Residents, families, community and staff photographed in the pictures displayed here enjoy a Vintage Fur Fashion Show presented by Patti Peer Of Paper and Lace!About 36 years ago, Patricia Peer's mother-in-law gave her two authentic Victorian outfits. Today, she wears them to work.
Mrs. Peer, 67, of White Oak, collects, restores and presents authentic vintage clothing dating from the 1890s to the 1960s for audiences in a program she calls "Paper and Lace."
Mrs. Peer describes herself as vintage collection addict and a "stuffologist."
"My husband, Lynn, and I met when we were 16 years old, and he was already interested in old things," she said. He introduced her to the world of antiques and "I have been hooked from the start," she said. She called their home a "flea market house" because everything in it is from flea markets, antique stores or estate sales. "You can't walk in our basement," she said of their collection.
Typically, when her show begins she tells the audience: "Sit back, relax. I'm going to show you how you would get dressed to come here about 100 years ago." People are always surprised at the amount of clothing women wore in yesteryear. "These women lived in torture," Mrs. Peer explained. "They carried smelling salts and a handkerchief. Many times, they passed out from lack of oxygen because their clothing was very tight. The ideal waist was 18 inches. The layers of clothing were stifling hot in the summer."
Women were covered from the neck to the toes in the Victorian era (the reign of Queen Victoria, 1837 to 1901). By 1901, after her death, styles loosened slightly and women began to show their necklines. By the 1920s, there was a clothing revolution -- corsets and bustles were gone along with waistlines.
"It was a very liberating time for women, and men finally got to see [women's] legs. Then, in the 1960s, we covered them up again when the pant suit came into style," Mrs. Peer said.
She has eight different programs in her show-and-tell repertoire and presents about 40 to 50 outfits. She keeps it informal, fielding questions as they are asked. Her clothes are all authentic, but they are too small and too fragile to allow people to wear.
The programs can include fashions, wedding gowns, fur coats and children's clothing from 1890 to 1960, and a quilt presentation that covers 1900 to present day.
She frequents antique shops to find pieces, but many items are donated as well. She recently received a footlocker filled with items worn in World War II by a member of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).
Fifty percent of her business is with personal care homes and Juniper Village Forest Hills was very fortunate to have her and will always welcome Patti back with open arms. She's been invited to present at ladies' teas, fundraisers, women's church groups, garden clubs, bridal shows and even for a class of middle school girls.
"I had never done a school before. I had no idea how I would keep these kids interested in a Victorian fashion show. But they were blown away. They had never seen anything like a girdle or a corset and they had so many questions. The [time] just flew."
This is her second career. Life took an unexpected turn for her at age 60, when she was asked to retire early from her job as an account executive for a food company.
Her husband had lost his job as director of planning for Joseph Horne Company some years earlier and then became an artist, creating sculptures from found objects. But without her income or health insurance, the future was uncertain.
In the meantime, she was helping her 90-year-old aunt settle into a personal care home. Mrs. Peer noticed the various entertainers who came to the home.
"A light bulb went off. For years, I'd been collecting pretty pieces of vintage clothing. I'd hang petticoats and parasols in my house. I told my husband, 'I think I can get in front of these people and show a bustle, a corset, a petticoat.' " She asked for permission to present a vintage fashion show at the nursing home. "They wheeled 50 people in front of me and no one fell asleep. They were so interested."
Mrs. Peer got on the phone and called other personal care facilities. In the first year, with no advertising, she and her husband did 103 shows. Her husband works behind the scenes.
As you can see by these photographs displayed here it has been the perfect fit!
For more on Paper and Lace, call 412-673-0213 412-673-0213, or e-mail ppeer@earthlink.net.
Residents in these photographs are discovering why this new craft craze is so much fun! Recently residents, families, staff and community learned the basics of scrapbooking! They learned helpful techniques on how to make their scrapbook pages look more professional, and tips on ways to create cherished photo memories "throughout all seasons of life"...the class was taught by local Pittsburgh Public Schools Educator and Scrapbooker, Brandy Ralston. This activity encouraged everyone to have an active body, engaged mind and fulfilled spirit...and that is a picture worth a thousand words...
