|
|
Weslaco,
Texas
WESLACO'S FRUIT,
VEGETABLE AND FLOWER SHOW
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. |
| 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
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
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. |
| 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. |
|
|
HOME
