BY LINDA MCINTOSH
OCT. 18, 2022 2:55 PM PT
A pop-up boutique run by the nonprofit Operation Dress Code is set for Nov. 5 at the University of San Diego to help outfit women transitioning out of the military and looking for civilian jobs.
The boutique offers new and gently used professional clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry and accessories for free to women serving in the U.S. armed forces and female veterans, as a way of thanking them for their service and supporting them as they start new careers.
Over the past six years since it started, Operation Dress Code has helped 2,000 San Diego-area female veterans as they transitioned from the military to the civilian marketplace. This year, more than 400 female veterans are expected to participate.
“The event is designed to help women veterans reimagine possibilities, reinvent their careers and redesign their post-military lives,” said Marcey Brightwell, Operation Dress Code founder.
Operation Dress code partners with veterans organizations, community leaders, business groups and volunteers to offer a personalized shopping trip that provides women’s professional clothing and career help. The event partners have included Courage to Call, Wounded Warrior Project and CalVet, which are slated to be on-site to connect female veterans with a range of services from résumé writing, interview skills, job opportunities and financial literacy to housing and veterans benefits.
New this year, the nonprofit Goodwill San Diego will have a table at the event with information on services it offers to help veterans assess their careers and train for jobs in the civilian workplace.