Move over Milan with your long runways, glitzy labels, front-row celebs and stick-thin models because Gimli knows how to strut its stuff.
New Horizons 55+ Activity Centre and Johnson’s Fashions & Footwear teamed up for a ladies-only fashion show on Sept. 18 that met with glowing reviews from those who modelled and those who attended.
The show was held at New Horizons in the north end of Gimli. With 15 local models, the show was a mere teaser to all the latest fall and winter fashions and footwear Johnson’s has in stock.
Julie Ewanchuk, who coordinated the show, said Johnson’s new line of fashions are “absolutely gorgeous.” And the sell-out show indicated an enthusiastic level of interest from the wider community.
“We sat 144 people and it was sold out a few weeks before the event,” said Ewanchuk. “As the coordinator, my opinion might be biased, but I do really think everyone had a good time. I think it was very successful. I had a lot of positive feedback from people after the show, and a lady in the office said people were asking to buy tickets for next year’s show, which I think is quite a compliment.”
New Horizons has a membership of over 500 seniors and offers wellness, social and recreational activities that support the physical and mental wellbeing of its members. The fashion show is becoming an annual event that’s proving immensely popular.
As coordinator of the show, Ewanchuk said she had to set up, decorate and tear down the venue. She decked out the room in a festive pink, white and black theme, hung up a banner with Celebrating Women on it, and installed a balloon arch and an elevated runway with fairy lights and an off-ramp. Tables had crisp white tablecloths, black runners and fresh floral bouquets.
Ewanchuk said she had a lot of help getting the show off the ground.
“I had a couple of people who helped me closely with the event, and members from the club helped me with getting the room set up and with the take-down. People were amazing,” said Ewanchuk. “I would like to thank all the people who did the behind-the-scenes work and contributed to making the show a success. This is a great community.”
Gimli resident Rita Eyer, who participates in tai chi classes at New Horizons, volunteered to be one of the models in the show after a classmate encouraged her to put her name in. She said she really enjoyed the show and thought it was “nicely done.” It was the first time she had ever attended the fashion show and the first time she had ever modelled.
“I really liked the outfits and showing them to the audience,” said Eyer. “My sister came in from Winnipeg and it was a fun evening. It would have been fun to have watched the show as an audience member.”
Eyer said she got to model four different outfits from Johnson’s, three casual and one formal.
“I really liked the outfits,” said Eyer. “I got to wear beautiful sweaters and vests, and different styles of jeans, boots and elegant shoes. My third outfit was a green leather jacket, black pants and green boots. Phenomenal boots at Johnson’s. My last outfit was a fancy Christmas outfit.”
Johnson’s carries dozens of fashion and footwear brands including Cherishh Linen, FDJ French Dressing, Hatley, JAG Jeans, Shapeez Shapewear, Tribal Collection, and Keen and New Balance footwear, as well as handbags, jewelry, accessories and footwear for men.
To prep the models for the show, Eyer said they had a practice session where they learned how to walk to different parts of the runway, strike a pose and catch an audience member’s eye as the commentator described their outfits. During the show, they also walked around the guests’ tables.
“We went off the ramp. Julie would take your hand as you walked down the ramp then you walked all around the room so that the ladies could see the outfit,” said Eyer. “A lot of people wanted to see how the clothes felt.”
Eyer said she really appreciates the help she got from two of Johnson’s staff members — June Kristofferson and Carolin Magnusson — who pre-fitted her at the store and who were on hand backstage helping the models change into different outfits and making sure everything ran smoothly.
“I went to Johnson’s and it was June and Carolin who had the outfits for me to try on. They had the outfits lined up and the right sizes for me and even a couple of suggestions,” said Eyer. “And they were there helping during the fashion show when we’d have to change our outfits. Carolin was right there for me so I didn’t have to worry about hanging the clothes up; they had it all organized beautifully.”
Eyer said there was no formal after-party for the models and she held her own with her sister.
“It was so nice that my sister was here from Winnipeg. She told me how much she enjoyed the evening and meeting different women at the table where she was sitting,” said Eyer.
She said she’d “certainly” model again next year if asked.
This was the third time Gimli resident Evy Bialek said she attended the fashion show, and the highlight of the show for her was having a “ladies night out.”
She said she also loved the fashions and will be paying a visit to Johnson’s at some point.
“I thought this year the colours were really nice and bright and there was a lot of abstract designs on some of the outfits. The quilted outer clothing such as jackets and vests were really nice, too, really good for our weather,” said Bialek. “Johnson’s has so much going for them. They get clientele from every walk of life. I heard some nice comments that Johnson’s would accommodate people for whatever they need.”
Bialek also paid tribute to Ewanchuk for doing an “amazing” job despite being under a lot of pressure to bring it all together.
