Classic cars and classic clothes

You may not see it on the "Project Runway" catwalk this season, but the handmade tissue cotton ensemble Martha Ahrens Schymik will be modeling Friday at the Concours d'Elegance Southern Belle Fashion Show was haute couture back in the day of Model T touring cars and Rambler runabouts.

Intricately hand-embroidered with a low-hanging front hemline, the two-piece number belonged to Schymik's grandmother, the wife of an Army cavalry officer stationed in the Philippines in the early 1900s.

"The fabric is a beautiful, ultra-fine white cotton," said Schymik, a Hilton Head Island art exhibit designer. "Only now it's ivory."

As an accessory, she'll carry another of her grandmother's hand-me-downs -- a pair of one-armed rhinestone encrusted reading glasses, the kind that can be folded up to fit in an elegant evening bag.

"I come from three generations of savers," Schymik said. "I found the dress in an old suitcase my mother had in storage. It's in astounding condition considering it's almost 100 years old."

The heirloom dress is one of a dozen vintage outfits being featured at the fashion show, a fundraiser for the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra League and the Concours' Driving Young America Fund, sponsored by Beaufort Memorial Hospital and Pink Magazine.

Contemporary ladies apparel by Tradewinds also will be modeled as part of the fashion affair being held from 1 to 3 p.m. at Windows on the Waterway in Hilton Head Plantation. In addition to the stylish display, guests will be treated to champagne and English high tea.

"It takes us back to the original 'parade of elegance' in Paris in the 1920s," said event co-chairwoman Rosemary Kimball. "In those days, the cars were a backdrop for the fashion show."

Among those joining Schymik on the runway are former Hollywood actress Joanna Yarbrough and local fashion consultant Patty Walling.

"When I was young, I used to love going to the movies to see the beautiful clothes women were wearing," said Yarbrough, a Rose Hill resident and longtime vintage clothing collector. "They were so feminine looking with all the accessories -- the hats, gloves, jewelry and handbags. It was very extravagant."

Yarbrough will select four outfits from her vast collection of '30s, '40s and '50s clothing. Walling, a sales consultant at The Porcupine shop, will be sporting several pieces from the Gatsby era.

"Vintage clothing has attitude," said Walling, a self-admitted clotheshorse. "It's so much fun to wear."

Reservations for the fashion show are $40 and can be made online at www.hhiconcours.com or by calling Karen West at 843-363-5184 or Judy Peters at 843-681-3516.