MOSCOW, Idaho – The Nez Perce Tribe presented a fashion show as part of its recent Lewis and Clark Bicentennial National Signature Event, “The Summer of Peace: Among the Nimiipuu.” While none of the outfits modeled dated back quite to the days of Lewis and Clark, one traditional dress was about 150 years old and had been on display at the Smithsonian Institute, and other dresses date to before 1900.
The show was divided into three categories. First were models dressed in traditional clothing, followed by a cultural segment and a final segment on high fashion that was very different from the first two categories.
Stacia Greene, one of the Signature Event coordinators, opened the show by welcoming everyone to the “First People’s Fashion Show” and thanked the University of Idaho for its assistance along with several other sources. She also introduced the Nez Perce Dance Troupe, a group of young ladies who thrilled the audience with the traditional Welcome Dance.
“Dance was here many years before other kinds of people began to live amongst us,” Stacia commented. “Our culture is fluid and it is human nature to want some change. We respect our ancestors while living in the moment and moving into the future.”
Farren Penney, another of the signature event coordinators, introduced the models who wore traditional regalia. With a backdrop of a drum and singing, one after another took their turn on the runway. Each received rounds of applause as they exited to be immediately replaced by another in a quickly moving exhibition of traditional clothing. Buckskin, beadwork and even cradleboards dominated this portion.
Yvette Whitman was fashion designer and coordinated the show. She explained, “This traditional period explained what we were capable of doing by hand with things from nature, especially animals. Then with the contemporary portion, it’s basically now in time, but you can also take vintage wear and upgrade it to fit contemporary lifestyles.”
A short break preceded the modeling of cultural clothing. Again, the fast-paced action of each model being immediately replaced by another provided an upbeat and entertaining evening for those in attendance. The increased use of cloth and brighter colors highlighted the change from more traditional clothing.
It was primarily Whitman’s idea to hold a fashion show. Her team included seamstresses and hair and makeup artists. She designed most of the outfits for the high fashion section kept the models ready and the show moving.
The high fashions stepped well beyond those displayed in the traditional and cultural sections. Long, flowing gowns; bright colors; lots of silk; pant suits; and even cocktail dresses were all modeled to the accompaniment of a drum. Most of the models were American Indian, but during this final section other ethnicities were represented as well. “Chinese inhabited our country as well, which brought about cultural changes,” Whitman said in discussing a model of Asian ancestry. She remarked,
“The eclecticisms on stage are partially because of my upbringing.”
“I’ve had designs in my head since I was a little girl, and seeing it come to fruition was part of my dream,” Whitman commented. “I’ve always had this vision of doing a show but I didn’t realize the show was going to come to me.”
Whitman has a good background for organizing this show. She’s been sewing since she was 5 years old and learned from her mother. Her grandmother was the first seamstress to have her own shop in Town Square in Lewiston. Whitman attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and since has done a variety of jobs from Moscow, Idaho to New York to Oregon, including lots of clothes for prom and homecoming events on the reservation. She has also worked with theater groups and done hair and makeup for various occasions.
Whitman initially had a co-chair, Kate Pierson, of Moscow, and she gave credit to her and everyone else who worked on the show. “I want to thank everybody who had their hand in it, no matter how long they lasted, because they made a dent in getting us to where it was. I couldn’t have done it without them.” Whitman was also happy for the association with the university. “From my perspective, this provided a tie-in and way to promote their Native American students and to welcome other students into their Native American classes.”
Asked how she felt about the show, she responded, “It felt like a Thanksgiving dinner. When you take the time to prepare all day and night and the anticipation, the hunger and the desire of good food is gone within minutes: that’s how the show felt. I was so full at the end.
I didn’t have enough, but I was fulfilled.”
