On October 10th, I successfully made it through my first fashion show. The theme was the creative reuse of materials. All of the designers were supposed to transform past decades’ throwaways into today’s striking fashions. The organizers wanted to showcase the talent and creativity of Austin’s independent DIY fashion designers, makeup artists & models.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. FirstSamples was on Summer vacay so I really didn’t have teaching class as an excuse not to participate. Tina did the show last year and said that it was super fun and pretty low-key. One thing that was different from last year’s show was that the designers could take all the supplies they wanted from Treasure City Thrift Store (yay! free stuff).
I am still amazed that I was able to pull this off between the day job and the LBD Contest. “ “ I had decided on a theme sometime in late-August (two-words, kimono sleeves). I had a pile of clothes in the house to sacrifice. I had gone through 2 years of W Magazine and ripped out a lot of pages. I actually did some sketches (I will upload those one day). Then I put everything on hold. I needed to know how many outfits I would need and I had to find models. I did not have time to do alterations at the last minute.
I think I really buckled down after I submitted the LBD for the contest (September 29). By that point in time I had found models. I manage to get three tall girls (the shortest was 5’8″), this was key to the collection. I would have completely shifted gears if I ended up with my 5’5″ and under crew.
I was almost done with all the garments by the dress rehearsal on October 5th. I had a fitting or two left to go and some seams to finish. As always, I am a perfectionist and ended up completely re-vamping the shorts and creating one more piece (the vinyl bodice) the day before the show. There was also a visit to Keely’s closet for shoes.
Show day: I left work early to finish the bodice (I needed zip-ties) and pack (outfits, double-stick tape, safety pins, etc…). I was supposed to check in at Treasure City before 5pm and my models were supposed to meet up at the Victory Grill to get dressed and have MYKA do their make up. Em was my roadie for the event. She totally saved my ass that day. Em stopped by the Victory and finished hair and did a final outfit check (I had hit a wall at that point in time). She drove us to the show (which was technically walking distance from the Victory but not in 3 inch heels) and stopped at a convenience store to get drinks for the models. Em took a billion pictures of the show (I missed most of the show because I was trapped backstage) and she dropped us off at the after party at the end of the night.
Backstage was hot and a bit of a zoo. My girls were eighth in line so I didn’t have to hang out back there for long. “ The organizers had someone back there to herd the models so I was mainly there for support and last minute saftey pins and tape.
Overall, I was pleased. My models were awesome. My clothes came out great. No one fell down or passed out. With the wide range of designers at the event (beginner to professional) I was hoping to be in the upper end middle range designers or the lower end of the upper range designers. Other than my time, I spent $1.00 on supplies. I had all I needed in my house.
I am slowly writing up the instructions for some of the garments. I am also posting the looks that inspired the garment or similar looks that popped up during fashion week (unbeknownst to me). They will be filed under the “Steal this look” category on the blog.
Claire’s take on the show is posted at collectiveselection.com.
I have no clue when my next fashion show will be. I would definitely go through this again. To avoid being hit by the big ball of stress, I think I will take atleast a week off from the day job. I won’t do it without a good roadie. Having my own models to rely on was a definite plus.