Vintage Vera

I met Vera Burk when she was in her 80s and I was working in office supplies. She quickly became one of my favorite customers. I mainly made copies for her, but she picked up the occasional ream of paper and miscellaneous supplies, too. During the few years I worked there, I learned she had a brother shot down while flying a P-38 in World War II, and another brother, Don Faurot, was a legendary college football coach, inventing the split-T formation. She and her husband Sam were one of Kirksville's leading couples, founding the first radio station in town, and engaging in numerous civic activities.

One of my co-workers mentioned she had a ton of money. To Vera's credit, she never acted like it. There was never anything ostentatious about her. She was a class act, passing away a few years ago at the age of 94.

Kirksville Arts has put together an exhibit of her clothing, graciously donated by her family. In today's casual culture, it's interesting to see how people used to dress. (Mad Men anyone?) There are items from other people, but the bulk of this exhibit is Vera, and that's why I labeled it Vintage Vera. (I admit it borders on shameless marketing as her name still has some cachet.)

On a trip down to Kirksville, I was able to get some ensembles together and take pictures, hoping that one of the looks would make a suitable graphic. This shoot was thrown together at the last minute, and in looking at the results, I feared nothing was going to work. As I was making plans to go back down and try again, I started working with one of my favorite looks.

 

Original image and clean-up.

After an auto-enhance, I began to breathe a little easier. Getting rid of the background and dress dummy enabled me to have the image float on the page. I tweaked the side of the dress to eliminate some of the buckles in the fabric. To help with a retro feel, I put in a pink gradient background and utilized a flowing script for the exhibit title.

 Progression towards the finished product.

I think (I hope) it's reminiscent of a clothing ad from that era. The family saw an early draft and loved it, but I know nothing I do will truly equal the class and style of Vera Burk. The do not make them like that anymore.