MARYSVILLE It was couture from down the years and it was more than a stroll down memory lane at one Marysville retirement home last weekend; it was a flashing and flaming riot of color during the first fall fashion show at Grandview Village.
A Walk Through Memory Lane featured fashionistas up to 96 years old, exhibiting the couture of decades, even centuries past.
Residents of the retirement community on 64th Street were laughing themselves silly at the antics of the aged. There were 18 models and one was a ballerina just a few years old; among the residents performing the youngest was 85 years old and the oldest was the nonagenarian and they all spun, twirled and strutted to the beat for the amusement of their peers.
Vye Orciett was dressed as a movie star from the golden age of Hollywood, complete with faux fur wrap and extended cigarette holder, sans the coffin nail. She beamed as she walked through the makeshift catwalk in Grandview Villages great room.
I didnt think you could be this old and have a lot of fun like this, Orciett said after the show. Its good that they do this for old people, it puts some life into it. It was a lot of fun.
The outfits were provided at no charge by Gussie and Gerties Costume Rental. The residents made a trip to the Smokey Point shop to select their outfits from the 800 available, and then did a quick dress rehearsal a few days before.
It was pretty wild in there, co-owner Laurie Faaberg, told the crowd of friends and family members. She added that she had never seen so many people in her store at one time. Co-owner Becky Walsh said it only took the models 90 minutes to select their 13 costumes; family and friends completed the roster for the Sept. 30 show. For example Luella Greenshields dressed as Elvis Presley, following her grand-daughter Mia, the ballerina.
We had a great time when they came, Walsh recalled. We havent done this before and it was fun.
Walsh said the seniors were told that this was their chance to be anything they wanted. They took the opportunity and ran with it.
Some were very shy and some wanted the flashiest thing they could find, Walsh laughed.
Barbara Lester is the Grandview Village activities coordinator who managed the affair, served as emcee and fashion commentator, and provided her beautiful daughters Rane and Kera, who dressed as a Renaissance character and a Mystical Genie, respectively.
I said Ive never done one before but lets do it, Lester laughed. We just let them go for anything they wanted.
Costumes included an old granny outfit that was supposed to be Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, several flappers and gangsters molls, a wedding couple, a princess and a woman dressed as General of the Army Douglas Macarthur. Alta Brodie was the 96-year-old dressed as the queen of hearts. Pianist Gary Lee Hood provided the live music for the strutters.