Dressing
for success
At the Clothes Closet,
By Cynthia Oi
women in need find help
dressing up for the
world of work
Star-BulletinWhen Dorothy came to the Clothes Closet, she was full of anticipation, hoping to find the clothes she needed to get a job. But there was nothing there for her.
"They didn't have anything in my size," she explained, her eyes reflecting her disappointment. Dorothy, who doesn't want to give her last name, is a large woman and much of the clothing at the Closet was in smaller sizes.
Her frustration fueled the Closet's latest donation drive: finding clothes in size 14 and up.
"I wasn't going to turn this woman away," said Madeline Harcourt. "There are enough women who are large who need these clothes."
Harcourt is coordinator of the Hawaii Women Lawyers/Women's Resource Center of the YWCA, which, among other things, helps find jobs for women who have had drug, alcohol or abuse problems or who have been in prison.
The Clothes Closet provides business wear to women who are referred to the center, then spend three hours at the Closet -- two sorting, hanging and untangling donations and one choosing three outfits. The first outfit is for an initial job interview, another for a second interview and the third for the first day on the job.
The Clothes Closet is literally that. The double-doored room, about 10 by 12 feet, is tucked into a corner of the Y's dance studio, next to the Thrift Shop. Since its beginning on July 13, the Closet has dressed about 40 women, but it hadn't dressed Dorothy.
So a determined Harcourt sought donations from Jo Rae Exclusives, a "boutique for fuller figured women" in Ward Warehouse.
Unfortunately, Jo Rae, like many businesses, has suffered the effects of Hawaii's stale economy and store owner Joanne Hirokane wasn't able to contribute much. But Hirokane is no slouch and feels a strong connection with plus-sizers.
The vivacious size 16 not only sells clothes for large women, but helps them see that their size doesn't make them less beautiful.
"There are good-looking big women, just as there are good-looking thinner women," Hirokane said. "I help them to feel confident, to accept themselves, to not get hung up on the image projected by ads and magazines."
After some discussion, Hiro-kane came up with an idea. For a week, her store would exchange plus-size clothing donations for a $5 gift certificate.
"It was a win-win thing," Hirokane said, because the plan brought in a truckload of outfits and some business for Jo Rae.
The Monday after the donation drive ended, Dorothy returned to the Closet, again hoping to find something to wear.Dorothy, Michelle Cuizon, Harcourt and volunteer Sherise Kimura yanked at a heavy clothes rack where more than a hundred dresses, suits and jumpers were jammed together, hangers crisscrossed over the rods.
Cuizon, a tall, size 16 twentysomething mother of two, was also looking for clothing. She spent about 30 minutes searching before selecting a tailored jump suit and two suits -- one taupe with a shawl-collared jacket, the other gray with black trim.
She was pleased with the pricey looking outfits that cost her nothing but two hours of her time. For her, the free clothes meant she didn't have to spend what little money she has on herself. The slacks and blouse she was wearing cost her $20 at a thrift shop, and in her mind that was too much.
"I could have used that on food for the kids," Cuizon said.
Meanwhile, Dorothy sat on a folding chair, sorting six plastic garbage bags of donated clothes. She put blouses in one pile, skirts in another, dresses here, slacks and pants there. She carefully looked over each piece, hoping that something would fit.She had already spent four hours on the previous Saturday, helping with the donated clothes.
"She's wonderful," says Harcourt, "a good organizer."
Dorothy acknowledged that compliment with a small smile. She appeared to struggle with a new self-assurance still tinged with memories of past problems.
She lives in a halfway house, having spent five months in prison on a theft conviction. She had never been in trouble before, she said. "I made a bad mistake, I really mess up my life. I learned -- this made me learn that when you do something wrong, you pay the price."
That price has been separation from her 9-year-old son and her fiance, who live in North Carolina where her fiance has found a job. Dorothy hopes to join them after she's served her time.
Meanwhile, the Clothes Closet and the Women's Resource Center have given her support and a way to channel her energy.
"When I came on Saturday to look for clothes, I was like, 'Wow,' because people gave all this stuff. I got excited by the chance to help other people, too."On Monday she hoped that the donations from Jo Rae would be brought to the Y from the store. They weren't. Harcourt hustled up to the center's third-floor office, dug through boxes and bags of clothes there and came back with three outfits.
None looked good on Dorothy. And she really needed something. She had a job interview the next day and had nothing to wear.
Again, Harcourt would not be defeated.
She arranged for Dorothy to go to Jo Rae's. There Hirokane dug up a rust-red, dropped waist dress with short sleeves from among the donations. It fit. Hirokane threw in a pair of earrings from her own stock and Dorothy was ready for her interview.
The clothes, she said, made her feel good and she felt she would make a good impression.
She must have, because Dorothy got the job.
The YWCA center provides information and referral services for women and serves as a place to meet and share experiences: The Hawaii Women Lawyers/
Women's Resource Center
Funded by: Junior League of Honolulu and Soroptimist International of Waikiki
