This Oldham House

'I am so sick of elitist charity dinners, moans activist fash ion designer Todd Oldham, who has bounced out of the rubber-chicken circuit and into "great grassroots fund raising organizations not generally involving socialites." So when Henri Bendel asked Oldham to create an exclusive collection to benefit a charity of his choice, he named Housing Works, an agency dedicated to finding permanent housinci for homeless people stricken with AIDS. While his sultry loungewear—debuting thi; ; month at the Fifth Avenue store—is costly and one-of-a-kind, O Idham is also offering a mass-market T-shirt for $35. "It's sad when only rich people can contribute," he says. "I hope the clothes sell out. Until we get rid of this fucking disease, what else can we do?"

AMY FINE COLLINS