Inspired by New York Fashion Week, Edgehill Resident Reflects on a Dress Worn with Love

New York Fashion Week: Where Style Meets Passion

It’s described as the “pinnacle of fashion.” New York Fashion Week (NYFW) draws models, celebrities, critics and designers for a week of cutting-edge couture, highlighting the intersection of fashion and passion. The excitement around the runway reminds us that fashion is more than garments—it’s an artform that helps us express our personality, display the ideal form of ourselves and, in some cases, connect us to a special time or place.

A Fashionable Friendship: Treasuring a Timeless Tea Dress

Many of us have something in our closet that we keep both for its beauty and for its sentimental value. We reached out to the residents at Edgehill, a continuing care retirement community in Stamford, in anticipation of NYFW to see what pieces they’ve kept and the story behind them. For Bea Crumbine, it’s a tea dress. Bea has lived all over the world and sung before audiences at the White House, the Vatican and Carnegie Hall before settling in Greenwich. Her style is impeccable, but the piece that stands out for her doesn’t bear a designer label. It was given to her through the estate of a late friend, long-time Greenwich community leader Nancy Standard.

“This gift acknowledged the many years of modeling I did for her over the years,” Bea explains. Nancy and her husband Chuck lived at Edgehill and she and Bea were close friends. “The family asked that I wear this glorious gown for the luncheon after her funeral. I of course did so, with great and happy memories of Nancy and a friendship of many years.”

Honoring Friendship and Heritage

The 19th century dress is floor length and made of exquisite white lace. Nancy collected and preserved historic clothing and Bea honors the heritage of this dress by wearing it at events like historic garden parties and functions at the Greenwich Historical Society. Bea says each time she wears it, “I always feel as if the clock stopped before 1870.” She is both caretaker and model, honoring her friend and displaying a piece of American fashion history.

Where Life Meets Style

Edgehill Senior Living Community offers a lifestyle enriched by a blend of on-campus programs, local events and the bustling energy of nearby Manhattan. With the city just a short train or car ride away, residents can effortlessly immerse themselves in the cultural delights, entertainment and endless opportunities that Manhattan has to offer, enhancing their overall living experience at Edgehill.