Belize Women Pearls Wedding Ring Fashion Jewelry 68

Belize Women Pearls Wedding Ring Fashion Jewelry.

By Aamir Mannan. 

In this Fashion Tribute to Belizean History designer Rebecca Stirm, history student Cherisse Halsall, and photographer Monica Gallardo partner to reveal the stories of four outstanding Belizean women through fashion.

As the smoke of the magnificent fireworks dissipated at midnight on the Eve of Independence many felt a swell of patriotic pride.

We all celebrate and express our “Belizean Pride” in different ways. We parade. We decorate, and we dance.

How did we decide to celebrate?

Well, it all began when I had the privilege of viewing Stirm’s mini collection in her studio earlier this month. I found myself reflecting on the understated elegance and graceful detailing of the pieces.

They evoked within me thoughts of old colonial Belize with its wooden mansion’s and red bricked cathedrals.

Through conversations between myself, Stirm, and photographer Monica Gallardo, we were able to come up with a plan for photographing the mini-collection as a “Fashion Tribute to Our History.”

A visit to the national archives allowed my discovery of four of our Belizean “Pathfinders” – Women of yesteryear who are worthy of recognition and honor for their hard work and dedication to our nation.    They are nurse Vivian Seay, Dr. Bernice Hulse,  businesswoman and former representative, Gwendolyn Lizarraga, and educator and social worker, Sadie Vernon.

On the Sunday morning following the festivities and celebrations of our country’s thirty-first birthday we visited four historical locations to photograph the pieces.

We photographed “Vivian” in a white lace and satin day dress worn by model Chloe Daly, at the first Protestant Church building to be erected in Central America, St. John’s Cathedral in Belize City.

Belizean “Pathfinder” Vivian Seay was educated in the Anglican Church school, and went on to become the second female citizen of British Honduras to be named “Member of the British Empire.”

This honor was granted due to her diligent work as a nurse, her volunteer service in the wake of hurricane Hattie, and her position as head of the Black Cross Nurses.

We chose to photograph “Bernice”, a formal white lace dress with long sleeves – worn by Naomi Stirm, in the ruins of the old Belize City Hospital.