Going by past posts here on the blog, it’s Namine’s fifth time rolling down the runway. They started in 2018, but there were a couple years we missed — one because it was cancelled due to covid, and one simply because we had a conflict. But when Namine was announced this year, they said it was their sixth year. So honestly, we’re not sure. What we do know is that Namine loves it.
We know by now to expect that we’ll be there at the fashion show literally all day. Namine doesn’t seem to mind. They enjoy getting their makeup and hair done, and it’s always a joy to see our friends again. Since all the adaptive and inclusive things we do are local to Milwaukee, we see a lot of the same people whom we saw at ballet and basketball, and whom we still see at tennis. (We no longer attend Miracle League baseball in Milwaukee, since Dane County’s club is a little closer to us.)
Namine is allowed a “plus one” in the room where everyone is getting ready, so I gave them a hand assembling a lunch plate and joined them in generally milling around and saying hi to people. Some we recognized, and some we didn’t.
One little boy, new this year to the fashion show, had a reversible Superman/Batman cape draped over the back of his chair. I introduced myself and Namine to him and his mom, and asked if he liked capes. She said that he did. I asked her if she’d ever heard of Tiny Superheroes, and she said she had, but didn’t really know much about them. I explained that they were a nonprofit organization that makes capes and patches for children with illnesses and disabilities. After I showed her some pictures from years ago of Namine’s cape that we got from Tiny Superheroes, she said she’d check them out.
It’s always a little bit of a madhouse when it’s time for the group photo. That’s okay, some chaos is good for the soul. After some shuffling, rearranging, aligning, and realigning, everyone got in place for the big group shot.
Namine’s turn on the runway was at the tail end of the first group, right before the intermission. They were beautiful, as always. I particularly liked their spin flourishes.
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