HERE'S a fashion show with a difference.

Outfits featured included a thorny durian outfit, a polka-dotted clown suit and hats laden with plastic flowers.

The models too, were different. Instead of skinny teen models, the 11 women and one male flaunting their own designs were all above 45.

The fashion show at Jurong Spring Community Club yesterday morning was part of the Jurong Central Wellness Carnival, an event aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle for senior citizens.

One of the models, Madam Wang Xing Mei, 58, a retiree, clad herself from head to toe as a durian.

Her painstaking creation, which took her about two months to put together, involved a 'durian husk' made out of green cardboard and paper that enveloped her entire body.

In addition, she crafted a durian stalk, which perched on top of her head and matched her dangling mini-durian earrings.

'I'm dressed up as a durian because it's the king of fruits,' she explained.

Madam Wang, a housewife, and her fellow models are students at AME College, which conducts various courses for senior citizens.

The course she had participated in last year, the AME Intermediate Course, included components like personal image and modelling, which she relished.

The four-month course costs $680. The school also conducts dance classes and writing workshops.

Madam Wang said her 62-year-old husband, who runs his own business, and her three kids have been very supportive of her catwalk aspirations.

She said: 'My husband likes it that I'm independent. He's also an active senior who likes to exercise.'

Besides as she puts it: 'Learning the catwalk and taking up the course have been very meaningful to me.

'It's made me more open and happier. It's also made my life less mundane as there's something to look forward to apart from just doing housework.'

The oldest in her cohort is Madam Chan Kwai Ying, 71, also a housewife, who proved that age is no barrier to modelling.

The sassy grandmother of two and mum of three paraded down the catwalk in her black outfit decorated with bright plastic blooms.

Apart from the fashion shows, some of the other senior-friendly activities showcased included a magic interest group and a cycling club.

Nation building

Yesterday morning's event was attended by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who was the guest of honour. He cycled to the venue with some of the members of the Jurong Spring Cycling Club.

Also attending the event were Mr Lim Boon Heng, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ms Grace Fu and Madam Halimah Yacob - all MPs for Jurong GRC.

While the country is in the grip of a 'global economic storm', caring for the elderly cannot be overlooked, PM Lee stressed.

He said: 'Whatever our uncertainties about jobs, we have to continue in our nation building.'

This includes preparing for an ageing population and strengthening the bonds between young and old, he said.

To do this, on top of providing better infrastructure like elderly-friendly housing, he noted that initiatives like the Wellness Programme were needed to allow elders 'to stay active, healthy and engaged'.

The pilot scheme was launched by the Government a year ago in 12 constituencies, including Jurong Central.

The programme includes health screenings and exercise programmes for the elderly and is expected to be extended to the rest of Singapore by 2011.

This article was first published in The New Paper.