Thursday, January 9, 2014

Drop trou for charity


Whitley Hamlin, one of Charlotte's most stylish women, is also very involved in philanthropic projects around town.

She just reminded me that Jan. 11 is the second annual Charlotte No Pants Light Rail Ride. Just like it sounds, participants go to the Scaleybark station at 3 p.m. and ride the Light Rail, minus their pants. 

Whitley has more details on her fabulous web site, www.thequeencitystyle.com,  and she has some terrific photos from last year's event. Be sure to see how chic she looks. Only Whitley could join in the fun while still maintaining her incredible sense of style.

Last year, two of our Observer staff photographers, David T. Foster and Robert Lahser, covered (or maybe I should say uncovered) the event for the paper. Here are some of their hilarious photos. As you can see, people of all different shapes and ages join in the funny philanthropic event.



In this photo, Whitley is on the right.



On her site, Whitley mentions the history behind the event. It was started in 2002 in New York City by Improv Everywhere. They call their event the No Pants Subway Ride. Since then it's been replicated on subways around the world. 

According to Whitley's blog, what's special about the Charlotte event is that we're the only city who has turned it into a benefit for a charitable cause. That makes me so proud! Charlotteans truly are unique in their almost obsessive desire to help out others. Last year, 200 articles of clothing were collected for Warm Charlotte. 

To keep up with all Whitley's fashion updates and all the philanthropic causes she's involved with, follow her on Twitter @queencitystyle. 

I went on the Charlotte No Pants Light Rail Ride Facebook page, and as of now it notes that 164 are participating. It says that the only two requirements are:

1. You must be willing to take your pants off on the Light Rail.
2. You must be able to keep a straight face about it. 

That second one is a reminder that while you're riding the Light Rail, part of the fun is that you're not supposed to act like you or anyone else isn't wearing pants. A lot of people bring a backpack or tote to hold their pants in until the After Party at Common Market, and to hold the clothing donation that's being collected for Warm Charlotte. 

To RSVP, go to www.tinyurl.com/CLTNoPants

Follow Olivia on Twitter @oliviafortson




1 comments:

Rob said...

I looked at her website and all the pictures have her in a trench coat. Totally misses the point. That was as I figured... Hey everybody come do this, but I will not do it. Yet she has an article and mention in the paper for not really participating but pretending to.