Retro on the Runway hosts Payton Bridewell and Bo Counts.
PAYTON: This is not my first rodeo. The ever-droll Bo Counts and I paired up last year to host Thursday night of NWAFW. I’ve also hosted a few talent shows, tea parties & boggle tournaments.
BO: I’ve been hosting events for a long time in the area, be it my own events, Art Amiss events, or old KXUA events when I was running the station. I currently host a weekly radio show/podcast called The Drive-in Speakerbox and live trivia at Smoke & Barrel. I also was the co-host for half of fashion week last year, and I hosted the last evening of the event solo.
HOW AND WHEN DID YOU GET INTO VINTAGE FASHION?
PAYTON: I love that when you wear vintage you are a character in a story that has already begun. Any certain garment has lived another life before you acquired it and you can nearly guarantee that you’ll be the only one wearing it, wherever you go. I’ve been wearing vintage for as long as I can remember. I think it comes from a profound love of fashion with a less than large budget. I’ve just never cared whether or not an item was new if I loved it. I started shopping vintage & thrifting with fervor in college. When my mom brought me down to New Orleans and moved me into my freshman dorm, we stopped in a little consignment shop. I went back there and various other second-hand stores over the next four years for one-of-a-kind date party dresses, fanny packs and many other treasures.
BO: I’ve been into vintage fashion since I was a kid and my mom would drag me to yard sales and thrift stores, a habit that has never left me. I think there is a lot of truth in many ways about the phrase “they don’t make ’em like they used to”.
BO: My favorite accessory has to be vintage ties. (See above photos.)
PAYTON: While I love almost all accessories, I’m definitely a hat person. I have a little collection which is piled & toted along on many a weekend getaway and often brought out for late night dance parties. I suppose I could live without them but it would be an insipid existence. I’m very into brooches and wearing them in unexpected ways. I’ve also gotten into making or fixing my accessories––I’m currently constructing a fruit hat for a certain Halloween costume. If I were to choose ONLY one thing, it would have to be my beloved wedding rings. My engagement ring was my husband’s great-grandmother’s.
BO: I’m most exited about being able to help support local business through a creative medium that can entertain both the shop owners and their customers.
PAYTON: I am thrilled to be the co-host for the first annual (ever?) Retro on the Runway! Every aspect of the event appeals to me. It’s new, it’s fresh but it’s also retro, reused and repurposed. I’m looking forward to the fashion on the runway, the local business vendors and especially the community coming together to support each other and a great cause. Hopefully it’s the beginning of something magical ––which is quite exciting.
All photos by Mallory Berry at MGB photo. Hair & makeup by Susannah Files at Crown Beauty Bar. All clothing from Cheap Thrills located at 120 E. SE Ave. in Fayetteville. For inquiries call (479) 442-7735.
The Window Shopper 