LAKE PLACID — The Garden Club of Lake Placid, in partnership with local designers and boutiques, will be hosting a fashion show at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts to raise money for a memorial for beloved Lake Placid resident, Ruth Hart. Hart died in May 2024, a few days shy of her 105th birthday. She was known for her gardening, her hospitality and for dressing well — she wore a brooch every day, even when she stayed in her bathrobe.

Garden Club member Roberta Musci is one of the designers who will be contributing to the fashion show, with old designs from her time working in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as well as some new ones. She’s happily retired, but agreed to help with the show.

“The Garden Club has given me purpose, and that is an inspiration,” she said. “I’m not designing so much anymore, but they’ve gotten me stimulated again, you know, for fashion, so that’s fun.”

Musci said she never got to meet Hart, but the more stories she hears about her, the more she wishes she had. She said a fashion show is a fitting way to honor her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t meet her. She was amazing,” she said. “She was a tireless community activist.”

Hart contributed her time and energy to many organizations in Lake Placid, including the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, the Garden Club of Lake Placid, Women of St. Eustace, St. Francis Academy, Mountain Lake Public Television, the North Elba and Lake Placid Zoning Boards and the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee.

A fashion designer since the 1980s, Musci has taught fashion and worked in the industry in various ways. She has her own label for both adult and children’s clothing (Roberta Deanne and Glamourmouse Prettycat et tu Bruiser Bruce, or GPBB, respectively). She especially loves designing for kids.

“They can get away with anything,” she said, hinting that one of her designs for the littler girls is going to incorporate a pink boa.

The show will also include New York-native designer John-Michael Schlotter, as well as local boutiques like Ruthie’s Run, Cinderella’s and more.

The Four Seasons Fashion Show will be on Aug. 6 at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. The night begins with wine and appetizers at 3:30 p.m. and the show runs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit lakeplacidarts.org or call the box office at 518-418-9277.