Everyone Knows Her As Nancy

I had the honor yesterday of meeting a woman I'd been friends with on Facebook, and it was a pretty big deal. She was the first person I'd befriended on Facebook that I got to meet in person, in fact. The woman in question is a veteran fashion model who happens to be a big name and a living legend in her trade. If you don't remember the eighties, though, you may not remember her. But if you do, you'll not only remember her, you'll remember how she helped make the depressing Reagan years seem a whole lot better.

Nancy Donahue was one of those models of the early 1980s who seemed to grace the cover of a women's magazine every other month. A tall, attractive blonde cover girl from Massachusetts, Nancy Donahue was a woman I was fascinated with at the time. She had a great deal of style, and she was stunningly beautiful. She was one of those high-profile models I had a thing for in those days. She's currently marketing a beauty product, the HoneyBelle, a body buffer that improves the appearance of skin, and I won't even try to explain here how it works; go to this link for her company to find out more.

Anyway, through a couple of connections and the magic of Facebook, I became one of Nancy Donahue's Facebook friends, and we'd been having a nice correspondence. Then she announced that she was appearing on December 18 - yesterday - at Bergdorf Goodman in New York to promote her HoneyBelle buffer. Oh, my gosh! I was finally going to get the chance to meet her! I wondered if anything would stop me, like a snowstorm or something, but nevertheless I looked forward to the appointed date.

The day finally came, and so I made it into the city and arrived at Bergdorf Goodman in the early afternoon. I went downstairs to the beauty department, and there was Nancy - I'm on a first name basis with her, you understand - greeting customers and friends and looking as lovely as ever. I was still a little apprehensive; after all, I was about meet her face to beautiful face for the first time ever.

When I said hello, it couldn't have gone better. She was pleased to meet me in person, and I had a very good time talking with her about her HoneyBelle buffer as well as my writing and our respective sporting interests. Nancy is a competitive triathlete, and I happen to be into swimming and cycling. I met her business associates, including Geoffrey Saunders, her publicity agent - another Facebook friend of mine - as well as a couple of other mutual Facebook friends! They were all very nice and fascinating people.

Nancy's Bergdorf Goodman appearance was a low-key, intimate affair where she interacted with friends and customers on a one-to-one basis. As for Nancy herself, she is a very sweet and vivacious woman with a sparkling personality and a lot of charisma. Well, she is Irish, so what did you expect? She greeted me with the same warmth and joy she would show for someone she's known since the early days of her modeling career. It was a great pleasure to meet her at last. I couldn't have been happier.

See?

Yes, that's Nancy Donahue and me, and not some cardboard cutout. Do you think I would show Nancy Donahue with a cardboard cutout of me? :-D

(As for Bergdorf Goodman, it's a store with very expensive items, with the sort of labels and designer names associated with movie stars. They're so chic they hire women to walk around the lower floors modeling clothes sold on the upper floors while carrying signs identifying the designer and floor location. I'd seen Bergdorf Goodman's Christmas windows before, but this was the first time I'd ever gone inside.)

After awhile, I had to leave, as my time in the city was growing short and I still had some Christmas sightseeing to do. But I obviously left Bergdorf Goodman elated beyond words. I've been attracted to many haute couture models, but Nancy Donahue is the first one I've actually met in person. And I met her as a friend. :-)