A FORMER beauty queen is now helping others to ‘glam up’ after opening a Barrhead boutique selling stunning gowns for proms and pageants.
Fern Maxwell, 29, spent years strutting her stuff on the catwalk and won a number of titles, including Face of Scotland and Face of the Globe.
She launched an online clothing boutique when the Covid pandemic led to lockdown but, after 18 months, decided she wanted to focus on ball gowns.
Now she is guiding customers towards their dream dress at her By Fern store, in the Westbourne Centre.
Fern told the Barrhead News: “I’ve been in every dress you can imagine – every style and every colour. My body shape has now changed, so I understand what styles fit certain shapes.
“The pageant girls were always asking for my help and my opinion when it came to picking a dress. I realised I was giving this advice for free when I could be making a business out of it and doing even more to help these girls feel beautiful.”
Fern’s boutique caters for those attending proms, pageants, galas and any other formal event that may require a dress that will turn heads.
Visiting the shop is by appointment only, which can be booked through the By Fern Facebook page with a £10 non-refundable booking fee.
Fern has enlisted the help of Barrhead schoolgirl and pageant queen Eryn Fryar to model some of the gorgeous garments available.
Eryn has also been working hard to raise money for charity ahead of appearing in the Junior FOEW (Face of Europe and the World) pageant in November, when she will compete against girls in her age category from around the globe.
Fern, from Neilston, has noticed a rise in the number of girls buying dresses for pageants and is looking forward to seeing some of her gowns on the international stage in the coming weeks.
She added: “Every dress here is made to measure. If you are their sample size after I have measured, I can order it in but, if you are bigger on the top or bottom, I get it made to order so you don’t have to pay for alterations.
“Each dress also comes in 40 to 50 different colours and shades, so no matter what dress you fall in love with, I can get the one you have your heart set on.
“The dresses take six weeks to be made, so keep that in mind when booking an appointment.”
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