Jackson Advocate

Famed Model Dorothea Towles To Headline AKA Fashion Show During 50th Boule

Expect Large Crowd To View Former Dior Star's $40,000 Wardrobe

WASHINGTON. D. C.-Internationally famous model Dorothea Towles will be the featured artist at a fashion show and luncheon presented by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority when the group holds its 50th anniversary boule in the Nation's Capital next month.

The fashion show-luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, August 19th at the Sheraton Park Hotel, convention headquarters for the Sorority. Some 1.400 of the 2,000 delegates to the boule are expected to view Miss Towles' wardrobe, which is said to be valued at more than $40,000. In addition to Miss Towles, some dozen models several of whom are nationally famous, will perform for the sorors.

A native of Texas where she attended Wiley College, Miss Towles' rise to fame in the highly-competitive field of modeling has been meteoric.

Moving to Los Angeles following graduation from Wiley, Miss Towles was appointed to the faculty of Jefferson High School as a biology teacher and dramatic coach. Simultaneously she enrolled at the University of Southern California to study for Master of Arts degree in dramatics. It was at USC that the idea of modeling as a profession struck Miss Towles. She enrolled at the Dorothy Farrier School of Modeling, the first Negro to be accepted at the noted institution, and in less than a year she had more requests for fashion and photographic assignments than she could fill.

It was during a 1949 tour of Europe that the famed Christian Dior "discovered" Miss Towles, and in a matter of weeks she was the "star" of Dior's Paris Salon.

On leaving Dior "to broaden my background," she modeled for a half dozen of France's top couturiers before signing a one-year contract as Fiquet's featured model.

Miss Towles toured Europe and North Africa as the star of Italian impressario Paone's production of "The Black and White Revue" before returning to the United States for a triumphant 15-city fashion tour.

Today, as during the past decade the chic, willowy model is booked "solid."

This has not prevented her from passing on the fruits of her experience to the young women who would follow in her footsteps however. She is a frequent lecturer at schools and colleges and has authored several articles for national circulation.

Miss Towles is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.