The weather for The Salvation Army Fashion Show at Brook Hollow on May 6 was so perfect with temperatures in the 70. That was also the challenge. More about that later.

The Salvation Army Fashion Show finale

This fashion show is the one that allows Armani, Escada, Yves Saint Laurent and Carolina Hererra fashions to live a life beyond storage, bear price tags in double-digit numbers and go home with new owners who truly appreciated their inclusions in their closets. But it also was a tailor’s Super Bowl.

Why?

Because adorable size 8 gals were grabbing a size 14 for a pittance and taking it straight to their fabric surgeons. . . uh, tailors … for adjusting. Ah, don’t question the sizes 2’s, 4’s and 6’s. Why, voluptuous ladies in the double-digit sizes didn’t hesitate to grab single-digit outfits. With a talented tailor and a forgiving seam/hem, they could add couture names to their closets for the price of a super-duper latte.

The much-beloved Salvation Army Fashion Show was the coming together of those who donate their experienced clothes for resale with those who value a spectacular find.

BJ Ward

Sure, some like Barbara Sypult wore with pride their past purchases/TSA donations, and others like BJ Ward recalled days of the past when she was asked by the Stanley Korshak folks to meet with a young shoe designer. They had a lovely chat. So much so that he told BJ to go get her fav outfit and he would design shoes to go with it. In minutes she returned with her Christian Lacroix jacket. In the weeks ahead a pair of shoes arrived for her with red soles. The designer told her that he had considered doing soles with different colors, but the red had turned out so well, Christian Louboutin decided to stick with the red.

One socialite with a handful of clothes pleaded, “Don’t shoot me now. Wait till I’m wearing them.”

But before the show got underway in the adjacent tent, the guests poured through the racks in the ballroom, the couture items in a private dining room and accessories in the powder room. Event Chair Karen Dealy and Tootsies had everything neatly arranged and the selections were a feast for the fashionistas. The VIP’s for first chance arriving at 9:30, then the Chic Boutique officially opened for the entire group at 10 followed by the show at 11.

Checking the racks in the ballroom

Snapshots of the event included:

• TSA Capt. Michele Matthews with her softer-than-soft hands was in her TSA polyester uniform.
• Event Co-chair Nancy Bierman rallied to be there. No, she didn’t shop. The poor thing was barely able to stand. In fact, she asked that one of the gents in the audience to help her up to the stage. Having just done an eight-day stay in the hospital following major surgery, she made it as far as welcoming guests from the stage with Karen, but then headed home missed the fashion show to conserve her energy in the ballroom for the luncheon.
• Emcee Gloria Campos gave a heart-filled talk about TSA’s efforts regarding domestic abuse.
• Backstage event producer Jan Strimple toured the collection that was about to hit the runway. For six weeks, she had nursed the collection through refreshening and “new relationships” by combining them with other donations. No, she didn’t do it with her own needle and thread. She had help from Betty Reiter, Nicolas Villalba Couture and Yasmina Johnston/Inner.Orbit.Systems. In fact, Betty Reiter recognized one outfit and thought she had sold it years before.
• Ken Weber provided advice to the ladies in the Couture Salon and directed them to the changing room for a once over.
• The Perot gals (Nancy Perot, Suzanne McGee, Carolyn Rathjen, Katherine Reeves and Sarah Perot) were honored along with their mom Margot.

As for the show, it was remarkable. Guests saw their donations revamped ― A turtleneck and/or sleeves removed, a hem abbreviated, a leather jacket married up with a pair of skintight leggings. Talk about the best fashion facelifts! It wouldn’t have surprised a soul for a previous owner to have bid on their own clothes. Shoot, the proceeds were going to TSA.

With the rows filled with couture-loving ladies, they discovered some of their former outfits looking better than ever. One even considered buying it back now that it had been lovingly updated.

Adding to the dramatic presentation was the black flooring and equally black tent interior. However, that also provided the rub of the event. It was also a tad bit warm in the tent. No, change that ― it was a program-waving situation.

As guests found their way to their seats, Capt. Michele sensed the tent was a bit stuffy and asked that the A/C be punched up — “It was getting a little stuffy.” The units were cranked up. Still the heat seemed to outweigh the cool. As the body count increased, the air didn’t. A few minutes later Jan also put out a call to ramp up the units. The sound of the A/C blowing at full power could be heard, but still the warmth continued in some parts of the tent.

Fashion show in dramatic dark setting

It seems the tent‘s walls were cloaked in layers of black fabric and mesh. The mesh would have gladly allowed the cool air from the mega-coolers to flow through. It was that tricky fabric that not only blocked the flow of the cool air, but blew it out to the surrounding grounds. While the Brook Hollow squirrels loved it, TSA guests were feeling the warmth of the occasion. One male guest admitted that he didn’t remove his jacket because his shirt was soaked through. Luckily, the majority of the guests were cool customers and never even glistened. After all, they were decked out in their spring finest, not winter wools.

Following the show, some guests like Faye Briggs, Pebble McKenzie, Kay Hammond, Kersten Rettig and Gigi Salley opted for the exit, allowing them to walk outdoors to the lunch in the clubhouse. It was indeed a beautiful day.

Guests strolling from the tent to lunch

At the luncheon, guests admitted being impressed by the invitation’s inquiry about dietary requirements like shellfish being a no-no. About 24 said, “Yes, they preferred no crab salad.” Unfortunately for the Brook Hollow staff, no one could tell where those 24 were seated. Not to worry, they were found.

Too bad because the gazpacho with citrus crab tower, yellow heirloom tomatoes and avocado balls and micro greens was incredibly delicious. Kate Rose Marquez proclaimed that she could have had it for the entire meal.

And despite the chic boutique still being open for business, the flood of ladies hit the valet all at once. BTW, the clothes that weren’t purchased headed to TSA’s “infamous WEARhouse sale” on Wednesday and Thursday.