Luck, love and llamas Montpelier puts on an atypical fashion show
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Circus Smirkus alum Sam Johnson of Burlington juggles torches while balancing on a unicycle on a tightrope Saturday during the festivities surrounding the Montpelier Fashion Show. PHOTO BY TIM CALABRO |
Toolbox
By David Delcore Staff Writer - Published: June 7, 2009
MONTPELIER – Bradley Jordan might have been the luckiest man in Montpelier on Saturday if it hadn't been for Reubin Bennett.
Jordan, a local clothing designer, was desperately seeking a model to wear a racy, revealing black evening gown – complete with fishnet stockings – in the Capital City's fifth annual Fashion Show when he found the perfect woman in a pizza parlor less than an hour before the show was scheduled to go on.
It's not like any woman would have fit the bill, according to Jordan, who said the measurements of the model who had planned to wear the dress that he designed before her work replacement bailed on her late Friday night, were pretty petite.
"I needed to find someone (size) 0 to 2," he said. "That's like finding a needle in a haystack."
On Saturday, Positive Pi 2 – one of the staging areas for the popular fashion show's homegrown models – was the proverbial "haystack" and Brittany Keleman was the "needle."
"She's perfect," Jordan said shortly after Keleman, 19, of Richmond strode down the runway wearing one of his creations. "I got lucky."
Not as lucky as Bennett, who one-upped Jordan with a pretty decent proposal that was accepted by the unsuspecting proprietor of a local bridal boutique.
In what the emcee described as "a Fashion Show first," Bennett popped the question to Shaline Kirkpatrick right on the runway, even as Kirkpatrick's own models – all dressed in wedding attire she designed – were still on stage.
"Will you marry me?" Bennett asked.
The question, a still-shaking Kirkpatrick insisted moments later, was "a complete surprise."
Fortunately for Bennett, who concocted the plan months ago, the answer was not.
"I couldn't be happier," he said standing hand-in-hand on State Street with his blushing bride-to-be.
Bennett said he got a thumbs-up from his young son, Justin, awhile back and informed Kirkpatrick's 7-year-old son, Caleb, of his plans shortly before the show.
"He only found out this morning," Bennett said, rubbing Caleb's head. "I didn't want him to keep a secret from his mom."
Bennett's proposal was certainly memorable, according to Kirkpatrick.
Her only regret?
"If I'd known I would have dressed for it," she said.
Instead, Kirkpatrick attended the fashion show wearing blue jeans and a blouse – precisely the sort of casual, behind-the-scenes attire you would expect for someone who isn't planning to be the center of attention.
Although the couple hasn't had an opportunity to discuss a wedding date, Kirkpatrick said she knows right where she'll be getting her wedding gown.
"I'll be wearing one of my own," said the owner of the State Street bridal boutique Shaline.
The proposal, which occurred on a tent-covered runway surrounded by hundreds of people, was arguably the highlight of a show. However, there were plenty of other memorable moments.
Just ask Keleman's cousin, Taylor Barnard, who was recruited by his aunt, Terry Miller, of Jericho to model some of her alpaca outerwear.
"He (Barnard) was the most handsome ham I knew," Miller said of Barnard.
Like Keleman, who pulled double-duty Saturday, Barnard, 22, of Richmond, said he obliged his aunt.
"It was an adventure I thought I'd take," he said.
Barnard wasn't half bad, though he freely admitted he was upstaged by Mark McNamara, 59, of Montpelier.
"He killed it," Barnard said of McNamara, who worked the crowd while strutting down the runway wearing vest, tie and hat made Montpelier resident Jan Stuart made out of llama fiber.
McNamara, who spends his days working in a Stowe hotel and his free time "taking care of llamas" was one of the few models who really owned the runway.
His secret?
"I live inside my own head all the time," he said, explaining the lack of inhibition that allowed him to be so totally himself.
In all more than 50 models representing 15 local businesses and three designers participated in a fashion show that event organizer Ann-Marie Keppel said has become a start-of-summer fixture in Montpelier.
"Take your time," Keppel told a pizza parlor filled with models – some nervous, some not. "People love this and they want to look at you."
In Connor Myers' case the crowd could have read him.
Myers, 16, of Calais modeled a frock coat and hockey-style pants designer Samantha Talbot-Kelly made out of snippets of the New York Times.
How did Myers get the gig?
Seems Kelly is a friend of his mom, employs his sister as a babysitter and recently loaned him her husband's suit for a trip to Washington, D.C. That was the clincher, he said.
"It (the suit) fit me perfect so she asked me to be a model," Myers explained.
Myers had a couple of fans with front-row seats. Clara Emlen, 13, and Claire Mills, 14, both of Calais, arrived fashionably early for the event.
The Fashion Show was part of an unusually busy Saturday in the Capital City.
The weekly farmers market was bustling nearby, there was live entertainment on State Street, and a brief parade of featuring llamas and alpacas. Over at Montpelier High School the recreation department hosted its annual "Touch-a-Truck" event.
Arthur LaRose and his 5-year-old son, A.J., of Montpelier were among the earliest visitors to that popular event.
So just what does a truck feel like?
The littler LaRose considered the question before placing one of his palms on the sun-baked passenger door of a red F550 dump truck.
"Hot!" he concluded.
Give him a few years and LaRose might offer same assessment of many of the models in Montpelier's fashion show.
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