Senior Fashionistas Celebrate 100 Years Of Couture

GOLD RIVER (CBS13) – Local senior citizens got a chance to display everything from 1920's wedding dresses to military uniforms.

It started out when the local non-profit Eskaton asked residents and families at their Gold River location to dive deep into their closets for their favorite fashion finds.

89-year-old Edy Griggs didn't have to fish too far.

"She's always been a little bit of a fashion diva and has always loved dressing to the nines," said Toni Horvath, Edy's daughter.

"I probably got that in Pasadena and if not, in Washington, DC," Edy said.

The details can get a little fuzzy.

"My husband was stationed in Washington, DC," Edy said.

But the memories remain clear.

"And was going to the Russian language school," Edy said. "And we went to a lot of cocktail parties."

Memories that motivated this free open house for fashion. It was also a fundraiser to help the residents who outlive their income continue services.

"They've been through wars. We have a gentleman who's a Tuskegee airman. We have nurses. We have women who have danced the night away in New York," said Esktaon sales coordinator Ember Nordhaus. "They lead these incredible lives and they have these stories and the fashions to show it."

So, while a hundred years of fashion was on display, a century worth of stories attached to them left the biggest impressions.

"I love this whole event. It's so fun and I love that I've kept a lot of the outfits over the years," Toni said. "And I'm hoping to keep them for my granddaughters as they get older."

Organizers say the event was so successful they hope to do it again bigger and better next year.