Two weekends ago, I got the chance to try out a totally new experience: walking down the runway for the Her Campus College Fashion Week event at the Estate in Boston, which took place on October 26th. Even though modeling was completely out of my comfort zone—the extent of the posing I’ve done is in front of the mirror in my dorm room, where only my roommate can see me—I was really excited to have the opportunity to try it out for real. I love putting together outfits and accessorizing, and let’s face it: one can only go so far when getting dressed for class in the morning, or even when preparing for a night out. Using a combination of clothes we already had in our closets and clothes from outside venues, the Her Campus fashion experts pulled out all the stops, and I had a blast taking part.
That being said, the experience was much more intense than I had expected. Models were asked to show up at noon for an event that started at six, and even then, the fashion show didn’t actually take place until 7:30 or eight. For one thing, that meant a lot of waiting around in a small space with no Internet—needless to say, I didn’t get much homework done—but on the upside, there was also plenty of time to put outfits together, get everyone’s hair and makeup done, and mentally prepare for walking down the runway. At around 3:30, we were given burritos from Chipotle for lunch, which, if I’m being honest, probably ranked in my top five moments of the entire day.
Still, the actual experience of modeling was even more fun than the free food. There were five different looks for the show, and five equally charming and cheesy titles: “Wake up and Work Out,” “Go to Class? I am Class,” “Werk It” (outfits for a fashion internship), “Twerk It” (outfits for a night out), and “Twerk or Treat” (a special set of looks for Halloween). The overall theme was “A Day in the Life of a Collegiette,” and each scene was meant to present a snippet from a typical college girl’s life.
Each girl had two different looks, which were chosen according to size and what worked with the clothing we had brought with us (black heels, black t-shirts, etc.). Even though I never find enough motivation to work out in the mornings, I had fun doing pushups with the onstage personal trainer and then strutting down the runway in pink sneakers for the “Wake Up and Work Out” scene. I also loved sassing it up in my Halloween costume, for which I dressed up as a cat—I know, not very original, but you should see my sparkly ears!—and walked down the runway to the creepy sounds of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Overall, the experience was a hectic, exhausting day that was nevertheless filled with fun and unexpected moments, such as meeting new people—some from Northeastern, some from other Boston schools—trying out new looks—my normally curly brown hair was straightened, which made me look like a totally different person—and, of course, trying not to trip while walking down the runway. Looking back on the experience a week later, I’m really glad that College Fashion Week gave Boston collegiettes an opportunity to model, and I’m definitely glad I signed up. As a journalism major with an interest in science writing, I don’t get many chances to embrace my interest in fashion, and modeling for Her Campus College Fashion Week was the perfect opportunity. I might even try it again next year!
A recap of the event can be found here.