Era Fashions Committee
The Era Fashions committee is an integral part of MAFCA. Era Fashions are a part of every MAFCA regional, divisional, and national meet, as well as most MAFCA chapter meets. The Era Fashions Committee oversees the rules for judging era fashions, assists MAFCA chapters and regions with their era fashions events, and researches era fashions.
Articles written by EFC members will acquaint you with Era Fashions Judging and how the committee operates. You may click on the articles to read them if you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer.
How It All Began – The Beginnings of the Era Fashions Committee by Lynette Marcione
Applications are being accepted for EFC membership. For more information, click here.
The Era Fashions Committee
Laurie Elliott
San Jose CA EFC Member 2024-2026
I guess I became a Model A'er when I married my husband, Michael Lee, 35+ years ago. He obtained his 1931 Deluxe Coupe as a teenager; it was fully restored and established as a member of his family before I was. We joke that the car is his firstborn child. We both wear MAFCA 45 year pins, although he was the one who actually earned them. My interests include sewing, jewelry making, collecting Bakelite, gardening, and promoting the idea that things from the past have value and are worth preserving. On a whim, I entered my first fashion judging in 2009. Boy, was I unprepared! It took me about three entries and lots of help from more experienced club members to finally get the hang of things. But with each experience comes learning, and becoming a fashion judge just increased my knowledge and desire to learn more. My husband and I have enjoyed our MAFCA friends and events for many, many years, and serving on the Era Fashion Committee will be a way of giving back to the club. Below is Santa Clara Valley Chapter's mission statement, with one tiny addition from me. It sums up my EFC goal: "To further the association and education of Model A FASHION enthusiasts."
Anne Neely-Beck
Milledgeville, Georgia EFC Member 2024-2026
My Model A involvement began when I married Jamess Beck in 1986. James bought his first Model A chassis when he was 14 and his dream of owning a 1931 Roadster became reality in 2001. James and I have enjoyed owning six Model A's since 1994. Joining the Shade Tree A's Model A Club was, of course, key to our growing knowledge of the Model A hobby. I was Chairman of the EFC in 2010 when the big rewrite of the Fashion Guidelines took place. My advice to the fashion enthusiast is "Don't be afraid. Go for the look of the era first and decide what you want to tackle ... Original, Reproduction or Model A Era I mage:' I think you are bound to make mistakes but that is okay. It's the fun of making new friends and gaining a new perspective about the ladies of our Model A era.
Diann Eason
Broomfield, Colorado EFC Member 2024-2026
I have been a member of the Model A Ford hobby since 1967 when I married my husband. My interest in the era fashion began very quickly as I became curious about the design features of the 1928-1931 fashion. Researching and hunting for fashions to match the years of my husband�s Model A Fords allowed me to be engaged in a family hobby. Through the years I have learned so much about fashion design, manufacturing, culture, and the impact of society norms on fashions. I enjoy reading, researching, and developing displays to provide education to new members of the Model A hobby.
Perry Jones
Cypress, TX EFC Member 2023-2025
When I was dating my wife back in the 1970's, I knew that her father had a Model A (that he bought in the early 60's) stored in the garage, in pieces and not running. I thought nothing of it since I was there to pick up my date. My brother-in-law took the car up to Dallas in the late 1990's, and with help from the Dallas Model A Club, fully restored the 1930 Deluxe Coupe. He kept the car in Dallas for eleven years and decided that he would bring the car to Houston and share it with his sisters. In 2011, it was my wife's turn to possess the car. I knew nothing about it until the day it came to us, but once we started to drive it we both fell in love with all that was Model A; so much so that my wife said we had to get our own car because she "doesn't like to share." Thus, we also own a 1931 Slant Window Fordor. In 2012, we joined the Piney Wood MAFC and were instantly accepted as family. We started touring and eventually found ourselves at the Texas Tour where we learned about fashion and that there was actual Fashion Judging (who knew?) My wife became interested and found a mentor that to this day is extremely helpful. Then came that day, while antiquing in Galveston, where on a dress form I spied what looked like an era dress. My wife tried it on and it fit so we bought it, our first purchase. The dress was later identified by my wife's mentor as an original 1931 day time dress and we were off to the races. With help, my wife put together and entered an ensemble in the 2018 Fashion Judging at the Texas Tour. We both had a blast and I became hooked as well as we both entered in 2019. My next step was to take the MAFCA Fashion Judging tests which I passed in 2020 and look forward to participating in my first judging event as an apprentice judge. Since I am so new to Era Fashion, my goal with the EFC is to learn from the best and more experienced and to promote Era Fashion to the MAFCA community.
Lois Przywitowski
Lafayette, CO EFC Chairperson 2024-2025
My introduction to the world of Model A's began when my husband, Dick, purchased his first Model A in the early nineties. The pickup came straight out of a barn, complete with leftover hay. We joined the Model A Ford Club of Colorado and were soon part of the local Model A family. We have both served on our local board in various positions. In the mid nineties, I took the fashion tests with several other club members. We studied as a group, took the tests individually and then compared our answers. We spent several fun afternoons debating and discussing our answers. I served as an Apprentice Judge at the 1998 MAFCA National Convention in Reno, Nevada. Since that time I have served on the Era Fashion Committee, was the Host Fashion Coordinator for the 2016 National Convention in Loveland, Colorado, and the Chief Fashion Judge at the 2018 National Convention in Reno. The close friendships I have made with Model A'ers across the country is something I hold dear. I don't think this would have been quite as easy without being part of the fashion community. I look forward to serving on the MAFCA Era Fashion Committee. # # # # # # #
Peggy Gill
W. Sacramento CA EFC Member 2023-2025
My adventure into the world of Model A's began in 2007 when my husband decided to act upon a longtime dream of driving an antique car around the country when he retired. Knowing very little about Model A's at that time, we found ourselves joining our local Model A club, the Sacramento Capitol A's. I have to admit, I was a bit more reluctant than he was; after all, it was a car club. Much to my surprise and delight, I found not only a delightful group of new friends, but also a niche for myself in this hobby in the guise of Model A Era Fashions. When I was younger, sewing was a way to supplement my meager wardrobe. I love the original clothing, but don't want to see them disintegrate if I wear them. So instead, I find myself reconstructing era styles using modern or reproduction fabrics that make it easy to wear it on tour or to events and then throw it into the wash without fear of destroying it. I participated in my first fashion judging event in 2010, and found the experience to be positive...well worth the nervousness of the day, and jumping into the unknown world of being judged. I have since entered fashion judging numerous times, have been certified as a MAFCA fashion judge, and have served on the Era Fashion Committee. I am grateful to all the men and women who have worked so tirelessly before me, exploring and researching the styles of the Model A era and making so much information available in easy to find resources. My hope is that I can continue their work as new information comes to light, and to contribute insight and common sense into the issues, questions, and ideas that revolve around the role of fashions in our hobby and the education about fashions of the Model A era. # # # # # # #
BOOKS ON ERA FASHIONS
MAFCA’s book on era fashions, The Book of Fashion Facts, Model A Era 1928 to 1931, was published in July 2006 and MAFCA’s newest collection of fashion related articles previously published in The Restorer, The Fashion Files 1928-1931, was published in June 2016.
CONTACT US?
To contact the EFC Chair, write to fashions@mafca.com – To contact the Fashion Editor, write to FashionEditor@mafca.com