Fashion is her passion: Bea McPherson, 101, loans her vintage clothing to HOF Fashion Show

CANTON ‒ It was the late 1960s and Bea McPherson had found the perfect dress at The Parisian for her daughter's upcoming wedding.

There was only one problem: No dress in her size.

Weeks later on a trip to visit her sister in New York City, McPherson found the same pink chiffon outfit in her size at the luxury department store Bonwit Teller & Co. She purchased a pair of purple velvet and satin shoes to complete the ensemble.

From Valentino to Ralph Lauren and Givenchy, the 101-year-old McPherson has collected designer frocks for the past six decades that are now stored inside numerous closets of her Congress Lake home in Lake Township.

"I was going to New York all the time and buying nice things. I didn't want to get rid of them. I'm a saver," she said with a chuckle.

From time to time, she pulls out the timeless fashions for special occasions or to reminisce.

Today, 15 of her garments and accessories, including a pillbox hat and fur boas, will once again be the envy of fashionistas everywhere as they make their way down the runway at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fashion Show Luncheon. The ensembles represent the early years of the fashion show that began 60 years ago.

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McPherson was the chair of the first event held on Sept. 5, 1963. She again co-chaired the event in 1965 with Gladys Dougherty, according to the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

In celebration of the show's 60th anniversary, McPherson's vintage clothing will be a highlight of the show.

"We decided as a team this spring that it would be fun to find vintage clothing from 1963 or around that time to include in the show," said Alexandra O'Connor, a Fashion Show Committee member and coordinator of the 60th anniversary scene fashions. "Bea provided us with a lot of really great fashions that she has preserved very well. Fashion is definitely a passion for her."

The committee planned to spotlight the women who spearheaded the fashion show at its inception and early years, she said, and there was no better way than to include McPherson's personal items.

"She has such beautiful outfits from incredible designers," she said. "Some were purchased locally at The Parisian and Stern & Mann’s, others in New York City and Paris."

McPherson recalls her outfits with vivid memories, including where she purchased them or who gave them to her and where she wore them.

There is a black and gold flower puffy dress that a friend purchased for her in Paris, a navy and white Valentino blouse, the black and white dress with "beautiful, gorgeous buttons" by Carolina Herrera, a green fine wool dress with an attached cape by Christian Dior, and a pillbox fur hat she had made to match one of her fur jackets that will be featured in the fashion show.

McPherson also recalled the black velvet and satin dress she wore to her daughter's rehearsal dinner.

"It was such heavy material," McPherson recalled. "It was the most elegant dress."

McPherson's daughter, Cheryl Loden, will model a heavy wool black dress with a coat and fur collar that once belonged to her aunt.

Curating the collection for the show, O'Connor was faced with ensuring the vintage fashions reflected the times and weren't confused for current trends, she said.

"I have found the key to an era of fashion is the accessories," she said. "Throw a hat on with a dress or a mink stole or gloves and suddenly it does look like it is from 1960 but if you put on modern pumps or a bag, it takes on a more modern look. Those things aren't as common today.

"That's a cool way to watch the '60s be brought back to life in the outfits."

In addition to McPherson's fashions, O'Connor is lending a few pieces from her personal collection she inherited from her great aunt.

Where did Bea McPherson get her love of fashion?

McPherson learned a lot about fashion during her trips to New York City, as well as her time working at a Garfinckel's department store in Washington, D.C.

From there, her love of fashion grew.

McPherson, a 1943 graduate of Kent State University, was a charter member and supporter of the university's desire to create a fashion school and museum. Year after year, she attended galas and had to ensure she had fabulous ensembles for the events.

"On opening night (of the school and museum), I wanted to have the most fashionable dress. My brother was in Paris and he sent me a (Nina) Ricci dress in velvet and the sleeves were big puffy sleeves," McPherson recalled. "It came a few days before the event. A friend hemmed it for me."

Among her collection are gowns she wore to the many galas.

"I only wore things once or twice, maybe three times," she said. "I hoped to one day donate them all."

Before stepping into the fashion world, McPherson played a part in the war efforts during World War II. As a student at Kent State, she was recruited for her mapmaking skills. A geography major, she was studying to become an elementary education teacher when a professor advised her to take a 60-hour military mapmaking course devised for the government by noted cartographer Edith Putnam Parker.

As part of the "Mapping Maidens," she was among 224 young women who created maps to help those on the front lines.

After her time working with the military, she moved to Los Angeles, back to Washington, D.C., and finally settled in the Hartville area where she taught school until 1956 when she and her husband, James. W. "Bill" McPherson Jr. started a family. They had three children — Marena McPherson, Jim McPherson and Cheryl Loden.

McPherson later worked in her husband's law firm as a legal assistant.

Fashions, luncheon have changed over decades

The Fashion Show Luncheon started as a relatively simple affair. With a limited budget, committee members asked local funeral homes for flowers, McPherson recalled.

The show still features fashions from local stores, but now they are modeled by professional models and some homegrown beauties. Ticket prices have jumped. According to McPherson, a ticket for the first show at the Onesto was $3.50. Tickets today are around $90.

At its inception, the fashion show was a partnership of the Canton Fine Arts Associates, Junior League of Stark County and Stark County Lawyer’s Wives. The event was held at the Onesto and Canton Jewish Community Center before it moved to the Canton Civic Center.

The wives of the pro football players from the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers modeled the clothing in 1963 from downtown department stores, including Polsky’s, Stern & Mann’s, George-Anne’s, Bon Marche and The Parisian.

The 1963 event was attended by 300 people. Last year, nearly 3,000 attended.

"This year's show is going to fun. It's a mix of old and new," O'Connor said. "This is a tradition for so many. They come back year after year."

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This article originally appeared on The Independent: HOF Fashion Show to feature 101-year-old woman's vintage clothes