Fashion Over Fifty's Fashion Show at Bloomingdales Dec. 6, 2014

                   How Fashion Over Fifty Came to do a Fashion Show at Bloomingdale's in Chicago!!         

                                                                          PART ONE

As we get older, it's common knowledge how important it is to keep your mind active. In fact, many people believe that once you start to feel too comfortable, it's important to push yourself into something new. That is also my philosophy. So, as fate might have it, one day as I was cautiously walking down the flight of stairs at the Apple store so as not to trip and kill myself, I was approached by this very tall  handsome black man.   He stopped me midway down the stairs and told me how runway models walk down the stairs so as not to fall. He started demonstrating how to do it, and I knew instantly that he was the "real deal". He looked so graceful and confident.  It struck me that I must have looked pretty pathetic or else he wouldn't have stopped me. Was I getting that old that I looked like I needed help? Knowing that this meeting was no coincidence, I asked if I could buy him a cup of coffee. 

 As it turned out, this handsome man was Mark David Carter, a Runway Modeling Coach. We talked a lot. I told him about Fashion Over Fifty and how I try to promote the self-esteem of women Over Fifty. He told me about his extensive background in training models and producing fashion shows.  Instantly, I thought, how great would it be if we could somehow combine our interests. He  told me that I should come to one of his classes on a Sunday and so, the next Sunday I showed up in heels and wearing black as he instructed. Needless to say, I was the oldest one in the class!! The class was much harder than I expected.  How many years had it been that I  hadn't been walking with my shoulders back, stomach held in, and my head up? (Boy, did my stomach muscle hurt for the next few days.)  When did this happen? When did I become unconscious of how I was presenting myself to the world? This class woke me up in SO many ways!! 

 

When I left, I was on cloud Nine.   It hit me that somewhere between Forty and Sixty I had ceased to be aware of myself, and that along with that I had lost some femininity.  During class I could see how different I looked when I stood up tall and looked forward. Standing in the Model T, which is not easy, also made a difference in how I felt about myself. Merely standing with my feet in this feminine position and looking confident, made me feel confident. A surge of empowerment and creativity came over me. I couldn't wait to go back again and again, but I had so much traveling ahead of me, it wasn't to be. Nonetheless, it stirred in me the desire to help every woman Over Fifty feel what I was feeling.

As you can see, I was the oldest in the class, and the shortest. However, that didn't stop me from feeling like I was young again and that I could do anything!! The dream began that I must share this with other .....

                                WOMEN OVER FIFTY!!!