Famed couture designer Lily Samii is lending her legacy to a cause close to her heart, donating several of her iconic gowns to benefit George Mark Children’s House, a Bay Area pediatric palliative care center that supports children with life-limiting and complex medical conditions.
The gowns will be featured in the “Elegance Meets Impact” charity auction, a philanthropic initiative aimed at raising funds to support the center’s mission of providing compassionate, family-centered care. The event brings together Bay Area artists, community leaders and philanthropists to celebrate fashion as a vehicle for healing and hope.
Samii, whose career spans more than five decades, has dressed Hollywood stars and dignitaries, but she says the most meaningful moments of her work came not from the spotlight, but from the quiet satisfaction of creation.
“The most satisfied and happy time for me was when we were all together— me and my interns, everybody in the showroom — the gown was finished,” Samii recalled. “We were standing around it, fussing with it, taking pictures. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, we did it.’ That to me was so wonderful, it just warmed my heart.”
Born into Iranian nobility, Samii’s path to fashion was far from traditional. She recounts early resistance from her family, particularly her mother, who struggled to accept her unconventional career choice.
“She came from Iran here and said, ‘You can’t do this. This is just not for you,'” Samii said. “And I said, ‘Yes it is. This is what I want to do, and I’m going to make it work.'”
And she did. Over the years, Samii built a reputation for intricate, timeless couture and became a fixture in elite fashion circles, with her dresses featured at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Though now retired, she continues to weave creativity into her philanthropic efforts, working alongside leaders like Sherene Melania, artistic director of Presidio Dance Theatre.
“She really is a treasure for the Bay Area,” Melania said. “Throughout her career, she’s done different fashion shows for different charities and helped give back. And George Mark House — I remember the day she went and visited — she called me and said, ‘We have to do this.'”
Founded in 2004 and located in San Leandro, California, George Mark Children’s House was the first freestanding pediatric palliative care center in the United States. Unlike traditional hospice programs, it offers a broad range of services including end-of-life care, transitional care for children leaving hospitals, and respite care that allows families temporary relief. The center’s goal is to enhance quality of life, not just for children with life-limiting illnesses, but also for their entire families.
“If they can even help one child, I’ll be so, so proud and happy,” Samii said.
The Elegance Meets Impact auction will showcase not just Samii’s exquisite designs, but also her enduring belief that art should serve a higher purpose.