Couple cooks up calendar idea

Clif Hall and Carla Hanson started photographing women in aprons for a book deal, which fell through last year when the economy turned.

The Shawnee couple decided to turn the idea into a 2010 calendar called “Women in Aprons.”

“Carla thought we should try a calendar that we could afford to publish ourselves,” said Hall, a commercial and fine art photographer. “We could take some of the best photos that were to be in the book and add some humorous cutlines to them.”

The aprons are from Hall’s collection of more than 1,000 decorative aprons, and the models are mostly local women, age 20 to 60, who are mothers, hair stylists, secretaries, police and Army officers, medical staff, flight attendants, actresses and a house painter.

“I photographed maybe a couple hundred (aprons),” Hall said. “When we’d find a model that was interested in doing this, we let the model pick her choice of apron from whatever color she liked or matching accessories she wanted to wear.”

Hall said the calendar is “an homage to the apron culture of the 1950s.”

“Things have changed a bit and this is not quite the way our grandmothers wore the aprons,” he said. “I was looking for stronger women with an attitude and sense of humor, which was important because it’s kind of a parody and we definitely wanted to keep the humor (in the forefront).”

Hall said he expected most of his models to be 40 and older because they would have a better recollection of the culture he wanted to capture.

“I was surprised when I got interest from 20-year-old models interested in the retro look and the revival look of all things ’50s. … I had a wide variety of responses,” he said. “We’ve had amazingly positive reception, and what’s most encouraging is that, by and large, the female audience has been the most receptive. They think it’s great.”

Hanson, who is well-known in the Kansas City area for her collection of ethnic masks from more than 60 countries, did the layout and design for the calendar. She also posed for the cover with the couple’s dogs and as Miss December.

“I’m also the photo shoot assistant, so I carry equipment and help models get in the aprons and props,” Hanson said. “I make sure the photo looks good, but the photo is Clif’s eye and he’s really good at that.”

Hall and Hanson are donating $1 from the sale of each calendar to Operation WildLife Inc., which provides professional rehabilitation services for injured and orphaned animals, and wildlife education for citizens of northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri.

“They’re out of Linwood, Kansas, but they have a receiving center in Shawnee. I’ve actually gone out and worked there a couple times,” Hanson said. “It’s really a fabulous organization. When you see a hawk released or the little raccoons they feed by hand until they’re ready to be released … it’s marvelous. It’s a great group, and Clif and I are both happy to give them a part of our calendar.”

Hall and Hanson said they hope to sell all of the first 1,000 calendars, so they can donate $1,000 to the organization.

“We’ve even had some retailers that are selling the calendars want to contribute part of their earnings from the calendars,” Hall said, “so it has been a very encouraging, cooperative effort.”

A bonus feature included in the first 1,000 calendars is a handmade hostess apron, created from a variety of materials, trims and lace.

“There’s 20 to 25 different aprons,” said Hanson, who sewed the aprons. “They’re very simple, but these party aprons didn’t do anything, they were just the frosting on the cake. When we have a party now, I put on a party apron and you just feel so feminine. I hope people have fun with them.”

Hall said hostess or party aprons were an important part of the middle class culture in the 1950s.

“Women would put one on as their guests starting arriving and it identified them as the hostess and the person who had prepared the food or set up the party,” he said. “It was very different from the apron that you wore when you actually prepared food, usually a cotton work apron where you got protection from splattering grease or whatever. The party aprons were not functional and they were, if not handmade, chosen to go with your best dressy outfit.”

FAST FACTS

The “Women in Aprons” 2010 calendar is $14.95 and can be purchased online at www.womeninaprons.com.

Area stores selling the calendar include: Books Plus, 6104 Johnson Drive, Mission; Graggs Paint Co., 6745 W. 119th St., Overland Park; Decorators Showcase Antique Mall, 7410 Nieman Road, Shawnee; and Urban Mining Homewares, 3923 Main St., Kansas City, Mo.

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