Check phone. Message from model, already at store waiting for hair and make up. Not even awake yet. Five minutes to get ready. What happened to the alarm? Not even enough time to find out.
Brush teeth pick outfit and leave. Texting and walking. Walk/rushing.
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Arrive at store, no model. This was the same model no one actually asked to do this show, and no one denied her either. Apparently. Check phone. Message, " went to my car cause its cold". Ok.
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Open the store and set up for the make up artist to do hair and make up on a few before call time. The model came back, rather annoyingly toting a large project she's working on actively. Suddenly the make up artist arrived and took orders from people, "are you hungry what do you need?". She left. Came back an hour later. My heart pounds, she pours me a mimosa, and slides me a chocolate bar.
Melt into a calm. What it feels like to let things roll, while they're rollin'.
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Everyone red lipped and tipped, and onward to the show! The museum expected us, we think we are running slightly behind but then we arrived and it felt like we were early.
A strange contentedness and comfort eased through the room as a murmur of models and make up and hair mixed with clangs of chairs and accessories. Shoes scuffle and people shuffle and the beat of it pulses you in all directions fluidly. Checking this that its chaotic but everything was moving along. Progress kept coming in odd tides. For hours we planned jewelry, fixed hair, found models, dressed them, explained all we knew and learned it all over again- along with the additions and changes. The strange curve of the "green"room held more than the usual number of people than the green room of a theatre show in a small town. This was a large group to fuse creativity so graciously. Several times when in the way, 'sweetie' and 'honey' come after 'excuse me'. Only in the south.
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Someone shouts "45minutes till show!"
And pace picked up as if no one had been doing anything before. Bobby pins flew. Assistants ran, squeezed, jumped. Our designer wanted coffee. Ran. Saw the gift bags sitting in the VIP rows. Our flyers hiding inside. Coffee bar closed, redirected, no coffee. Fine. Bottled water. Paid with a $5. Got three different coins back. Designer neither noticed nor minded.
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Models looked more frantic and beautiful than ever. It became easier to point out our models as they donned our garments.
The accessories were so African, we needed to add an edge to our girls. Gold cuffs and hammered necklace, each one had an accented spark of yellow gleaming off their black and red get-ups.
Our designer who was worried about it distracting from our pieces, turned around. Delighted, she coo'd until we were sending models down a runway.
After they each turned and walked up and down, had taken enough snap pics to represent our line. Then she walked with her line down and back. Except for a moment I thought she wasn't coming back.
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Stuck for a long moment in time, felt like perhaps someone asked time to freeze. She stood, backed by eight, six foot tall women, in front of a line of flashing photographers. Eventually the model ushered her back to earth, and they walked back. I saw her soaking in the limelight, the walk back she looked like she had just been named queen. She waved, arms outstretched and waving, the way presidents do; people grabbing her hands as she walked. I snapped more pictures.
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Some extra mid show chaos hit me like a big wave from behind- the kind that knocks your glasses off, and for the first time on vacation, it feels like you've lost hope and replaced it with confusion and eagerness to regain control, organization? Understanding. There was beautiful creations and visions trying to be presented perfectly, and overall it was ok. What is a green room without the mess. It's Upstairs, Downstairs- revisited. Instead of social order, it's still all about grand presentation and form and etiquette, but it's about art, and line and form. And style.
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I grabbed a model for a photographer, he asked not to let her change. She was in the best dress, the one people were trying to buy, models vying to wear. She earned herself a solo photo shoot at a huge museum for running with me. Thank that model too.
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At the end we had waited an extra hour just to send two looks back down the runway at the flood walk, which was chaotic but quick once it happened. Then things looked again reminiscent of a theater green room. People packing their costumes and accessories, just ready o go. We had all been there hours no food, no drinks but a water fountain.
The designer wanted to leave, dismissed interns. And stuck around just long enough to hug and thank the Doctor, and some smiling thank you's rang out as we rolled our clothing to the elevator at the parking garage. Floor 3, breakdown rack into trunk. Drive. Home. Exhausted.
The designer thanked me and dropped me at home. We would both have to be at work in the morning. The runway may end but the show must go on!
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I'm so happy I got to style these ladies, and make hairpieces for the runway!
Eat, breathe, sleep, create.
Enjoyed these posts on the fashion show. You have such a way with painting a picture.
ReplyDeleteAnd, the models in the last photo all look amazing! Love that red dress. ;)