Assisting behind the scenes of a runway show means voluntarily throwing yourself into a slew of stressed designers delegating clothes assignments, hairstylists frantically tossing styling equipment to each other and models struggling to put on outfits in the 30 seconds they have before strutting the catwalk. Surprisingly, this was one of the highlights of my experience at D.C. Fashion Week 2011 from Feb. 21- Feb. 27.
Hairdressers backstage at D.C. Fashion Week 2011
D.C. Fashion Week is the largest exhibition of fashion apparel in the District of Columbia, according to www.dcfashionweek.org. The designers that make the list for the runway are either directly from the metropolitan area or international designers. One of these designers is my employer, Silvia Huezo. A native of El Salvador, she “draws inspiration from popular culture as well as ethnic cultures, music, art, high fashion, films and social activism.” Huezo connects the positivity she sees in these areas to her preferred medium of fashion. In-house productivity is due to the family business type of line, with family friends commissioned to sew and produce the clothing in El Salvador. This can ease the mind of any fashion-oriented consumer who worries about the unethical business practices since Red Hue operates 100% sweatshop free. The benefit of having so many local designers at an event close to the University of Maryland is the opportunity to shop at these vendors due to their close distance.
As a buyer intern for Red Hue Boutique, www.redhueboutique.com, part of my responsibilities is to help owner and designer Huezo market her clothing to the public. Participating in D.C. Fashion Week aids in this public relations task by further getting the word out about the brand. While the boutique carries several well-known brands, the label of Red Hue itself is Huezo’s master design line. At the kickoff event on Feb. 21 at Kellari Taverna, 1700 K Street NW, Huezo was one of only two clothing lines that were featured. Clothes were babydoll inspired with jewel tones that popped to the common eye. Ribbons on pale pink collared shirts, a waterfall cascade ruffled top and floral dresses were among some of the pieces showcased in the collection. Among them is my favorite, an amethyst dress with exaggerated ruched sleeves and clear, gumdrop-like buttons.
Models celebrating the end of the show in Huezo’s designs
The frenzy that occurs before the models actually walk onto the runway is all due to the extensive preparation. While the debut of a designer may only take 20 minutes for all the models to walk, getting to that point can take three hours with organizing the models, styling hair and make-up, making sure that no last minute adjustments need to be made to the fittings and matching the shoes with the clothes themselves. Usually, there are volunteers specifically for D.C. Fashion Week that serve as fashion assistants, but in a pinch the models have to dress themselves. After the show, guests are invited to come back into the showroom to talk to the designers and purchase the garments they have just seen as well as clothes from future collections that have not yet been featured in the boutique.
Models are also available to talk to the press once the show is over about the designs or the show itself. One of the best runway secrets is to use hairspray on the bottom of high heels so that the shoes will stick to the floor better. This prevents the models from falling when they’re walking in front of an audience, using the traction to keep a good pace to the beat of the music.
Modeling trick!
D.C. Fashion Week encourages students to come to the events by keeping the majority of the venues at free admission, or offering a discount of $10.00 for groups of 10 or more, such as at the Washington Menswear Collection. The capstone to the weeklong event was the International Couture Collections show at the Embassy of France, where Huezo was again featured along with designers from Ukraine, Nigeria, Thailand and Norway.