I attended charm school at the vanguard of all things classy and charming in the ’70s: Montgomery Wards. When I was ten-years old I went every Wednesday night to charm school classes in a tiny, windowless room you accessed by walking through the girl’s dressing room on the lower floor.
It wasn’t that I was interested in charm and all the perks the come with being incredibly charming (because you only realize its power as an adult). My motivation? I wanted to be a model and at the end of the Montgomery Wards charm school, if you passed and had the charm of Dinah Shore, you took part in a runway show out in the mall (Huntington Center) in front of friends, family, and hapless shoppers.
The classes were standard charm school fare; walking with a book on your head, sitting in a skirt, eating with a knife, sneezing in a tissue, and accepting party invitations. Really, all the training needed for a flawless, professional fashion show.
This was WAY before the supermodel furor of the ’80s. I believe my drive was purely the idea of everyone looking at me…on a hastily assembled stage…in new clothes….from Montgomery Wards.
We could choose ANYTHING from MONTGOMERY WARDS to model, but for reasons only known to 10-year-old me I wore a nightgown and a bikini in my two strolls down the catwalk. I remember people laughing because I waved and smiled as I made my way down and back, breaking the important aesthetic theory of “suspension of disbelief”…in the middle of a mall…at a fashion show…for Montgomery Wards.
A brief performance of “The Hustle” was also part of the “show.” We all wore the same green and yellow jumper and danced to the song played from an eight-track player with a microphone propped up next to it.
These were probably the only guys around my age in attendance, by intimidation and the promise of new OP t-shirt (I’m guessing), my brother, Randall, and two cousins.
They look really into it. They were huge fans of my early work…for Montgomery Wards.
Another awkward and tediously revealing post for “Sincerely ‘fro me to you” at “We are THAT family.” Thanks Kristen!
OMG. A nightgown?
What? No pictures of the bikini!? LOL!
Oh my goodness! You were so fashionable and charming. At least you got to pick your outfits!! 🙂 I modeled for Sears in the early 70’s and had to where their Winnie The Pooh line. So utterly stylish.
Love it!! I remember seeing fashion shows at Montgomery Wards and JCPenney’s when I was a little girl. I was so envious of those little models. I would’ve thought your brother and his friends were pretty “dreamy” too. 🙂
Thanks for coming by my blog and checking on my through Hurricane Ike. We are back safe and sound. I have such sweet and caring blog buddies. 🙂
Hugs~ Jill
Too dang funny. Oh Montgomery Ward where have you gone?
I mall-modeled as well when I was about 8 or nine. And all I will tell you is koolats (sp?)
The cousins look too cool for school. Expecially the guy in the middle. Watch out Lief Ericson! Whoo yaa!
I love your writing style. So easy to read…and funny! OMG!!!!!! All the stylish clothes at MW and you choose a nightgown!
Your brother is a TOTAL BABE! Ha Ha Ha HA
Gosh I remember that gold stage! Too funny. That mall was always a treat because they had Orange Julius, but it did smell pretty weird.
ha! Well you had the dream come true…like those dreams when your in your nightgown in public..I always hated those!
Sigh. I miss those days. I miss the simplicity and innocence and goofiness of it all. Will my kids say that of the 2000’s?
NO WAY!! My BFF and I went to the same class every Saturday morning. My parents enrolled me because I used to bite my nails to the quick. They thought the class might give me some couth. Bahahaha!
According to the personality quiz in the workbook, I was a “Thoroughly Modern Milly”….this thrilled me! I was COOL! (I’d LOVE to have that book right about now. I can’t imagine what I wrote in it.)
Our Montgomery Ward was too cheap to let us model their clothes. (Or maybe we didn’t do too well in the class.) My BFF’s mom whipped us up a couple of groovy pantsuits, and we strutted our stuff. Good times!
The good news is that I never bit my nails again. The best money my parents ever spent!!!
A nightgown, seriously. a NIGHT GOWN???
I attended a class similar to this called “White Gloves and Party Manners”! I still have the book we used. I also participated in a fashion show and the only thing I remember is being SO embarrassed and did not want people staring at me. I wore a rust colored fluffy winter jacket.
Oh, thank goodness it was a NIGHTGOWN. For a minute, I thought you selected a muumuu. (At this point I should also share that I suffered through cotillion… same torture, different name.)
no wonder you’re such a peach suzanne! thank goodness for charm school. i’m signing my hannah up for one that lasts all 4 years of high school — every saturday (i’m not kidding)! it will either turn her into a deb or give her great fodder for future angst stories…
Wow! You’re like a SupaStah!
Can I have your autograph?
That’s great. I just might have to pull out my Miss Slick Chick finalist photos and awards… since that didn’t work out Miss America was the way to go for me. haha!
Oh my goodness, you got a lighted runway and everything! I just got the Three Stooges for backup, when I did my walk for Castnor Knotts! 🙂
I actually was part of a Kazoo recital in Huntington Center. We all had to wear long dresses and bonnets (a la holly hobbie I guess) Afterwards, I tried to convince my mom to take me to the “Fly Trap” to get my first pair of Chemin de fer jeans. You have to love the Huntington Center.. Tom McCann Shoes, The Broadway, See’s Candies.
Cool photos! Did you continue modelling as you got older?
OMG, you made me spit out my tea I was laughing so hard! I too had the pleasure of being a Wendy Ward “supermodel”. Unfortunately, my modeling career was cut short because my charm school was located in downtown Chicago. Too much temptation to cut class, so I was eventually kicked out of charm school! No worries, I turned out to be a real classy frigging lady!! 🙂