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Strutting down memory lane
Published October 28, 2009
A fashion show combined the latest styles with a tribute to beauty queens of old, Tuesday.
The 41st annual fashion show by the Hill Country Chapter of the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association Auxiliary paid tribute to former Miss Mohair Queens, pageant winners from the mid-20th century, who served as ambassadors for the angora goat industry.
Ten former Miss Mohairs were the guests of honor at the style show at the Y.O. Ranch Resort Hotel. The pageant ran from 1939 through 1994.
Although the pageant has fallen by the wayside, being named Miss Mohair was a big deal during the pageant’s heyday, particularly in the sheep and goat hair industries. In the 1940s and ’50s, many industries held their own beauty pageants.
“I must have made about 300 different appearances during my year as Miss Mohair,” said Nancy Friend Wendland, who was crowned Miss Mohair in 1962, when she was 18. “I would appear at all the trade events all over Texas.”
For Wendland, a fourth generation rancher, the fashion show reunion provided an opportunity to reconnect with old friends from her pageant days.
“Seeing everyone again has been great,” said Wendland, who now resides in Kerrville. “We all used to go around together on the pageant circuit, but some people, I’ve fallen out of touch with over the years.”
For some of the former pageant queens, the fashion show may have been a chance to relive their memories. Although most models typically strut the runway wearing clothes from various Hill Country boutiques, three of the models hit the runway wearing vintage mohair dresses that were worn by contestants during the pageants.
During the pageant, 17 local women modeled fashions from nine local boutiques, including Secret Garden, Madlyn’s, Jacque’ Rudman Collections, Parts Unknown, and Zertz from Fredericksburg, Celia’s Closet and Billy’s Western Wear in Kerrville, Simply Generations in Junction and Dolores Unique Designs in Camp Wood.
Proceeds from tickets for the style show and the raffle help fund the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association Auxiliary’s college scholarship program. In 41 years, the group has raised $120,000 for local students looking to pursue a degree in agricultural science.
“I’m not sure how much we raised this year, but I’m very pleased with the turnout we had today. I’d say at least 500 people came out,” said Peggy Matli, one of the organizers of the event.
One of the organizers of the show, Karen Stieler, decided to pay tribute and host a reunion of the former Miss Mohairs after looking through old newspaper clippings about the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association and seeing dozens of clips about the pageant.
“I didn’t know anything about this pageant, and I figured this would be a good excuse to bring it back and get all the former Miss Mohairs together,” Stieler said.
And next year’s fashion show may feature a similar reunion. Stieler has given thought to bringing together winners of the rival, Miss Wool pageant.
“We wouldn’t want the Miss Wool Queens to get jealous,” she said.
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