Tuesday, September 19th 2006

The Hotel Bryant is on 44th between 6th and 7th; right near Times Square and directly across from Bryant Park where Fashion Week 2006 was held. Being right at the heart of the action the energy of the event pulsed through me. From my room I watched as name after name came out the back of the tent to their waiting cars to hit the next show. The gate was crowded with photographers waiting to snap a shot and fans lined up to get their pictures taken with the celebs. It was more than electric, it was intoxicating. As an aspiring designer it was all I could do to contain myself. I know it’s naïve to imagine being discovered by Marc Jacobs, but believe me the fantasies were swimming in my head. I had my traveling partner and very good friend Saya take the reigns and shoot this little clip as soon as we got there.

I had my fitting at the Empire State Building. I planned an all-original ensemble consisting of a shirt I made, pants I Hazzardized and toting a bag that Saya had made. As soon as I entered the room a small camera crew walked up to me and asked if they could get a few words about the show. They were from MTV and were covering the Heatherette show. I was caught totally of guard, but naturally obliged. The fitting lasted all of ten minutes.

They took the shirt in at a couple places around the shoulder, threw some last minute accessories on me like these sunglasses and the item that pulled it all together, the empty Vodka bottle. It boasted the name Georgi. When I took a whiff to experience its bouquet I was met with a most unpleasant aroma that I will not soon forget.

After everything had been placed, they took a Polaroid and clapped their hands in delight. As I got undressed and dressed again I took great care in putting my pants on very slowly and removing my shirt to showcase the designs. They had not noticed the hand embroidery on the jeans or the tribal design down the sleeve of the shirt or the bag. They did however notice my socks. I own not a single pair of white socks; they are all tie dyed. The assistant asked if they were Heatherette socks.

“No, I made ‘em.”

“You have a little Heatherette in you” he said.

That was good enough. I left for dinner in Chelsea planning on introducing the line of socks along with my T shirts.

The day of the show I did not eat anything aside from some yogurt in the morning. I was a little nervous at what could happen and what would happen. Backstage was nothing short of semi-organized chaos. Models were late and Richie was on roller skates; I suppose that helped. He slowed down enough for us to get a quick photo. He photographs really well.

They allowed photographers backstage. I suppose with people like Paris and Nicky, Mya and Mena Suvari it made sense. The space was tiny and people were everywhere asking questions for their show or taking pictures for their magazines and websites. It made for a very crowded backstage. Mena was one outfit over from me and Paris and I had our make-up done next to one another. I was really surprised that they were both a bit shorter than me! It was a little surreal to see Mena; I admired her performance in season 5 of Six Feet Under so much. Mya stood behind me in queue for the line up. Paris remained untouchable as she was escorted from her first walk to the next outfit change.

During the line up I was told I had a partner to walk down with. This concerned me because I had not been informed before or been told how to walk down with him. On a runway you are to walk down, do your look and pass the oncoming model on the right. Well. The runway was lined with flailing dancers on either side and Paris and Nicky were walking before us, side by side. I had no idea how to do this. Should we separate and walk up side by side? Should we walk up one in front of the other? My partner had no clue either and no one seemed to care very much about the order – so why should we? I suppose it went well. Nobody fell and the pictures came out great.

I enjoy doing the runway; everything about it to me is exciting. It’s different and my clothes get to stay on eliminating the worry of looking bloated or being cold – you guys know exactly what I’m talking about! I went to the hotel right after the show skipping the after party. I was so tired and did not feel like being around any more crowds or cameras. It was a great couple of days and I was glad I was there. My only regret is that I didn”t get to keep anything.

This entry was posted by Johnny on Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 at 10:12 PM and is filed under Fashion, Glamour, Media, Photos, Watch Johnny. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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