~While Vince Gill and his golfing buddies were busy dominating the fairways during his annual charity tournament last week, his wife Janis was equally busy mastering the runways as a model and chairwoman of the new Sweetheart Luncheon and Fashion Show.

 

 Janis has always had an interest in fashion-in fact, she and her sister/singing partner Kristine Arnold spent years making their own clothes and working retail. So being asked to chair this event was doubly special.

 "I kept wondering if I was going to get invited to play in the tournament, or carry clubs, or whatever, and I can't believe that I got to be involved with something that would benefit Junior Golf, help Vince and involve my love of fashion all at the same time, I was just thrilled to be asked!"

 Janis took time out of her hectic schedule recently to pick out fashions for the show along with fellow models Cathy Dean-Billy Dean's wife-and Lorianne Crook. The trio had a field day among the racks and racks of designer duds. COUNTRY WEEKLY was invited to watch.

 "I have a feeling that this fitting is going to get expensive by the end of the day!" said Cathy, who surprised everyone by sauntering out in a beautiful short, black, elegant dress with black cowboy boots. "That is a very fun one," said Lorianne. "Would Billy Like it?"

 "Yes, but he'd want it a little bit shorter," said Cathy, who, in spite of giving birth to baby Hannah Catherine just five months ago, has maintained her pencil-thin figure. Upon finding out from the style consultants that the dress was inspired by the new Batman Forever movie, Cathy jokingly chimed in, "Ooh, is Val Kilmer going to be here?"

 Lorianne also tried on a little black number, a baby doll/negligee-inspired piece that showed a lot of leg. "I don't know if this one is me," pondered Lorianne, who received lots of compliments on the dress and eventually chose it to wear in the finale.

 Janis modeled a few different styles for the show. She described her fashion tastes as eclectic. "I have moods when I want to get up and dress like Audrey Hepburn, and days when I want to be funky and be a hippie, and then I have days when I want to be very dressed up and elegant. I think Vince likes me best in suits-he likes to wear very nice suits, and I do, too. But I have a lot of fun with Fashion!"

 Was she surprised golf and fashion could mix? "You know what's interesting is Vince spends more time putting his golf outfits together than he does his outfits he wears in concert."

Another place for putting  outfits together is Janis' new clothing store, Gill and Arnold. Slated to open this fall in Nashville, the boutique will feature exclusive fashions Janis has been busy selecting for the past several months. "Part of the reason the things will be exclusive is out of respect for the stores that I love to patronize, like Jamie's, Harry B's and McClure's. I have a lot of friends at these stores, and I didn't want to step on toes; plus, it makes good business sense to be exclusive, or else why go into business."

 Janis and Kristine will be partners in the business venture, which is a natural relationship for them, having been singing partners for many years as well. "Working with my sister is really the best part of it because we've been very good business partners -it has really worked like magic for us all these years. She has incredible management talents and I'm the one who can buy. I'm a professional shopper anyway, and I can put a look together, while she can run a store like you wouldn't believe. So it's going to be great!"

 Maybe they'll even carry golf clothes.

 © Country Weekly 1995-July 25th.-Lorie Hollabaugh. ~Photos © Harrison McClary.

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