DESIRÉE DECOSTE
STAFF WRITER
From polka dots to 60’s wallpaper, faded denim to classic black and whites, City Revival’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Fashion Show was ‘springing’ at the seams.
Carolyn Gummo, owner of City Revival for the past two-years, said the store has been hosting the annual Fashion Show for about 25-years, which is almost since the stores inception in 1992.
“We’ve been hosting the Fashion Show for about 25 years, almost since City Revival started in 1992,” Gummo told The Gazette. “We always host the Saturday closest to St. Patrick’s Day to launch spring fashions and we collect items and funds for the Picton Food bank.”
82-year-old Lizzie showing off some of the white collection. (Desirée Decoste/Gazette Staff)
Choosing the models for the annual show is a simple task for City Revival as they ask customers who shop with them regularly in the spring. Ranging ages from 19-82 and people sized 0-18 were all part of the show.
“We ask customers as we see them shopping with us in the spring,” said Gummo. “There is a City Revival sisterhood of sorts and the Fashion Show gives us the opportunity to introduce them to one another which I love. Lizzie is 82 and Lia is about 19. We had people sized 0-18 which I also love.”
With the novel Coronavirus spreading vastly across Canada, and businesses taking extra pre-cautionary measures, this years show was much smaller in attendance. Luckily with social media, Gummo live streamed the event on Facebook and Instagram to offer people who were social distancing a means to watch the show.
“The show was much smaller this year, for obvious reasons,” Gummo expressed. “We live streamed on Facebook and Instagram, which was new. We wanted to offer something to people that were social distancing and it also lessened the number in the shop so there was lots of personal space. The store is so large, with such high ceilings that it feels well ventilated and all of this made for a better outcome than I expected. My expectations were low, to be honest and I was just happy that feedback was so supportive of even doing it. And then positive feedback has continued until today, Monday, from models and spectators.”
Gummo added that the Picton community, particularly women, are amazing.
“I would like to add that the Picton community is amazing, particularly the women,” Gummo stated. “I’ve grown up in this store and it’s given me such a powerful understanding of how important women are to one another and to creating a strong, vibrant community. Saturday was a shining example of that.”
For more information on City Revival please visit www.cityrevival.com
or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cityrevival
See it in the newspaper