Wednesday, June 11, 2014

My RVA Fashion Week 2014: Part 10 Show #3 Designer Showcase

Friday May 2nd, 2014 at 8:00 p.m.

(Photo courtesy of JC Vera Photography)

Let me just preface by saying that even though this wasn’t the longest day of fashion week for me, it was the hardest and crappiest (at the end at least; most of it was fun, if not downright enjoyable).

So anyway, I arrived for hair and make-up at Broadberry at 12:15.  This was nice since that was the show venue and we didn’t have to worry about traveling and messing up anything after…well, kind of. I’ll explain later.  But the Broadberry was definitely a very cool venue for the show; possibly my favorite venue of the week.

The hair and make-up area had this eerie appearance to it bc there were bright lines back lighting everything so the artists could see, and there was a very noticeable fog/mist throughout the area.  I realized very quickly that that mist was hairspray, and nothing but.  
Someone brought Sugar Shack Donuts, which was awesome and surprising since I don’t associate fashion models and donuts, but hey, whatevs.

 Before                                                After
Then all we had to do was hang around for awhile.  Models were coming in at all different times to get hair and make-up done, the artists/stylists were busy the whole time.  The organizers were busy of course, running around to get everything ready and make sure things were in place.  Vance got even more cool points in my book by bringing pizza.  I was so hungry but afraid to leave (they didn’t really feel comfortable with anyone leaving unless they absolutely had to). 
We did run-throughs by designers.  Some had specific ideas for their segments, some were basic runway (which meant walk up, pose, and walk back), and some we didn’t even do and you just assumed that you were doing basic runway.
Goofing around during run-throughs
(Photos courtesy of JC Vera Photography)

Most of us hung outside at this point.  There was a little table with snack stuff, but wasn’t exactly appetizing to me (there was some fruit, veggies and hummus, and at most you could make a wrap that consisted of deli meat and mustard…or the hummus). 
Some of the designers started to show up though so we got to hang out with them a little and see all the clothes.  Last minute I was assigned to a second designer with a line called Kamala.  I liked the dress, but unfortunately one of the downfalls of not having a fitting is designers don’t get the chance to tailor the clothes to fit the model correctly.  So this dress was a little big for me and poked out at the sides around my bra, completely exposing it, which made me a little uncomfortable.  I had to figure out a way to walk and pose that hid that but still looked natural… I hope I pulled it off… I can’t tell lol.

All the models continued to hang out outside with maybe three or four chairs, the dismal snack table, and no heat lamps or anything to heat the area for about 2-3 hours before the show.  By the time we had to change into our first looks, everyone was freezing.  (Believe me, the life of an unpaid model is definitely not glamorous.  I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re really trying to enter the modeling world and are ready to pay your dues.)  But this also where I started to worry, “Oh it’s hot out right now.  Am I going to sweat my make-up off?”  And any wind was obviously messing up our hair, but so was the humidity.  And then when it was freezing and perfect for touch ups, we couldn’t find anyone!  But oh well, NBD.


The show started a little late (each minute feeling like a lifetime to me bc I was sooooooo cold).  There were a few speakers from the United Network for Organ Sharing(UNOS) including a friend I’d just met through the guy I was dating! So that was kinda neat.  
(Photo courtesy of Covington Imagery)

And from then on it was chaos.  Models running to find their correct spot in line before going on, then models running to get into their next outfit (bc some designers that shared models were right after each other), organizers trying to keep everyone in line, designers getting upset that the wrong music was played, and in the middle of it I’m just standing their observing haha.  My two designers weren’t near each other in the line-up, so I got to watch the entertainment unravel as I shivered in my dresses.  My first dress was made by Nijole Bailey, and then my second dress was the one from the Kamala line by designer Abigail Mpofu.
(Photo courtesy of JC Vera Photography)
(Photo courtesy of JC Vera Photography)
(Photos courtesy of JC Vera Photography)

Then I was hoping to leave as soon as my 2nd walk was done bc originally we hadn’t planned to do a flood.  But wouldn’t you know it- they changed their minds!  So I had to shiver for a little longer, do the flood, then my night was DONE.  I quickly and happily changed back into my jeans and sweater and headed out to meet my friends.   The most exhausting day of Fashion Week was over and all we had left was the finale the next day, which I at least knew would be a long day (that I wouldn’t have to worry about for 12 hours, so psshhh that was a day for Future Meagan to worry about) J
 DEUCES!
(Photo courtesy of JC Vera Photography)

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