"Real Fashion, Real Women" closes NY Fashion Week

(CBS) Being comfortable in your own skin is always in style.

That's the message celebrity stylist Derek Warburton wants to bring to women as New York's Fashion Week nears an end.

So, he teamed up with top designers and Bottomless Closet, a non-profit group that helps disadvantaged New York City women learn how to dress for work, to hold a benefit fashion show called "Real Fashion, Real Women."

Twenty-four New York women from Bottomless Closet will walk down the runway wearing designs by Nicole Miller, Betsey Johnson and Rachel Comey, among others.

Warburton, whose best accessory is the heart on his sleeve, cast the "Real Fashion, Real Women" models. He was moved by their stories of overcoming homelessness and domestic violence.

While he's styled some high-end clients, such as Beyonce, and appeared on "The Real Housewives of New York City," his life hasn't always been glamorous. He knows firsthand what it's like to face hardships - he, too, was homeless for 8 months when he was 14 years old. He and his mother lived in a tent with no electricity, water or bathroom and had to dig an open sewer. Ironically, his mother had a job the entire time and had a good head on her shoulders. She just got behind on rent.

Their lives eventually improved and Warburton went on to graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology - proof that perseverance goes a long way. He's been paying it forward since and made it his mission in life to help women like his mother reclaim their lives.

Warburton has volunteered with Bottomless Closet for nearly four years and has personally worked with more than 450 women. He also hosts a monthly, two-hour workshop called "HOW TO BE DEREK FABULOUS" that helps prepare homeless women for job interviews.

Having been in the trenches himself, Warburton realizes that no one should be left out or singled out for their past or social or financial status. "I'm inclusive, not exclusive," he says and he prides himself on his philosophy.

During the final fittings for tonight's "Real Fashion, Real Women" show, Warburton and designer Nicole Miller were in tears to see how radiant and confident the models were with their renewed sense of self.

"Real Fashion. Real Women" will be held at the Empire Hotel (right across from the Lincoln Center tents in New York) tonight at 8 p.m. Click here for tickets.