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Cultural Council Presents Fashions of the Downton Abbey Era at the Bellingham Senior Center

Oct 29, 2015 06:00AM ● By Amy Bartelloni

Linda Trudeau with Tsune Roberts (right) who demonstrates a 1920s look

photos & story by Amy Bartelloni, Contributing Writer
At the Bellingham Senior Center, on Sept. 29, seniors and volunteers were treated to a fashion show based on the fashions of the Downton Abbey era. Linda Trudeau of the Bellingham Cultural Council presented the hour-and-a-half program, which included displays of fashion from the 1800s through the 1940s, as well as a poetry reading by member Brenda Almeida (left), who used an A. A. Milne poem to illustrate life at the time. The poem was from Milne’s book When We Were Very Young, which was given to his son Christopher Robin on his fifth birthday, in 1920, one of the decades covered in the show.

“The models are members of the [senior] center,” explained outreach coordinator Sheila Ronkin.  Seven models cycled through clothes from various ages, including Victorian era clothes, 1920s flapper style, and fashions of the war age.  Many of the outfits had been sewn by Linda herself. “Fashion for men hasn’t changed much,” explained Linda, as senior-center member Jim O’Donnell modeled a suit. Describing fashion trends from the Victorian era through the present time, Linda noted how trends seem to come back. “What’s old is new, and what’s new is old,” she said.

The Bellingham Senior Community Chorus entertained the audience with several songs, ending with “Where Does the Time Go?” and refreshments were served.


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