Models, designers make splash at Fishin’ for Fashion

Mon, 06/22/2026 - 2:00pm

ISABELLE CURTIS

Local creativity is on full display June 20 during another successful Fishin' for Fashion, at Sample's Shipyard. Pictured, July Hasch, Kate Lamontagne and Kathleen Sheehan. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Earl Brewer secures the Judge's Choice Award with his Medusa-inspired outfit made from lobster shells and tails. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Fan-favorite siblings Maple and Meranne Behrends return to the runway in another original design. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Who needs sequins when you have fishing lures? July Hasch secures three wins with her refashioned white coveralls. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Cheryl Nelson celebrates local and national history with two tribute dresses, pictured: Pippa Schoenthal, Nelson and Katie Nein. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Both Nein's dress and detachable cape are decked out with scenes of ocean life. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Earl Brewer secures the Judge's Choice Award with his Medusa-inspired outfit made from lobster shells and tails. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Fan-favorite siblings Maple and Meranne Behrends return to the runway in another original design. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Who needs sequins when you have fishing lures? July Hasch secures three wins with her refashioned white coveralls. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Cheryl Nelson celebrates local and national history with two tribute dresses, pictured: Pippa Schoenthal, Nelson and Katie Nein. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Both Nein's dress and detachable cape are decked out with scenes of ocean life. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register

Some are born for the runway, and that’s true of the local models who sashayed Sample Shipyard’s runway June 20 for the 11th annual Fishin’ for Fashion.

Beloved emcee Michael Maxim returned, joined once again by mother Donna, who reprised her role as a judge. Event founder Dana Paolillo stepped into the judge’s seat this year, following the retirement of her mother, Lorna Andrew, from the show. Andrew and Paolillo’s daughter Olivia were regular participants and winners. Fisherman and digital content creator Teagen Wright, who has 104,000 followers across three platforms, also joined the panel, taking a memorable catwalk to his seat.

Awards:

Best Original Student Design: Maple and Meranne Behrends. Partly inspired by the rocky beach in Casco Bay, the siblings donned outfits made from well-loved, recycled sailcloth and adorned with foraged shells. Maple’s golden skirt was crafted from dry, painted seaweed. This was Maple’s fourth time in the show, and Meranne’s second.

Best Handbag, People’s Runner-Up and Judge’s Runner-Up: Eight-time participant July Hasch swept the awards in her romper converted from white coveralls and bedazzled with fishing lure components that resembled scales. Attached to the legs were trails of unused, rainbow-colored lobster tags from local fishermen. The outfit also included a reversible letterman-style jacket made from repurposed sail storage bags and rain gear.

People’s Choice Award: Cheryl Nelson created two outfits. The first, worn by Pippa Schoenthal, was a red-white-and-blue ensemble crafted from the iconic vintage Coca-Cola umbrella, recycled from Bet’s Fish Fry. A tribute to America's 250th birthday, this dress was meant to evoke roadside and waterfront nostalgia, as Nelson’s artist statement explained: “The primary pattern you will recognize from a 1,000 summers spent at the summer shore, elevated to the runway. It's familiar, it's fun, and it's unmistakably American.”

Nelson’s second design, modeled by Katie Nein, was also a tribute piece, this time to Maine Lobster Lady Virginia “Ginny” Oliver, who died earlier this year at the age of 105 after 80 years hauling traps. The charcoal grey dress and matching cape were adorned with schools of vibrant fish and lobsters darting amongst seaweed. The outfit symbolizes grit, tradition, and life spent in partnership with the sea, according to Nelson’s statement.

The Judge’s Choice Award: Rising from the deep, Earl Brewer shed his coat to reveal the fearsome Medusa in a dress and thigh-high heels covered in hundreds of hand-painted, green lobster shells and tails, mainly sourced from Atlantic Edge. Periwinkles foraged from Ocean Point adorned the bodice, and a metal headpiece finished off the look.