COMMITTEES | Fashion Show

STYLING

This area deals with the fashion aspects of the show: hair, make-up, and clothing.

Ideas and Inspiration:

Clothing: 

Speak with the Outreach Committee Chair and find out if they are negotiating a magazine partnership. If so ask for the magazine to provide a stylist to assist the Fashion Committee with the Fashion Show. Many magazines have stylists in house, and if they are not in house full time, they are often under retainer. This should be requested in the beginning of the negotiations of the partnership.

You can also hire a professional stylist to run the fashion show. This is outline in Approach 3 on the Fashion page. This person comes in early and may help bring in all the right vendors, and recruits models and Shoe Guys.  Using a pro is highly recommended, especially if she or he is a well-connected, social stylist. However, you still must manage the stylist, and make sure she/he chooses wearable and flattering outfits.

Who will provide your clothing? You can outsource to a department store Approach 1, or outsource to a local boutique in Approach 2. If you choose to do it all yourself, you need to read through Approach 2 and be aware of the following:

1) How many stores will you work with?
2) Where do you find the models?
3) How do you manage the models fitting schedules?
4) Make sure no clothing is damaged. This happens most with community models, and is one upside to pro models. 
5) Know that stores will not want to put aside looks that they may sell far before the show. Therefore you may have
    to choose looks at the last time. You'll just have to go with the flow on this.That's how it works.

How many looks?

Choose about 50 looks, give or take depending on your choreography.  Here's how to determine the number of styles: 
An ideal show is 18 to 20 minutes. You will have a model every 20 – 30 seconds. Sometimes models should come out in pairs. This means for each minute expect about 3 looks and 3 models.  Hence, an 18 minute show with 3 looks & 3 models each minute equals 54 looks.  Again it all depends on your choreography. The best fashion shows feature models in head to toe looks 
(a shoe-only fashion show = boring).

Themed Segments:  Divide your show into themed segments. 

Damaged Clothing:

This happens most with community models, and is one upside to pro models. We've seen $2000 dresses completely ruined by sweat, hairspray, or wine. To prevent this with community models, a few ideas:

DO NOT wear perfume.

DO Make sure models wear fragrance-free antiperspirant/deodorant; something that prevents smells and stains in clothes. Keep this  backstage. If they object, explain they can wash it is a must in modeling to protect the clothing and they may wash it off immediately after taking off the clothing.

DO NOT allow stylists to use belts, etc., as not intended, such as as head wraps. They may get hairspray or make-up on them and ruin them.

DO put on and remove clothing ASAP before and after stage entrance and exit. DO NOT allow models to sit around for any length of time in the clothes.

Hair and Make-Up:

For 15 to 20 models you will need four make-up artists and four stylists.

Arrange for a professional hair and makeup team to donate their time and services, which many local salons or artists are usually thrilled to do – this makes for a fun confidence-boosting back stage experience for the models.

Think about what mood an outfit creates and projects. Impact audience mood by placing models in hip, sexy, sweet, or contemporary (and always body-type flattering) outfits. As the models walk the runway to energizing music, it’s almost like a music video or fun fantasy for guests, who might imagine themselves in the clothes as that character.

Shoe fashion shows can get dull and are too subtle (where models wear all-black and don’t change looks). The shows need either full fashions or major accessory changes to make them feel like full outfits.

Just because something's "fashionable" doesn't mean it's flattering or wearable. If you hire a pro stylist, insist that they choose clothes your audience would actually wear. DO NOT put your community models in unflattering outfits. You don't want your models sorry that they volunteered. Never dress your models in sleazy outfits.  If you could envision it on a hooker, it's inappropriate.