Spring is in the air and Cottage Boutique and the St. Mary’s Villa Foundation wanted to get spring started on the right foot with their annual spring fashion show on April 29.
This year’s show featured 14 or 15 models, showcasing 125 spring and summer fashion wear designs.
The fashion show was a joint venture between the two organizations, with Cottage Boutique putting the show together and profiting from fashion sales, while the St. Mary’s Villa Foundation helps run the show, while profiting on ticket sales, raffles, and the 50/50.
Having such a great partnership is huge, admits foundation Executive Director Donna Muench.
“It helps us and our board, working with them. They do the show for us, we do the raffle prizes, and stuff so working together helps out both of (us).”
Of course, the fashion show is a fundraiser for the foundation, with Muench noting this year’s proceeds will be paying for new wheelchair washing equipment.
“Unfortunately we had four outbreaks this year so we found that we needed to purchase a wheelchair washer to help with our infection control and that item was $20,000. So we’re having to do a few more fundraisers this year to add that to what we had saved up from last year.”
The fashion show saw models walk the runway, with those in attendance able to circle the fashion wear items they liked.
An added wrinkle to this year’s show, was a date and time change, which allowed more shoppers from outside of Humboldt to come.
“We’ve got people from farther away, they can travel now and it benefits them having the store open because they can do that all at the same time instead of having to go home and come back again,” says Muench.
Being able to bring in people from Saskatoon and other surrounding communities is great, says Muench because it not only helps the villa foundation, but is a benefit for Cottage Boutique as well.
“Their clientele is not only local but they have clients from Saskatoon, Regina, all over the province, and throughout Canada when they’re traveling through.”
The Bella Vista Inn was packed for the show, which was great to see, says Muench, who noted the weather was great and they could not have asked for anything better.
Muench would like to thank everyone for their continued support, and for their support at the fashion show, giving an extra big thanks to the staff at Cottage Boutique.
“Putting on a fashion show is a lot of work. It takes a good 2-2.5 weeks of planning and organizing. Cottage Boutique put in a lot of hours to get this show ready and we appreciate that.”
After taking some time to relax, Muench says planning will begin for their next fashion show, which will either be in the fall or in the spring for the Humboldt and District Community Services.
“We switch off with the other organization that Cottage Boutique does the fashion show for so I’m not sure if we will have next spring or we’ll be back in the fall.”
