On February 9th I got to participate in my first runway show. Funny how a couple months' worth of preparation and nerves dissolve in under three minutes of action. I was most nervous to go up on stage with my models at the end of their run, as is customary when showing a line, but I guess the other designers were even shier than me and it was generally decided against, which left me both a little relieved and a little disappointed. If you didn't read the preview article that I linked to in my last post, the show is called Unmentionable, is lingerie specific, and has been running every February for several years now. It's put on (in part) by Altar, the boutique in Portland that sells my designs, so it was an easy in, and another confirmation that they were good people to get involved with.
I was again impressed by how genial and down to earth all of the models I worked with were. The fittings (two days before the show) went swimmingly, and I even went home and designed some last minute additions: a lace robe with a touch of velvet to match the rest of the collection, and some extra lace masks as accessories.
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| Though its hard to tell from the photo, this is a convertible body suit that Seth helped me dream up! If you google "infinity dress" you'll see the concept behind the convertibility... |
All in all I feel pretty great about how everything turned out, and of course a bit relieved to have the band-aid of a new and somewhat intimidating experience pulled off. I think I'll feel cool as a cucumber next time I participate in one of these events, and have learned a lesson or two to boot. Next time I'll double check my music with the DJ: he somehow didn't receive the email with my music selection, and so the song I wanted was not the one played. Next year I think I'll also ask about bringing my own models. Though I loved all the girls I worked with, I do a lot of work to make my designs fit well and look good on a wide variety of body types, and I would have loved to be able to show that off more.
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| Lace robe over the shoulder and a new thong design! (yes, its the same model as the velvet photoshoot) |
One bummer about the altered song choice is that the models walked much faster than I would have liked; the one I picked out would have encouraged a slow saunter, but between the quicker pace of the DJ's selection and the nerves that must have still been brewing as my line walked first, it almost felt like the models sprinted down the runway. Anyhow, I think it affected the photos a bit. Everything seems to be an in motion shot; no ice long pause at the end of the catwalk to capture. Like I said, "there's always next time" is a great mantra.
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| Another favorite model of mine, with whom I've worked before. The photographer didn't catch her at the most flattering moment/angle, which makes me extra glad that she has this set to keep and will be doing a shoot in it soon. |
Thank God Sarah was down to visit and help me out with everything, because it was right on from this to preparing for the pop-up shop. I thought I would combine both events into one blog post, but now that I've been typing for a bit I realize I'll do a less lazy job of describing things if I break it up into two. For now that's all- I've already finished my book and the sun in damn near unbearable during the middle part of the day, so expect more soon!
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| One more, where you can see me! Seth and I are seated in the lower left corner... |
