PUPOSKY — Fashion can say a lot about the times people are living in. It can serve as a document of history for that moment.
That’s what the Mask and Rose Theater hopes to showcase at its fashion show fundraiser at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, at the Wild Rose Theater in Puposky. There will be clothes from as far back as the 1790s through today.
One of the people behind the fashion show, Cate Belleveau, thought it would be a fun idea for the summer. The show was made possible with the help of grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, National Endowment for the Arts and Bemidji Area Arts Endowment.
The show will also serve as a celebration of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary. Attendees will be able to see fashion trends throughout the country’s history.
Because the Mask and Rose Theater puts on a lot of theater productions, they have a large collection of costumes from different eras. Maranda Stauffacher, who is also helping to put on the fashion show, told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show that thrift stores were a big help in finding more modern clothes.
There will be nine main models for the show, and together, they will wear about 74 different outfits. This will include some modern clothing from local fashion artists like silk scarves by Mary Therese, painted coats and jackets by Donna Alena Hrabcakova and Flippin Flannels by Belleveau.
The setup at the Wild Rose Theater will be a bit like a French cafe with some tables by the stage. Models will enter from two entrances before they walk down the catwalk.
This is a fundraiser for the Mask and Rose Theater, celebrating its 20th year in 2026.
Tickets for the event are between $20 and $40 and can be purchased through the Mask and Rose Theater’s Venmo on its website.
Coming up at the Mask and Rose Theater is a production of the one-woman-show Root Beer Lady about Dorothy Moulter from the Boundary Waters. The play's author, Kim Schultz, will perform the show at the Wild Rose Theater on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Both Belleveau and Stauffacher think there’s a lot for people to take in at the fashion show.
“I think one of the most fun things is watching it evolve and how fashion has changed and then getting to see the stuff that maybe your grandma wore, and then your mom wore, and then you wore," Stauffacher said. "There's definitely some nostalgia in there.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
