DONATED DESIGNER GOWNS SPARKLE IN THRIFT STORE'S BACK ROOM SANTA CLARITA BRIDES ON A BUDGET BENEFIT FROM BOUTIQUE OWNER'S GIFT.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - When little girls dream of their wedding day, chances are they don't imagine finding that special dress at the local thrift shop.

But that's exactly where some brides-to-be in Santa Clarita have found new dresses that make them feel like princesses on a pauper's budget.

Aside from the sporadic used wedding dresses donated by unsentimental brides or divorced women, the Guilded Rose thrift shop at 24200 San Fernando Road has a room of unworn gowns donated by a local bridal boutique.

For the last 15 years, the owner of Chantilly Bridal and Mr. Tux at 22722 Lyons Ave. has given more than a dozen wedding dresses to the thrift shop, which benefits the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, after he cleans out his boutique to make room for new fashions.

``We care for the poor people who need a bridal gown but can't pay the prices that they go for,'' said Sergio Hernandez, who has owned the shop for nearly 30 years. ``It's good for the needy people and for the foundation.

``We want to give back to the community and thank them in some way, since the community helped us all these years.''

The dresses, which are a few seasons old, were priced for retail sale from $500 to $1,500, while the Guilded Rose sells them for $50 to $150, Hernandez said. The brand-name dresses - from designers including Ilissa by Dimitrius, Biancha and Alfred Angelo - vary from the unembellished to the elaborately beaded.

``The last dress we sold was (to) a girl who didn't have a lot of money to spend, and she found a dress, and we happened to have a veil. We completely outfitted her,'' said the Guilded Rose manager, Helen Barlow. ``Her smile said a thousand words. It's wonderful to share in ... happiness.''

For years, only those who visited the thrift shop knew about the bridal room in the back of the store, which also carries new evening wear and formal dresses, also donated by Chantilly, for little girls.

Barlow said buyers include traditional brides, others going to Las Vegas for spur-of-the-moment weddings and some not planning any wedding but wanting a gown to use as a Bride of Frankenstein costume for Halloween.

``At $125 or $150 for the new dress, it's an expensive costume, but some people want it,'' Barlow said.

Many local women also buy the dresses to send to relatives getting married in Mexico. Then there are the women who aren't getting married but just want to try on a dress.

Regardless of who is picking out bridal gowns, Barlow says that it's always a special treat when girls and women try them on.

``The whole store gets excited, and everyone stops and admires them,'' she said.

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Photo:

(color) Helen Barlow, manager of the Guilded Rose thrift store in Newhall, holds up one of the never-worn designer gowns, donated by a bridal shop owner, that a woman may buy for a fraction of its retail price.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer