I realize fashion shows aren’t as big of a deal as they used to be.
Something that was once reserved for elitists only aka editors, models, and celebrities has become wide open to bloggers (girls next door just like you and me). But honestly, it should still be a big deal – how else will you bring something that was formerly so exclusive forward to connect with the mass market? There’s so much wealth and knowledge outside celebrity status and no better way to draw that missing audience in than connecting them through social networks and regular, relatable people. It also creates something aspirational for the rest of us – we want to be there and do that, now how hard do we have to work to materialize it and are we willing to do it? Three years ago, I said to myself, “In at least two more years, I’ll attend my first fashion show” – I thought it’d be in New York though and someone’s response to me was, “That’s not possible.” And to be honest, I believed it too, but I continued to be delirious and unrealistic. I was one year late, but just 1 week ago, there I was at my first ever fashion show: Chalayan FW16 (many thanks and sending my unending graces to Zanita).
So at Chalayan and around the streets, I saw firsthand Zanita of course, Bryan Boy, Gala from Am-lul, Susie from Style Bubble, Zina from Fashionvibe, Giorgia Tordini, Camille from Camille Over the Rainbow, and a few others I can’t quite think of right now. Before real life, I think I must have thought these guys were like heaven sent or something but when you actually see them/meet them, they’re just as human as the rest of us and it feels totally normal. Zanita continues to have a distinct happiness that makes the sun seem brighter, Bryan Boy – as flamboyant as he is behind the camera, Gala still chic as impossible seems, and Susie just the way she looks across all street style blogs. No super humans here.
Backstage at Chalayan, there was a chaotic silence I don’t think I expected to exist at fashion shows. Makeup artists in deep concentration and models as still as mannequins. There would be like 5 hairstylists working on one model at a time and the makeup retouches – perpetual at best. Flawless, expressionless, and READY are the only words I can think of to describe the magic that happens behind the scenes. We watched the models go out with a practice round on the catwalk. The upbeat music had my heart on my sleeves, the rhythm the models loped to kept the adrenaline pumping, and it was all a galvanizing experience – so inexplicable you just need to see it yourself. So backstage everyone returned and then began the frenzy of getting the attendees in and seated. Unexpectedly, people fought for seats, I saw some nasty attitudes, lots of catchups and networking while I sat in astonishment gazing at the crowd. Lucky for me (thanks again to Zanita & the Swarovski team), my expected standing “seat” turned into second row.
The magical lights came on simultaneously with an outburst of energy-inducing jams and I was instantly hooked. The first model came down followed by another in looks so hypnotic. The flowy dresses in conjunction with the super androgynous combinations – that was totally my thing. I’d wear almost every single look dissected and connected by Hussein Chalayan. It was very French yet quite unconventional. And that look with the crystal draping – WOW!
Too much jabbering at this point, watch the video for yourself!
