By Edna Ethington
Members of Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club gathered at the Cerritos Senior Center on Tuesday, April 30, to enjoy a first ever, International Fashion Show planned by Program Co-Chairs Marion Tesoro and Ann Kho. Ann and the refreshment committee prepared a feast of international food with funds provided by the club and donations of food from members. The food that was served included Filipino pancit noodles with chicken and meatballs, sliced Korean pears, and Chinese li hing mui flavored prune and apricot mui, Hawaiian coconut haupia, and American favorites of mini cakes and ice cream.
Co-Program Chair Danny Chang served as Master of Ceremonies as he introduced each of the participants in the Fashion Show and had each person explain the ethnic clothes that he or she wore.
Twenty women wore clothing from the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, Indonesia, and Portugal as they paraded across a miniature sized red carpet and showed and explained their outfits. A group of eight women, who called themselves, the manangs, wore black or white slacks with colorful short Filipino blouses called kimonas. They posed as a group.
Many of the other women wore beautiful formal gowns. Frances McCormick wore a striking white, body-hugging, formal Chinese dress with red-velvet flower applique, called cheongsam, in Cantonese, and Qipao in Mandarin.
Gilbert Aguirre was the only brave man who wore a Mexican outfit and stood with his wife Janie as she proudly explained what she wore.
Danny Chang also introduced all the members who provided entertainment for the evening, including Winston Goo and Hedy Anduha who explained words in Hawaiian pidgin and Frank Yoshii, who told some humorous stories, sang songs and accompanied singers with his guitar. Danny thanked everyone who participated in the fashion show, provided and helped serve the food, sang songs, danced hulas or played the ukulele or guitar.
It was a fantastic evening with international fashions to admire, ethnic food to sample, and opportunities to participate in singing songs and dancing hulas. With all the special food that was provided, no one went home hungry that evening!
The evening ended with everyone forming a circle, holding hands and singing the traditional closing songs of “Hawaii Aloha” and “Aloha O’e.”
Photos and I.D. by Edna Ethington