Who remembers the Friends episode when Rachel, who works for Ralph Lauren, fits a tickled-pink Chandler with a custom-made tuxedo worn by Pierce Brosnan, James Bond himself?
Well, right here on the North Shore, you too can experience the thrill of wearing a designer suit worn by a celebrity – for cheap.
Clothes for Change boutique, operated by the Harvest Project, regularly receives donations from the film industry and other cool places. Many of the clothing items which hang on the racks of the thrift store have an interesting backstory.
Support programs co-ordinator Philippe Segur sorts through racks of suits stored in a staging area upstairs at Harvest Project’s headquarters near Capilano Mall.
“This suit,” says Segur, holding up a charcoal grey jacket, “it could be David’s size.”
He’s referring to David Duchovny, of The X-Files fame.
The production company for the shot-in-Vancouver show donated bundles of suits from the film set, along with some items from Mulder’s office.
What happened next was something magical right out of a movie.
A North Shore dad who was laid off around the end of the school year went to the Harvest Project for help. His two sons were graduating and needed suits.
“You could see that it was a little bit hard for them – teenagers, you know,” says Segur.
Each of the man’s sons slipped into their suits, which fit them like a glove. Then they were told there was a chance David Duchovny might have donned that very suit they were wearing.
“And they said: ‘What? Really? Their faces just lit up,” recalls Segur. “In a way I was trying to tell them a message: Yeah, it’s hard to be here but you’re not getting garbage.”
While it’s hard to put a price tag on those threads, adding to the thrill of the find is the fact that $40 dressed the teens in a suit, shirt, tie, belt and shoes.
Clothes for Change sells all different types of clothing – athletic, dress wear, casual, undergarments – ranging in price between $2-$25 and raising about $28,000 to $30,000 a year to support Harvest Project programing.
Every $200 collected from the store helps supports a North Shore family for a month with food, clothing, counselling and other supports.
Here’s a sample of recent sweet sartorial finds at Clothes for Change: Michael Kors dress, $10; Tommy Bahama long sleeve casual shirt, $15; Tory Burch top $15; Ralph Lauren white denim shorts, brand-new with tags, $15; John Fluevog shoes, retail $495, yours for $35.
And how can you say no to a Kenny Rogers vintage cowboy shirt – a steal at $15.
While many of Clothes for Change items are fashionable, others are functional.
Rows of used steel toe work boots, donated by Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver, can help trade workers get their foot in the door safely. The boots, which might normally retail for $300, are available at the thrift store for $20
Clothes for Change has also developed a relationship with an association of shoe manufacturers which donates brand-new shoes and boots.
Upstairs are boxes stacked with Kodiak winter boots worth $100 and ready to be given away to some Harvest Project clients.
Segur shifted gears a couple years ago, trading in his chef’s hat for many hats at the Harvest Project.
Now that Segur, who owned Le Bistro Chez Michel in Lower Lonsdale, has left the restaurant world behind – he’s feeling lighter.
“You feel like you have a purpose,” he says. “It’s a better end of a day.”
Segur never knows the people he will meet and the stories he will hear when he arrives at work each day.
He manages 140 volunteers dispersed across all the different Harvest Project programs, from the clothing store to reception to the grocery store and client care.
The 325 families a month supported by the Harvest Project are there for a hand up, not a handout. When people are ready to make a change in their life and set goals, says Segur, they are put in the client care program.
Segur says the job can be heartbreaking sometimes.
He’s seen middle age men breaking down in tears because they can’t support their family.
But they do find their footing, sooner or later.
Many former Harvest Project clients pay it forward by dropping off donations or volunteering.
“The grocery store is where I got my humanity back,” one former client told Segur.
In the small thrift shop, a woman sifts through clothing on racks with a friend.
Asked what drew her here, she says: “because it’s inexpensive and I’m a senior, so I like to find clothes that will look good but not be too much money.”
The North Shore resident, who asked to remain anonymous, comes in regularly, not to shop for herself but others.
“I just found this coat and I’m going to give it to a homeless person,” she says.
On Sept. 30 Harvest Project will host a Clothing for Change pop-up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring name brands such as Lululemon, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Lucky Brand, Free People, Juicy Couture, Top Shop, Aritzia and Gucci. Clothes for Change accepts cash only.
