Fashion, Flowers and Fast Feet Around Rye

Fashionistas take note: Born 2 Shop and Designing Women will strut their stuff with the latest in fashion news and views Tuesday and Wednesday. Those days will also include such Rye events as storytellers paying tribute to the resilience of the Japanese people, the latest in age group winners in the recent Rye Derby, and a class in flower-arranging.

Fashion and Culture at Rye Free Reading Room

Fashionistas Nicolette Flosse, Susanne D’Ariano and Helene Byrnes have several programs scheduled locally.

Flosse, founder of the Born 2 Shop Team (B2ST), will present a spring/summer fashion overview Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the (RFRR) in a program sponsored by the RFRR Auxiliary Board.

During her long career, Flosse has worked in some of the great fashion houses and will show how key wardrobe pieces can move into the cooler months that follow. Her program will also introduce fall and winter fashions seen at the latest runway shows.

Her goal is to help women recapture their sense of style and realize the potential they already have in their own closets, according to the program announcement.

Tuesday evening at the library, Rye Storyteller’s Guild will present a tribute to the courage and resilience of the Japanese people in the wake of the recent nuclear reactor meltdown and tsunami with an evening of folktales and other stories from Japan.

Theresa Okamoto will be among the storytellers, presenting a kamishibai lap theatre story. Japanese treats will be served.

The Guild –which holds storytelling sessions on the first Tuesday of the month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. –hopes Japanese families in the community will step forward to share their strength, hope and experience.

Information: 967-0480;

Designing Women of Rye & Beyond

Helene Byrnes and Susanne D’Ariano, retail fashion experts, will co-host the “Designing Women of Rye & Beyond” fund-raising benefit for Women’s Club of Rye this Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the . 

“Designing Women” will feature the program’s largest selection ever, according to Byrnes and D’Ariano, who have staged the event for the past seven years.

Billed as a showcase for fashion-oriented women vendors who have unique crafts and own their own business, items on display  at the event will include accessories, handbags, jewelry, gifts, sweets, stationery and more, including items of interest to men.

Participating merchants donate a portion of their proceeds to the Women’s Club for distribution among various local organizations that support Rye children and their families; including the , , , and .

More Rye Derby Results

Now that we’ve tipped our hat to the fashionistas, let’s doff our derby for Super Race Systems. The new scoring and timing computer experts helped Sunday’s Rye Derby run more efficiently and were also able to break down the top finishers in the various age groups out of the nearly 1,000 runners from all over the metropolitan area and beyond.

Rye did very well, indeed, in the 23rd annual Derby.

• In the 1-14 age group of contestants, Peter O’Brien, Timothy Harris (both 14) and Takahiro Maeno (13) finished one-two-three in the 5-K event. 
• Taishi Kotsuka (16), Sam O’Driscoll (15) and Robert Coords (17) in the 15-19 category.
• Mauricio Montiel (34), Hayes Hopple (32) and Mitchell Baruchavitz (36) ran one-two -three in the 30-39 age group.
• Steven Garnett finished second in the 40-49 category.
• David Iles was third in the 50-59 age group.
• William Fishman (64) and Gregory Faughnan (61) ran one-two in the 60-69 age division.
• John Brophy (70) finished second in the 70-79 age bracket.
• And Montiel finished second overall in the  Derby’s first ever 5K during the Rye YMCA-sponsored fund-raising event.

Wednesday Flower Arranging at Rye Y

While we’re throwing around verbal bouquets, long-time Y member Jeannie Sabatini will present a flower arranging class Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Childcare room at the Y, 21 Locust Ave.

Flowers will be provided, but feel to bring your own, according to the announcement. Participants are asked to bring a pair of scissors and a small to medium size vase. Information: 967-6363.