St. Aidan’s School in Williston Park was recently transformed from an institute of learning into a glamorous showcase for distinctly American fashions paraded about by a gaggle of excited young ladies.
The church was host to their first-ever American Girl Fashion Show fundraiser on April 18 and 19, where young ladies from as far as Brooklyn offered their services as models of the popular American Girl doll company’s diverse line of signature outfits. The shows raised money for the school’s PACE (Parents Acting for Catholic Education) program, which funds various student amenities such as scholarships and tuition assistance.
“All of our shows are nearly sold out, so we couldn’t have asked for a better response,” said Kristen Breglio of Mineola, a co-chairperson of the event. Her daughter, Olivia, was a model in the show. “We’re going to talk about the possibility of doing this again next year.”
Nora Grady of Williston Park, another co-chairperson of the event, concurred with the event’s success with 588 attendees.
“We aren’t sure how much we’ve raised yet, but we’re sure it’s a lot,” she said. “There’s a lot of moving parts, but all that matters is that the girls are having so much fun.”
For more photos, click here.
Monsignor Kirwin Hall was packed with mothers and daughters (and even a few adventurous fathers), who enjoyed an afternoon of lunch, raffle prizes and, most importantly, a gala event featuring nearly 100 young models parading down a real-life runway. They show off life-sized versions of the fashionable and ethnically-diverse outfits that have made the American Girl dolls such a hit with kids of all ages for years.
The American Girl Corporation holds fundraisers for various nonprofits benefiting children’s causes throughout the year, donating support, consultation, life-sized versions of their outfits for the models to wear and their signature dolls for them to carry. In addition, local businesses offered numerous raffle prizes that ticket-buying attendees could win, and the American Girl Corporation itself supplied several dolls that could be won.
Williston Park resident Joanne Manopella’s daughter, Elena, was a model involved in the show, and she was obviously quite proud not only of Elena, but of the job PACE put into pulling the show off in style.
“I love it…I think that the auditorium looks amazing and really transformed from what it looks like day-to-day,” she said.
Tara Szap of Mineola attended the show with her daughter, and said that she was a strong advocate of the St. Aidan’s and the good work they do for their students throughout the year.
“I think the fashion show was great…the American Girl fundraiser is wonderful, it’s a great thing to help support the kids of St. Aidan’s School,” she said. “They have such great programs here.”
Judy Haffner of Westbury has a daughter that attends St. Aidan’s, and the two of them had a blast together that day at the fashion show.
“I think this show is a great confidence-builder for the little girls,” she said. “It really was a great idea to hold a fashion show, and I hope they do it again next year.”
Of course, the central component of the fashion show was —what else?—the girls actually wearing the clothes and walking the runway. American Girl model Jessica, age 11, was obviously a big fan of the idea of putting on some fancy duds and soaking up the adulation of an enthusiastic audience.
“I was nervous at first, but when I got out there in front of all those people it was really fun,” she said. “I really liked how we went out in the new versions of the doll outfits, and I especially liked how everyone was watching and that I was the center of attention. It was really cool.”
Eight-year-old Kate also confessed to having some butterflies in her tummy before hitting the runway, but soon she was having the time of her life with the help of a good pal.
“It made me very scared, but after a while I got used to it,” she said. “But what I liked best was getting to go out there with Maggie, one of my best friends.”
With the fashions on display ranging from historically-inspired outfits, nightwear and contemporary apparel, Breglio said that, despite the vast amount of work that went into pulling off the show, the benefits—both financial and otherwise—were more than worth it.
“It was really great…the girls had a lot of fun leading up to today, and especially today when they were walking the runway, so that makes it all worthwhile,” she said.
