No Planes on This Runway

I had a blast being one of the models at the MS Society's Fashion Plates event last Friday. While walking the runway is not exactly old hat, it was wonderful to participate again and to see so many of the same wonderful women from last year.

Ruby was my photographer for the day. She had some help from Debbie Bettie who was a terrific chaperon for Ruby while I was in hair and makeup and strutting my stuff on the catwalk...baby.

Ruby definitely has an artistic eye and demonstrated her creativity while she and Debbie Bettie walked around Boston with Deb's digital camera before the show began.

<--Ruby and Christina watched all the fun from the Julie M. Baker (A.K.A. Lazy Julie) table.

MaryAnn is a great women I met during last year's event. I hope to stay in touch with her and a bunch of the other women who do not let MS stop them from living full and happy lives.

Miss New Hampshire, before and after hair, makeup, and wardrobe. She participated in the fashion show last year, too. I think MS has touched her life and it has become the cause of her "reign" as Miss New Hampshire. She is a wonderful woman and not at all what I expected of a beauty queen, although I found her crown a little intimidating when she wore it during the finale.

Tami, at least I think this is a photo of Tami, is escorted by a dapper volunteer. Tami is a long distance biker and has the legs to prove it. She participates in a two-day MS bike ride every year and I want to BE her when I grow up and/or get off the couch.

Our beautiful hair was coiffed by the generous and talented team at Salon Red. Our makeup was compliments of the lovely ladies at Lord and Taylor's Clinique counter. They all had great hair and makeup skills, naturally, but they also made us all feel like we were the most beautiful women they had ever seen--an awesome feeling to have as you walk out onto a runway in front of a couple hundred people.

This was the "other Julie" who was one of the newbie models. She was diagnosed about the same time as me but had one of those jerky primary care physicians who ignored her early symptoms. I'm very grateful that was not my experience.

Meet Claire, who is a terrific power of example and, unfortunately, she shares the disease of MS with her daughter who also participated in the fashion show last year. I don't think it's very common for there to be mothers and daughters (or fathers and sons) who both have MS. In my case, there is no one on either side of my family with MS, so the genetic link is out.

The names of these other beautiful MS models have escaped me but they were all visions as the showed off the finery and a joy to hang out with backstage, as well. Ruby tells me that all the models were quite sassy on the runway.

And now....drum roll please....here photographic evidence of my second foray into high fashion modeling.

I would have never picked out this gray and grown outfit and/or tied the big bow around the neck with this brown wool scarf, but I felt very hip strutting my stuff in this avante-garde outfit.

The stage manager of the event took this photo backstage. I loved the way I felt in this amethyst dress so much that I bought it (the dress, not the feeling.) I'm thinking of it as my Field of Dreams dress since I do not yet have an event to wear it. If I buy it, the invitations will come.

<-- You can tell I was sucking in while --> on the runway when you see me let it out in these two pictures as I came off the stage. :-) All I can say is, thank GOD for whoever invented spanx.

Ruby came backstage after the event and I took this picture of her with Miss Massachusetts.

I would be remiss if I did not thank others who supported this event, as well, including: Liz and Pete who donated to the cause by purchasing a ticket for a deserving woman with MS who couldn't afford to attend. Carrie and her PCA who also sat at the Lazy Julie table but who I never got to see; Jennifer who donated a Mary Kay gift certificate for the raffle baskets; Nancy, who donated a Real Life Yoga gift certificate, and Lisa Mullins who graciously offered to donate a host-led tour of The World studios at WGBH. (I'm joining the planning committee next year, Lisa, so I can make sure they take you up on this terrific raffle prize.) And to all my other friends, virtual and otherwise, who give me moral support and encouragement.