LaToya White likes to point out that fashion is based more on what you make of it than you paid for it — and what better place to prove that theory than a thrift store?
She and Sofia De Hoyos, senior director of marketing at Rappahannock Goodwill, came up with the idea to bring models into Goodwill, show them a celebrity photo and give them 10 minutes to comb through the racks and find pieces to create a similar look.
The result was two segments of a show they’re calling “Whose Style Is It Anyway?” and the realization that thrift stores have a lot to offer at a fraction of the price.
“It’s what we like to call balling on a budget, meaning you can dress from head to toe and have all the nice pieces you want and come in here and find the same style and look for a cheaper price and be able to save,” White said. “Who doesn’t like that?”
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White is a Spotsylvania County resident and a single mother of four, an administrative assistant for the FBI and the leader of several nonprofit groups aimed at improving the self-esteem and mental well-being, particularly of young people.
On Oct. 5, she’ll hold the seventh season of a runway event she calls Fredericksburg Fashion Week. Held at the Holiday Inn Fredericksburg Conference Center, the event will feature more than 50 adult models and for the first time, about 30 children.
Participants will model the bright colors of “Candy Lane,” and White can’t wait to see the styles on display.
De Hoyos had heard about the fashion event and reached out to White to see if the two “like-minded” women might collaborate. De Hoyos is Goodwill’s first senior marketing director, and she wants to “change the narrative” about the store so people think of it as more than a place to drop off gently used items.
White suggested picking a celebrity look to replicate “since everybody has eyes on them.” Three models were selected to meet them at the Goodwill store at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Hood Drive in Spotsylvania County.
When the women entered the store for each segment, White and De Hoyos showed them a photo of Grammy-winning singer and beauty mogul Rihanna — one wearing an oversized silver metallic jacket and another in pearls, leather and a baseball cap — and gave them a cart and 10 minutes to shop.
Morgan Sills, who lives in Maryland and models under the name M. Renay, had no problem with the notion of finding everything at Goodwill. She shops there regularly.
It was the time limit that worried her.
“I don’t normally create looks that fast, I like to take my time and work through different combinations and accessories,” she said.
She couldn’t find the flowing jacket that matched Rihanna’s, so she substituted it with a silver blazer, fashionable white T-shirt, ripped jeans and bright silver heels. The combination convinced De Hoyos, the judge, to pick her as the winner.
Joanna Holden of Alexandria won the second segment. She found a green baseball cap similar to one Rihanna wore in a photo and even managed to snare a leather jacket that fit her to a T. She also wore ripped jeans and stylish lace-up boots with a heel.
Initially, Holden picked only items she thought might fit her or the style she was seeking. But as the clock ticked down, she grabbed anything that might work.
“The short time made me nervous but I focused on fun pieces that might pop,” she wrote in a text. “Very rarely am I channeling Rihanna in my day-to-day dress so choosing some bright and edgy pieces felt fun and fresh.”
White also tutors young people through an organization she leads called S.E.L.F., which stands for Smile, Elevate, Live and Forgive. She visits local schools and deals with several families who shop regularly at thrift stores — and are made fun of for doing so.
As the segment has circulated on YouTube, at youtube.com/watch?v=SYvO-OpJIHU, White hopes people see thrifting as “the in-thing to do.”
“You’re proud to say, I’m smart with my money,” she said.
White hopes to incorporate some pieces from Goodwill in the upcoming runway event. She’s also looking to continue the 10-minute shopping sprees and encourages members of the community to participate. More information about Fredericksburg Fashion Week is available online at fxbgfashionweek.com or by calling 571/330-7941.
Likewise, De Hoyos continues to work on community partnerships. An arrangement with FredNats has allowed the winning models to either throw out the first pitch at a game or take her whole family to the ballpark.
The marketing director wants people to know Goodwill is about more than the boxes and bags of used items left at its 20 donation centers or purchased at its 15 stores. Goodwill operates three career centers, and last year, provided job training and readiness skills to 10,000 people.
Goodwill also placed 1,800 people in local jobs, according to its Community Impact report at fredgoodwill.org/2024/04/19/impact-in-action-rappahannock-goodwills-community-outreach/.
“We’re really in the job business,” De Hoyos said.
But as she and White discussed, a little fashion, at a good price, is welcome in any business person’s wardrobe.
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
