Seattle Press on Line - Fashion Smashin' for Charity

Fashion Smashin' for Charity

By Chelan David

Faux yuppies on parade. Chelan David photo.

Jun 06, 2002 -- A stuffy Parisian trunk show the Fashion Smashin' Show is not. With fashion categories such as "Synchronized Yuppies" and "Dr. Seuss Meets Versace," this irreverent show can be enjoyed by even the haute-couture challenged.

On May 15, the Millionair Club Charity held its annual fashion show fund-raiser at the Crocodile Cafe before a packed audience. The Millionair Club Charity is a community-based organization founded in 1921 by Martin Johanson, who said giving to others made him feel like a millionaire. He dropped the "e" in the organization's name so people would not feel they had to be wealthy in order to participate.

The main goal of the club is to give homeless men and women the tools they need to become self-sufficient by providing meals, temporary assistance and employment. According to executive director Tim Beltz, the vast majority are drawn to the organization for the opportunity to earn a day's wage.

The Millionair Club Charity Thrift Store plays a large part in helping people find employment. Over half of the clothing is donated via a voucher system to the homeless looking for interview and job apparel.

Store manager Genevieve Phillips started the Fashion Smashin' show six years ago. The thrift store doubled its retail sales after only six months of Phillips' supervision, and she wanted to create an annual event to both thank the donors and celebrate the store's success.

Model Joe Perkins shows off some kitsch. Chelan David photo.

"It's a great way to increase awareness of the store while raising money and everyone always has such a great time," said Phillips. "It started small, and the first two shows were actually held at the thrift store, but it has really taken off over the last few years."

Phillips believes that her stringent acceptance policies have been important to her success in managing the store. Donated clothes must be in good condition and much of the clothing for sale has designer labels.

When Phillips spots a unique clothing item or accessory she saves it for the fashion show. Some of the treasures she saved for this year's event included a Burberry plaid trench coat with matching boots and a Calvin Klein gown. As she notes, "One of the unique things about Fashion Smashin' is that all of the clothes that the models wear are for sale immediately after the show at the thrift store."

Following the show, the crowd was escorted across the street by members of the Coast Guard to the thrift store for after-hours shopping. While much of the Fashion Smashin' show is whimsical, the Coast Guard connection comes from Beltz, who recently retired from the Guard.

As shoppers hunted for bargains, model Joe Perkins was confident that he would get the items of his choice. "That's the best thing about being a model," said Perkins. "We get the first dibs on everything that we wear." Perkins heard about the event from fellow modeling friends and has volunteered for the last two shows. "It's not your typical modeling gig, but it's a lot of fun and it raises money for a great charity."

The Millionair Club Charity is located at 115 Blanchard. Call 728-5600 for donation information.

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Stephanie smith	Apr 14, 2003	home	I am at school (year8)
This is really a question but do you sell things on your web site please write back Steph


Kim Scott	May 12, 2003	Andover NY	self employed
My husband and I have been married for 13 years. We bought a house in 1995 that needed alot of work. In early 1999 we took out a second mortgage on the house to do all the work. My husbands job was going real good and my day care center in our home was very busy. But by the end of October my husband lost his job and was out of work for a year. He got a new job but with a big pay cut. We are unable to catch up on the mortgage so they are going to foreclose on the our house if we can't come up with 25,000 in the next few months. We can't come up with that kind of money. So what i'm asking for is if there is anyone out there that would like to help with what ever you can afford it would be greatly appreciated. Yo can e-mail me at bhsn@localnet.com Thank You.