Backstage Diaries: NYFW FW09.10 Day 4 (Part 1 of 2)
by Lexposure Backstage posted on March 12, 2009February 16th
9:45 a.m.
The buzz around Carolina Herrera backstage focused on one thing at a time — first it was the unbelievable hairstyle courtesy of Orlando Pita and his team, then it moved onto the intricate shoes from Manolo Blahnik. Finally, all the attention went to the clothes as they came unwrapped from plastic, revealing fall-themed colors from the first half that eventually unraveled into the brighter hues for the later looks that seemed unconventional for Herrera. The designer, dressed in her standard, simple black-and-white, stood out amongst the rich details of her creations, and she gave quick inspections for each look, greeting and encouraging the dressers as she went down the line.
A few moments later, the models were quickly lined up for the show. Though it’s always evident that the designer targets a more matured audience, younger-looking models like Toni Garrn, Irina Kulikova, and Sigrid Agren were still abound (As usual), and soon it was apparent that age didn’t matter here — the girls were instantly transformed into elegant ladies as they worked their designated dresses.
“I love my dress, but your outfit seems really fun!” Ali Stephens said to Charlotte di Calypso with a smile as she played with the fur on the latter model’s first look. Standing behind them, Kasia Struss and Magdalena Frackowiak spun around with each other to maximize the shimmering effect of their dresses for the cameras, while Karmen Pedaru and Eniko Mihalik fanned one another because they were both starting to sweat in the thick material that adorned them.
As crowded and hot as backstage often was, at least they can find solace in the fact that they only have to feel that way for a few minutes.
1:01 p.m.
Quite a few of the models came into Donna Karan “backstage” — once again on the 2nd floor of the Greenwich St. studio — with their Carolina Herrera hair still very much intact, and as expected, the beautiful design drew oohs and aahs even from the stylists here. But within a matter of minutes, the previous look came undone in the hands of those same stylists, and it was onto creating a simpler (But just as stunning) hairstyle for the DK show.
As more girls came up the stairs, they were all first greeted by the patiently-waiting Japanese streetstyle photographers before making their way to the catering table. The fruits and salad, naturally, were most popular, but a moment of dilemma did surface when Lily Donaldson had to debate whether she wanted a ham or roasted beef sandwich.
“Which one?” She turned behind her and questioned Sasha Pivovarova.
“I’m probably not the best person to ask, you know.” Sasha — vegetarian — answered before the two started laughing together.
(Lily went with the ham in the end)
On the opposite side of the room, Lily and Sasha’s fellow Vogue US cover model, Jessica Stam, sat quietly as stylists pulled on her hair. She was completely engrossed in her first novel of the season — Kurt Vonnegut’s 1959 work, The Sirens of Titan. In the middle of the make-up row, Charlotte Tilbury gave beauty interviews as she showed Cato van Ee’s look to three different videocameras simultaneously. Daria Strokous, on the other hand, continued to walk around and take photographs with her camera before being summoned to her own make-up session.
A bit more talkative than all the rest was the vibrant Kasia Struss, who rushed into backstage asking if anyone had a Blackberry charger. She found one later, but as she began her make-up session someone seemed to knock the smartphone to the ground from where it sat charging.
“Ah! So sorry Kasia!” The girl exclaimed.
“How could you??” Kasia faked a tone of disdain before breaking into a laugh. “Haha…just kidding. Don’t worry about it!”
For the rehearsal, pianist Eric Lewis was asked to practice along as well. And as his passionate live performance began, several of the models were quite impressed at the talented musician’s improvised rendition of “Mr. Brightside.”
“Whoa, I’ve never heard it played that way.” Jourdan Dunn said in awe.
Heidi Mount nodded in agreement. “That’s some intense piano there.”
Soon, it became evident why these girls were cast — each and every one of them had absolute command of the amazing (And incredibly tall) shoes even during rehearsal. The runway director shouted encouragements and cheered for all of them as they rounded the first corner of the catwalk, drawing wide smiles and laughter from everyone in the room (Especially the models).
It was definitely a wonderful glimpse at more relaxed periods before the crowds would fill the stands and the atmosphere of “fashion: serious business” would take control.
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