One thing ya gotta’ love about Chicagoans is that they love to party, which means at Holiday Time, there are Fashion Shows, Parties, and many other excuses to get together.  On November 15, 2017 the lovely Luxe Luxury Holiday Show at the famous Drake Hotel on the Magnificent Mile. So many beautiful people were in attendance, including old friends, 2 were designers participating in the show, and new friends. The Drake was decorated with Christmas decor and it was great even though Thanksgiving was a week away. Who doesn’t love looking at Christmas decorations anyway?

The first person I saw that night was this wonderful woman, Sylwia, who had a store in Chicago, but left when she got married.  When I met her last year,she had just moved back after her divorce. Less than one year later, her store was once again open and her designs were ready for the show this night. What an inspiration to all women that you can in fact rebound and reinvent yourself after disappointments. Sylwia, however, did this in record time. In case you can’t tell, Sylwia is the tall gorgeous woman in the middle.

Here is one of Sylwia’s designs on the runway. Not bad for someone who just got back to designing clothes a bit more than a year ago!!!  Va Va Voom!!

The next person I ran in to was another friend of mine. This is Mark Roscoe, and he is another inspirational person other than just because he is a very talented designer. Mark was once a lawyer…. and then became a  designer. How many people can you say that about?  He is the only one I know.

Here is one of the models wearing one of his exquisite designs. Mark is known for evening wear and he does a wonderful job.  I still don’t know how he does it.

Prior to the show, I of course was busy checking out the lovely people in attendance, and over course, scoping out for women Over Fifty. I was looking for a table with a good view for my getting photos and I asked these lovely ladies if I could share their table.  This is Haslina and Siti who, it turns out, are  compadres because we are all almost Over Fifty, and we all love fashion. Haslina and Siti introduced me to their friends and by the end of the night, we had a real party going.

Photos were taken by the Christmas Carolers and this lovely couple came to enjoy the night. Surprisingly many men came to this event, which was indeed a nice change of pace. After all, men like fashion too.

This gorgeous Over Fifty woman is an inspiration to women who are afraid to let their hair go gray/silver/or whatever. She looks spectacular.

This beautiful woman caught my eye not only because of her gorgeous silver hair, but because of how stylish she looked. As it turns out, I have a good eye, because she was a model in the show.Isn’t she stunning on the runway.  As everyone knows, my passion is to see women Over Fifty not afraid to be visible, and to let their inner selves shine. This beautiful woman is certainly shining.

Another gorgeous Over Fifty model was also in the show. This lovely woman is an author and Chicago celebrity.  What confidence she has, and she probably has a couple more decades Over Fifty to her wonderful credit. My dream is to have a show like this with all models who are Over Fifty, and who have the confidence to strut their stuff down the catwalk.

This gorgeous Over Fifty model is letting her inner self shine

This gorgeous woman is not only my neighbor, my friend and my doctor, but one of the most wonderful women you will ever meet. She is an extremely accomplished Cranio-facial surgeon who is an expert in helping women and men look their best. I am presently writing an article for the online magazine Grand.com about skin care, and Dr. Stacie McClane, is helping me. I can’t think of any woman that I admire more than Stacie because she is not only an expert in her field, but she is kind, generous, and so down to earth.

Not only is Dr. McClane my friend, but the day before the fashion show she filled in my acne scars with a relatively new filler that permits entry in to very small spaces like scars. So, if you like how I look, you can give partial credit to my doctor!!  This scarlet velvet cowboy jacket is a vintage Stella Carakasi. The skirt I got last Spring at last last last last call, at Neiman Marcus for about $75.00. My purse is a vintage Coach, but in retrospect, a nice vintage beaded bag would have been better.

All in all, the night was a winner. I got to see my designer friends have their designs admired by so many people. There were gorgeous Over Fifty models on the runway, my dream come true; I got to see old friends, and make some new ones.  It doesn’t get better than that.

Wendy Xox