Fashion show raises scholarship funds

The Woman’s Club of Chester hosted their annual fashion show Saturday, April 6, at Chester Baptist Church.

The outfits were provided by Peebles Department Store of Colonial Heights, as they had prior years.

A local nonprofit, Fishes and Loaves, catered the event, and 62 door prizes, raffles, and a silent auction kept guests and members busy as the models prepared themselves to walk the 50-foot walkway between guests’ banquet tables.

“We’ve been doing a fashion show of sorts for a really long time,” said Liz Welchons, who has been a club member since 1972.

“One of our original shows was themed ‘Make Your Own Dress and Wear It.’ To my surprise, we had some suits and hats that matched,” she said. “It was so encouraging. Each year [the fashion show]seems to be more creative.”

“This year, we adapted the theme of ‘Village Fashions on Parade.’ Our founder, Maud Hurt, was a visionary. So we designed a little storefront shop,” Welchons said. Several members’ husbands and volunteers built the stage to look like a vintage storefront boutique from the 1940s and ‘50s.

The models got the opportunity to shop at Peebles Department Store the week prior to the event. Each model picked out two outfits: one casual day outfit and one formal event outfit.

“As a model, I had to remember that I couldn’t walk too fast!” new member Hazel Taylor said, laughing.

“[This event] enables us to give three worthy students the opportunity to receive a scholarship,” Welchons said. All benefits go toward the Maud M. Hurt Scholarship, which helps seniors from L.C. Bird and Thomas Dale high schools and Carver College & Career Academy afford college.