeds from the program, which has already raised over 75 million dollars since its inception in 1996, will benefit Women’s Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Log on now to denimday.com to learn more about Lee National Denim Day and register your own group, or just support any existing team. Then get set to slip into your favorite jeans in the name of a good cause on October 2.

NBC

Selma Blair and Molly Shannon have been making us laugh with their outrageous costumes on the new show Kath & Kim. This week, the two funny girls donned more hot pink in the name of Breast Cancer Awareness by picking items from Warriors in Pink, a Ford-sponsored line with 100% of proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The basic T-shirts and easy to wear styles are perfect to blend into your wardrobe. Selma paired hot pink booty shorts and equally hot patent sandals with a Ford Cares “Warrior Tee.” The cranberry colored top features an embroidered design with a screen-printed “Warrior” patch on the front and back and is available for $28 — with all proceeds donated to the Komen Center — at fordcares.com. Molly added a silk scarf to her pink leggings and short dress that is also part of the Ford Cares gear. Get Molly’s scarf, $38 at fordcares.com. Get more information on Ford’s Warriors in Pink at fordvehicles.com.

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Bar Rafaeli and famous friends like Jesse McCartney and Eve came out to support Hurley’s Art Chest, an auction of custom-made corsets and T-shirts to benefit breast cancer charities. Stars like Amanda Bynes, Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Denise Richards, Jessica Szohr, Selena Gomez and more have created these one-of-a-kind designs to be auctioned to benefit Boarding For Breast Cancer, a charity serving the action sports community in an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer, the importance of early detection, and an active lifestyle. For Bar Rafaeli, the Art Chest host and Hurley model, breast cancer is a cause close to her heart. She tells PEOPLE, “One in eight women suffer from and deal with breast cancer so everybody knows somebody who has it, and if you don’t know someone personally, you know someone who knows someone. I have a family member [with cancer], I know friends, friends of friends, it’s very unfortunate, but I do.” Bid on these one-of-a-kind T-shirts and corsets now through October 30th at Hurley.com.

Peter Kramer/AP

The New Kids on the Block are doing their part to fight for a cure during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And it’s an issue that hits close to home for the band. After singer Danny Wood’s mother Elizabeth “Betty” Wood passed away after a battle with the disease, Danny and the other New Kids knew they wanted to do something to honor her memory and also benefit their fans. “A lot of the women coming to the shows need to be aware of early detection. They’re in that age from 25-35 where they need to get their first exams,” Danny tells PEOPLE. “That was the problem for my mother. By the time she found out, it was too late — and I don’t want that to happen to anyone else when it could be prevented.” To help support the cause and keep the memory of Elizabeth Wood alive, the band is selling limited-edition NKOTB tanks featuring the Breast Cancer pink ribbon, $35, with all proceeds supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Danny, who chose the charity says, “They’re the best foundation I’ve worked with. I’ve done their races in the past and I know it’s something my mom would have wanted.” Click here to purchase one of the tanks and help in the fight for a cure. –reporting by Michelle Tan

Inset: Lisa O’Connor/ZUMA

Stellar stars like Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner, Kate Bosworth and Ellen DeGeneres are getting set to Stand Up To Cancer, showing their support at the benefit gala that will air commercial-free on ABC, CBS and NBC tonight. Celeb-loved jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer is doing her part to raise funds with an exclusive STAR necklace — and she’s donating all net proceeds from the sale to Stand Up To Cancer. Jennifer Aniston, who’s slated to make an appearance at the gala, has already been spotted wearing the pretty pendant in 18K gold. You can support the cause — and look gorgeous doing it — by clicking over to standup2cancer.org to purchase your own STAR necklace, which retails from $250 for a silver star to $3250 for a dazzling diamond version. – Samantha McIntyre

Courtesy net-a-porter.com

Breast Cancer Awarness Month may take place in October, but there’s no reason you can’t support a fight for the cure any time of the year. Sass & Bide’s “The Mad Ones” jersey heart dress debuted on the catwalk during New York Fashion Week, and now it’s available for purchase exclusively at net-a-porter.com. All proceeds from the $170 price tag of the tie-dyed, sequin-embellished frock go directly to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer , a charity that assists women living with breast cancer. Stars like Mission Impossible II actress Michelle Monoghan, who models the shirt above, and Aussie singer Natalie Imbruglia have happily partnered up with FTBC and Sass & Bide. And philanthropic work is certainly nothing new to the design duo of Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke. Says co-owner and creative director Middleton, who is herself living with the disease, “Sarah Jane and I were ambassadors for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer for a couple of years before I was diagnosed in February 2007, so it’s something we’ve always felt strongly about. More and more younger women are being diagnosed and, until now, there hasn’t been a huge amount of awareness raised. FTBC’s research now focuses on these women.” Click here to join the fight by purchasing one of the signature Sass & Bide dresses for yourself.

michael kraus

Handbag designer Elaine Turner is joing the fight against Breast Cancer. For the whole month of October, Elaine will donating 100 percent of all proceeds on pink products to the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Cancer Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine,which offers women a comprehensive expert resource for all their breast care needs including mammography screening, evaluation of benign disease, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all stages of breast cancer. Shop anything pink from clutches to wallets to brag books on elaineturner.com to benefit Breast Cancer.