Modeling Career
Church initially considered an acting career, but was discouraged by the lack of roles for black actors. She enrolled in the Dorothy Farrier Charm and Modeling School in Los Angeles.
She found work modeling for magazines with a black readership and in fashion shows on the West Coast.
Her sister, Lois Towles, sang in the Fisk University concert choir during its European tour in 1949. Church scheduled a two-month vacation in Paris that coincided with the Fisk choir's concert schedule. While in Paris, Church decided to try out for some modeling assignments. Christian Dior hired her on the spot to replace one of his regular models who was out on vacation.
Church found Paris so inviting that she decided to stay in France. She told her husband, a wealthy dentist several years her senior, that she wouldn't be returning to California.
Church also designed her own gowns with samples she bought from Paris designers using her model's discount.
In 1954 she returned to the United States and began a tour of black colleges, showcasing her couture line. Her fashion shows served as fund-raisers for Alpha Kappa Alpha, a sorority for black women.
She later signed as a model with the Grace del Marco agency in New York City. Shortly after moving to New York she met Thomas Church, an immigration lawyer. They married in 1963 and had one son. They remained married until Thomas Church's death in 2000.
Read more about this topic: Dorothea Church
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