Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Katina:

The best fashion shows are those that seem effortless to the viewers. If you do it right, they'll see only the results of the hard work put in behind the scenes! A fashion show does not have to be long (in fact some are very short, like ten minutes!), but it should go smoothly, without gaps and glitches.

To put on a really good fashion show, there are a lot of components to consider. First, you have to arrange to borrow the clothes. If you don't have any contacts in the fashion industry, you will have to make"cold calls"and describe your event to different stores or clothing manufacturers in order to get them to agree to lend their clothes. They will want to know if you are organized, have a good place for the show, and will be doing enough publicity so that their name will get out there.

Next, you'll have to come up with a venue. Perhaps you'll be able to get one donated, but others do charge rent. You will have to investigate this.

You will need a sound system. These are rentable. You will also need someone to program appropriate"fashion show"music, usually just short attention-grabbing sound clips, and music for before and after the show.

You'll need models, of course. You can arrange for friends to model, or publicize an"open call"where you take prospective models' measurements to see if they will fit into the sample sizes of the dresses. You will also have to give the models all the information as to what to bring, what makeup and hairstyle to wear (unless you are arranging for hair and makeup people), what shoes and underwear to bring, etc. You will probably need a rehearsal, so make sure the venue, the clothes, and the models are all available for a dress rehearsal as well.

You'll need publicity, as in advertising and marketing. You could market this event just to your school, a few high schools, or to the outside world. You'll need to come up with a budget for photocopies and whatever signs you'll need. Think about involving a Graphic Designer to design your publicity materials.

Staff on the day of the show will be necessary, to take tickets, help with seating, and make sure things run smoothly. You'll need"dressers"to help the models change their clothes in a hurry, and to hang up the clothes. You could do with a professional Stylist to make the models look their best before they come out in the donated clothing.

These are some of the basics, though I can think of more, such as refreshments, a set-up and clean-up crew, someone to do lights (if the show requires them), and someone to decorate the stage so it won't be bare.

A way to work your way into the fashion show biz without taking on a project of this magnitude is to attend a good fashion college such as FIDM and major in Visual Communications. FIDM students often have the opportunity to volunteer to be dressers at fashion shows. There you can network with other people in the fashion industry and make connections with people who are in the business of putting on fashion shows. Volunteer enough, and you might find yourself getting hired!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl