Weslaco's fruit, vegetable and flower fashion show. (original) (raw)
SELECTED
WOMEN'S FASHION ENTRIES
1936 TO 1950
Is that a new perfume, or zesty Italian salad dressing?
Six vintage photos courtesy of The Weslaco Museum.
Nearly all of these images are included in Arcadia Publishing's
Weslaco volume from their Images of America Series.
Book Hotel Here › Weslaco Hotels
The Weslaco Images of America book also includes 18 costumes and models that entered the Women's Fashion Category of Weslaco's Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Show. The only limits set were decency and the entrant's skin's tolerance to eggplant peel and citrus membrane.
The following photos showcase the ingenuity of Hidalgo County women and the versatility of Rio Grande Valley produce. A basic shift of unbleached white muslin was cut to the model's form and then covered, draped, festooned and sometimes simply smeared with virtually anything vegetable, edible or potentially edible.
We're not sure how or why people came up with this unusual diversion, but it did develop in an era when home entertainment meant exactly that - you had to entertain yourself at home.
| Photo 1 |
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| 1st Place, 1939 |
Vintage Photo 1 - This is a photo of Alice Edrington, who was no doubt related to the prominent town photographer. She won First Place in the "street costume division" in 1939 with her dress made of "eggplant with checks of eggplant and citrus membrane." She was representing the Weslaco PTA.
| Photo 2 |
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| Marjorie Schwartz (no date available) |
Vintage Photo 2 - The Chaps in this outfit were corn husks and the shirt and pants were grapefruit leaves. Grapefruit leaves were ground to make the hat, boots, belt and gun. (Photo by Edrington Studios)
| Photo 3 |
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| Mrs. Phillip O'Connell of the Evergreen Farms Co |
Vintage Photo 3 - Mrs. Phillip O'Connell of the Evergreen Farms Co. of Elsa was wearing this blouse of barley seeds, skirt and jacket of oats and what was left was covered in dehydrated cereal grass.
| Photo 4 |
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| Mrs. Golda LaDuke Roberts, 1936 |
Vintage Photo 4 - Mrs. Golda LaDuke Roberts, 1936. Her doublet was the inside of citrus peel and the dress was citrus leaves trimmed with grapefruit, orange and tangerine peel. The headpiece used citrus seeds as jewels and citrus peel also formed the front panel of her gown. (Edrington Studio Photo).
| Photo 5 |
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| Mrs. Loretta Barbee, 1948 |
Vintage Photo 5 - Mrs. Loretta Barbee, 1948, represented the Weslaco Garden Club. Nearly the entire outfit is the white inner peel of grapefruit with poinsettia trim.
| Photo 6 |
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Vintage Photo 6 - Although this photo probably belongs to the Doll and Buggy Parade, we've included it here since it is yet another example of citrus as fashion.
Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and vintage/historic photos, please contact us.