More than 80 people turned out for an extraordinary event at the Williamsburg library Saturday, March 23.
The event was a fashion show of a caliber perhaps never before seen in Clermont County.
The show was held by noted British designer Hilary Floyd, who presented examples of the clothing she designed while working in London from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Floyd’s designs appeared in many famous fashion magazines over the years. She has also designed clothing for England’s Princess Diana. Many of those fashionable styles were modeled for an eager audience by local volunteer models.
Branch supervisor Amy Vogel had the idea for the fashion show one day while she was assisting Floyd at the library.
Vogel was helping Floyd look for a dress on eBay when she noticed that it was designed by Floyd.
The two talked about Floyd’s career in design, and then Floyd told Vogel that she had trunks full of her designs that she had kept over the years.
“I said, ‘Well, that sounds like a program to me,’” Vogel said.
The two took several months planning the show, and finding models, two of whom were Vogel’s granddaughters. The others were friends and people who attend library programs.
The show featured the classic, and iconic looks from the 1960s and 1970s and was a hit with attendees.
Floyd moved to the Williamsburg area some time ago with her husband, Gregory Gatch, who is from Williamsburg.
She met him in Jamaica in 1978, and they lived in London for many years.
“He was fed up with London, and I suppose I was getting a bit jaded, too,” Floyd said. “Then, we had the opportunity to buy his grandfather’s farm.”
They have been living in Williamsburg since then.
For a time, Floyd had a studio in Hyde Park. She does not now have a studio, but she continues to work.