Although Olga Jevtich, 69, may have retired from the fashion industry, she doesn't want to sit back and relax. She volunteers as a producer for a cable access channel, attends monthly meetings of the Fashion Group International, and cooks and decorates.
She's also one of nine contestants in Virginia competing for the title of Ms. Virginia Senior America.
"It's good to show young people that it's never too late to learn new things," Jevtich said.
The winner of the Ms. Virginia Senior America pageant, which will take place May 10 at Fairfax High School, will compete in the national Ms. Senior America pageant in Reno, Nev., in November.
But what attracted Jevtich to the pageant was its mission of volunteering and showing to the community that the retired can lead active lives. The contestants, who arrived last week from various locations in the state, performed for a nursing home as soon as they arrived.
"They're not just sitting in the rocking chair. They're doing something," Jevtich said of the contestants.
Jevtich was born in Yugoslavia but moved to the United States with her husband, a physician, in 1960. They were fleeing communism and entered this country with $20, $10 of which they gave to the porter when they arrived.
AS HER HUSBAND rebuilt his career, Jevtich took courses in fashion design, a field that had always interested her. She worked in the beauty industry, and in the 1980s she created her own fashion line, Olga J. Her fashions have appeared in The Washington Post, the Smithsonian Institution and in some fashion magazines. In 1985, she was named "Woman of the Year" by Washington Woman magazine.
"She's probably the most elegant woman I've ever seen," said Jevtich's daughter, Yvonne Batal of Fairfax Station. "She's been my mentor and role model."
State director for the Virginia Senior America pageant, Pinky O'Neil, agreed.
"She's a very gracious lady, has many talents. She loves to cook and bake. I just adore her," O'Neil said.
For the upcoming pageant, Jevtich will give her life philosophy, interview with the judges, participate in the evening gown competition and showcase her talent. She will play a folk tune on the guitar, then perform a folk dance from her native country.
"She's really come a long way since then," said Batal of her mother's origins. "It's truly the American Dream."
"I think everything is possible with hard work," Jevtich said.