A glamorous and elegant grandmother took to the catwalk for Oban charity shop Re:Store – and what an impression the 90-year-old made.
It wasn’t a first for Patricia Collins, but the last time she modelled clothes was at the age of 12, at the end of the Second World War.
There are a lifetime of memories—including experiences at the Balenciaga and Dior fashion houses in Paris in the 1950s—but Mrs Collins remains as glamorous now as she was then.
Only concern was staying up late
In fact, her only concern about taking part in the Oban Re:Store Fashion Show was staying out late.
The fashion show was part of an initiative by the Re:Store charity collaboration, charity shop, and community hub on Oban’s George Street.
It showcased the shop’s Rescued Food Project, Greenshoots Community Garden and Hope Kitchen.
The night was full of joy and laughter for all the models who took part.
It was held to have fun, raise awareness of how donated goods at Re:Store can be upcycled, and to share a meal together.
When The Press and Journal spoke to Mrs Collins, she answered the door of her Connel home in four-inch stilettos and was just as beautiful in person as she was on the catwalk.
She said: “I think I got my style from my mother, as she was so elegant and always dressed well.
“The last time I modelled was when I was 12 for the Co-op in Ipswich, so it has been a long time since I was on a catwalk.
“I have always been interested in classic fashion and well-made clothes.”
Oban Re:Store fashion show catwalk was a huge success
After training to be a nurse, Mrs Collins took a job as an au pair in Paris in the early 1950s.
As a perk of the job, she and a friend were given tickets to attend some of the greatest fashion shows of the time.
She sat in the front row of shows for Balenciaga and Dior.
Mrs Collins, who was born in Kent, said: “The models would come out and walk along without smiling or anything—they were taught that they had to be invisible while wearing the clothes.
“I enjoyed it. At that time, we all had tiny waists and lots and lots of petticoats. We had a wonderful time back then.
“Things are very different now.”
After working as an au pair, Mrs Collins returned to Newport to take up a position as a dentist’s receptionist.
Oban Re:Store fashion show highlighted recycled fashion
After agreeing to help serve tea at her local cricket matches, she met and fell in love with her husband Alex—all while managing to keep abreast of the scores.
The couple were married for 52 years until he died very suddenly around eight years ago.
Following his death, and in her mid-80s at the time, Mrs Collins decided to move to Connel to be closer to her son, Christopher, who works as a medic in the area.
She continued: “When Catriona Petit from Hope Community Kitchen asked if I wanted to model on the catwalk, my only reservation was staying out late.
“I have always loved to dance and to keep fit and active and I still do a mixture of Pilates and yoga every day.
“I took that up in my 70s—it’s never too late to start exercising.
Mrs Collins also volunteers to support Hope Kitchen.
“I go along and talk to the people who come in for lunch,” she said.
“It is great fun, and I hope I help other people as much as they help me.”
‘It was an amazing evening’
Catriona Petit for Re:Store said: “We had an amazing evening.
“Even MP Brendan O’Hara strutted his stuff in the people’s choice.
“We had seven different catwalks with different themes: Rainbow, seasons, sport and nature to name but a few.
“At the end of each section, there was a show stopper made by people in the community.
“One was a stained suit on which Paul Gent, a local artist, created a Soroba design.”
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