About 140 people attended last week as Charthene Club members and guests strolled back in time through a vintage fashion show called Foster-Tweeds.
Since women's fashions change so quickly, vintage clothing becomes a social commentary of past decades, says Johanna Harden, owner of Foster-Tweeds.
Harden wore an outfit from the 1950s, a slim dress and lined jacket to match, a yellow hat with curved feather and long white gloves.
"Vintage clothing is prior to 1980 but later than 1900," she said. Most of Harden's clothing was from the 1940s, '50s, '60s and '70s.
In a segment called "Those Were The Days," Harden showed clothing worn by women who did not work outside the home. "They may have shopped at a department store earlier in the day, then went to a tea room and had lunch with lady friends."
A pink-flowered dress, brimmed hat and matching purse and shoes would have been suitable fashion, she said.
Since the average family income was about $5,000, women were careful with their clothing. They made things over, redid and reused, Harden explained.
Some of the vintage clothing is lost when the original owner passes away, or when the clothing is used for Halloween costumes or rag rugs, or just rags. "As more of these garments are destroyed, our fashion heritage is disappearing," she said.
Harden said she has been active in vintage fashions for five years. She began in her early years, collecting older things. As closets overflowed, she moved into another bedroom with her treasures.
"I gave them a new loving home, hence the name, Foster-Tweeds, a foster home for vintage clothing," she explained.
Her show included dresses with nipped waistlines, flowered dresses with side zippers, some with layers of crinoline petticoats, a dress with balloon-bottom skirt, plaids, suits, stylish purses, brimmed hats and feathered cloches, long gloves, bridal wear, slippers from the boudoir with sparkles and dainty flowers, and other early styles of fashionable footwear the well-dressed woman wore.
When Harden haunts thrift stores for vintage clothing, she searches for dresses with metal zippers since they disappeared after the 1970s, she said.
Harden's show included hats, gloves, jewelry and accessories she called "Finishing Touches." The well-dressed ladies of the past never left the house without these, she added.
The vintage show included two wedding dresses. One belonging to Carlotta Surdyn was a satin gown with a long train. Katie Pireaux modeled the gown complete with a matching headpiece. Surdyn, in attendance at the vintage show, said she wore the gown in 1940 and paid $8 for it.
The second bridal gown belonged to Joanne Pireaux, a Charthene member and grandmother of Katie Pireaux. Mickey Neason wore the size-3 fingertip-lace and net gown that Pireaux wore at her wedding in 1953. She carried the same Bible that was once topped with an orchid, along with a rosary and hankie.
Pireaux said her gown came into the show at the last minute because "there was difficulty finding someone who could wear a size 3."
Charthene Ways and Means chairwoman Ruth Karlowsky and her committee planned a luncheon and display of memorabilia from past Snow Ball dances, scores of photos and albums of the many events club members have staged in past years.
Charthene President Kathleen Umbel extended greetings and said the club engages in academic and civic activities. She named Charthene sponsorship of Girl of the Month and Girl of the Year, a scholarship for either boy or girl, and when finances permit, donations to J.K. Tener Library, the local fire department and local foodbank.
