<\/p>\n
Joanne King Herring walks the runway with her grandsons and pet dog at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n
Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n
The Space City Seniors perform at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n
Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n
The scene at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n
Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n
A Neil Hamil Agency model at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n
Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n
A Neil Hamil Agency model at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n
Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n
Fritz McDonald wants to rebrand aging. As a geriatric physical rehabilitation service provider, he often reminds people that life doesn\u2019t end at retirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He doesn\u2019t believe in old age\u00a0\u2014 just great age. Since founding the\u00a0Great Age Movement<\/a> in 2016, McDonald\u2019s mission has been to get Houston seniors out of their homes and into the community through free health and wellness programs, including the Great Age Fitness Park and Great Age Senior Fitness Club in Discovery Green Park, and Great Age Senior Art & Exercise in local museums.<\/p>\n In celebration of his organization\u2019s 10th anniversary, he turned his focus to great style at every age by partnering with the Guild Shop<\/a> for a silver-generation fashion show during Great Age on the Green, Houston\u2019s first senior health and wellness music festival, held on\u00a0April 24.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted a festival like Coachella\u00a0but for older people,\u201d McDonald says. \u201cLet them enjoy the park, have wine, dance to a DJ.\u201d<\/p>\n Fritz McDonald at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n Last month, the New York Times published an article titled \u201cWhy Fashion Suddenly Loves Older Women<\/a>,\u201d in which fashion critic Vanessa Friedman queries, \u201cRepresentation of women of a certain age has never been higher. What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n McDonald thinks he knows the answer.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it’s the time available to go shopping or confidence in how they see themselves, a good chunk of our society, maybe age 50 and older, they have the money and power to buy things,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The May 2026 issue of American Vogue features two 76-year-old women on its cover: Anna Wintour and Meryl Streep<\/a>. The photographer? Annie Leibovitz, also 76. Vogue\u2019s former creative director-at-large, Grace Coddington, styled the magazine spread; she\u2019s 85.\u00a0A\u00a0Chanel fall\/winter 2026 collection sent 15 models over 40 down its runway, including 50-year-old Stephanie\u00a0Cavalli, who opened the show.<\/p>\n McDonald wanted that energy in Houston, too, for the Guild Shop Fashion Show during Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really hit home with our mission. We see a lot of the downside of aging, and this was pure upside, of how beautiful it is,\u201d says April Lykos, executive director of the Guild Shop. \u201cWe were a yes from the get-go.\u201d<\/p>\n Guild Shop Executive Director April Lykos at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n While on a trip to Round Top a few years ago, someone asked her about the Guild Shop\u2019s work and suggested she look up McDonald and the Great Age Movement. So Lykos gathered six of her girlfriends and helped them dress up like Madonna for the non-profit\u2019s Back to the Future senior prom gala back in 2023.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Guild Shop, founded in 1962 by parishioners of St. John the Divine as a community ministry, has been a donor to the Great Age Movement ever since.<\/p>\n \u201cSince Guild Shop started, our mission is to\u00a0help the elderly in need,\u201d Lykos says. \u201cFive or six years ago, we did a deep dive into who needs our help most. We initially did grants, then started drilling down on the issues. Alcoholism is high because of self-medication. People need incontinence supplies. And we wanted to bring dignity to some of these issues that aren\u2019t really talked about\u00a0\u2014 the wellness component of aging.\u201d<\/p>\n In the old days, she added, the Guild Shop would host a fashion show fundraiser.\u00a0Fashion Through the Decades felt like an appropriate theme for Great Age on the Green. Lenny Matuszewski and Tamara Klosz Bonar produced the runway show in Discovery Green. Professional models from the Neil Hamil Agency shared the catwalk with Guild Shop volunteers and customers, including a few recognizable regulars.<\/p>\n HOUSTONCHRONICLE:<\/strong>\u00a0How to have the Best Day Ever in Houston according to Joanne King Herring<\/a><\/p>\n Joanne King Herring<\/a> strutted her stuff with her grandsons and pup in tow. Houston Rockets Space City Seniors<\/a> danced between segments. And clotheshorse Beth Muecke styled herself for two festival fashion showcases.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Beth Muecke at Great Age on the Green.<\/p>\n Egidio Narvaez Photography\/for the Great Age Movement<\/p>\n \u201cBeth goes to dozens of festivals around the country, from Coachella to Stagecoach. She\u2019s 68!\u201d McDonald says. \u201cI hope what she promotes is that next year senior wear festival clothes to Great Age on the Green.\u201d<\/p>\n Lykos shared that the Guild Shop sold several thousand dollars’ worth of clothes. All proceeds from the fashion show sale and the Montrose boutique provide financial support to organizations that benefit the elderly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to change what aging means,\u201d she says. \u201cShowing beautiful fashions, and showing it through the elderly, though I hate the word ‘elderly’ because this is their golden age \u2014 this is who we serve at the Guild Shop.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Neil Hamil Agency models in looks from the Guild Shop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Joanne King Herring walks the runway with her grandsons and pet dog at Great Age on the Green.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":800650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[4345,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-800649","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-texas","10":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116584514042047814","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/800650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n