with fashion show

By

Kerry Whipple

The Natchez Democrat

It takes a certain kind of woman, Dorothy Williams says, to wear a hat. &uot;It takes a sassy person,&uot; she said Saturday, seated at the annual hat and fashion show sponsored by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s regional chapter.

Williams should know. She owns at least 26 hats &045; Saturday’s was a bright yellow with gold accents &045; and loves to wear them as often as possible. Every outfit she owns has a hat to go with it &045; and the hats come first.

&uot;Everything I’ve got has a hat to go with it,&uot; she laughed.

Not only does Williams like to wear hats, she likes to see people wearing them.

&uot;You have to know how to wear a hat,&uot; she said, demonstrating that you can wear a hat sideways or tilted toward the forehead. &uot;You always look classy when you wear a hat.&uot;

In that case, many of the women attending Saturday’s fashion show &045; a fund-raiser for the Natchez chapter &045; are definitely classy.

Not only were the models wearing a variety of hats, many of the members of the audience were also in hats &045; bright reds and purples and yellows, each matching the splendid outfits of the wearer.

&uot;Join us as we say goodbye to old winter and let’s welcome beautiful spring,&uot; said the coalition chapter’s president, Leola Harris, as she opened the fashion show held at the Natchez Eola Hotel.

Fashion show attendees were treated to a parade of young fashions &045; from toddlers to older youths &045; as well as a luncheon and the traditional fashion show.

Harris said the idea behind the hat show is to have fun and also raise money for the coalition chapter, which supports a variety of activities in the area.

&uot;We have a mentoring program (for young girls), an adopt-a-family program and give scholarships to deserving young women,&uot; Harris said.

&uot;Everything we do financially is helping the citizens of the community,&uot; said Dr. Brenda Moore, general counselor for the chapter.

The fashion show is in its fifth year, and models are women of the community who are invited to show off their spring fashions for friends and community members in attendance.

The Southwest Mississippi chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women was installed in 1997.

&uot;We just try to make a difference,&uot; Moore said. &uot;Whenever you can touch lives and make a difference, that’s most important.&uot;