Fashion at bargain basement prices is always a draw, especially when sale proceeds are for a good cause.
The Trail Salvation Army is bringing back its popular thrifty Fashion Show Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the East Trail church.
Tickets are limited, $8 each, and on sale now at the church or at thrift store on Cedar Avenue in downtown Trail.
Bonnie Carbert, organizer of the soirée, has been hosting the evening of entertainment and style for a number of years. This time around, she even has a daughter, granddaughter and two great-granddaughters travelling from Alberta to enjoy the popular fundraiser that supports women in-need both locally and abroad.
The jury is still out on whether Bonnie’s five-year old great-granddaughter will join two other family members as a model, but there will be one male stand-in, three Trail Ambassadors and four volunteers on the runway.
“I look at the models and pick out what will suit them and be comfortable during the show,” Bonnie said. “We have put together nice outfits, many with new tags on them. You can easily outfit yourself in some very nice clothing for under $20.”
Preparations for the “refashion show” began months ago when thrift store staff began selecting choice pieces of donated clothing including designer blouses, slacks and outer wear, to model and sell at the end of the show.
And secondhand doesn’t mean outdated hand-me-downs because whether the pieces are very gently used or new, all are available for purchase at bargain basement prices.
After the runway show and refreshments, savvy-eyed guests will be invited to sort through racks of clothing filled with affordable options donated by the secondhand store.
After working 20 years as the thrift store manager in Trail, Bonnie is now retired. But she isn’t ready to let go of the fashion show just yet, because not only is it fun to personally style her models, the event supports women ministries in Canada and Bermuda.
“We’ve had a lot of fun picking clothes out and putting the show together,” said Bonnie. “But more than anything I like it because the public really likes it. And the show is not benefiting us (the church), it is benefiting women in the Third World and women, in need, in Trail.”
The women’s ministries Territorial Project 2018, which is where part of fashion show proceeds will go, is called “Enriching the Lives of Women in Congo-Brazzaville.”
