When we talk about the fashion show, we often only imagine in outline all the work behind it. The backstage , in fact, is a cauldron of experiences, emotions and people at work to stage the great final show . And like any self-respecting show, there are many figures involved, some more important, others who work silently and even less in the spotlight, but all extremely important. Altaroma and the fashion week of the capital, which every year sees young and emerging designers as protagonists, with their collections to be discovered. But behind the final show, the finished product that leaves everyone with bated breath during the moments of the fashion show, behind the discovery of tailoring creations, creativity, inspiration, innovation and technology, there is a real assembly line. Seamstresses, makeup artists, hair stylists, dressmakers, stylists, lighting and sound technicians, models and many essential figures for the excellent success of the event work silently.
Source: Press Office
I often take part in the backstage of a fashion show, as a makeup artist, and I know well the emotions and sensations that only behind the scenes can give you.Anxiety, haste, adrenaline, creativity, collaboration and sometimes a few moments of tiredness and a few hitches that spur you to always give your best. Days before the show, we start with the fitting of the models , to check that the clothes fit and make some changes, under the skilled hands of the seamstresses, who finish the garments created by the designers according to who will wear them.
The day of the show arrives and the call also starts very early; many models, in fact, participate in more than one fashion show and have to run from one location to another, to be able to walk the catwalk both in the morning and in the afternoon. So the preparations begin, and after the rehearsals we go to the makeup and hairstyling station. Nothing is left to chance, the head make-up artist summons all the makeup artists and so does the hairstylist with his team: it’s time to discover the moods designed by the key makeup artists for each fashion show and it’s time to coordinate and organize the work between makeup artist and hairstylist. There is no time to waste : the first group starts from the makeup while the second from the hair, little time for each model, the makeup becomes fast, fresh, often natural but almost always with a detail that captures the attention: glitter, metallic colors, intense eyes, very blond eyebrows, colored mouths. Each makeup artist is focused on their work and on their model, without speaking, knowing precisely the steps to be performed as illustrated previously during the demo. And the same for hairstylists . It is an intense moment, because everyone knows that, when the time runs out, everything must be completed, otherwise the work will remain halfway through, because there are no more five minutes, as when we dedicate them to ourselves in the morning before waking up. There is no shortage of moments of tension , late models and models, who cannot be found because maybe on the phone, smoking a cigarette, eating something and, sometimes it happens, falling asleep in a corner because of the frenetic rhythms.
Source: Press Office
The final rush for the final preparations starts, the models are dressed in the clothes that have the photos of the assigned boys ready in front of them, all the clothes and the sequences of the various releases . This is also a moment of great intensity, you need to act quickly, especially between one change and another, paying attention not to damage the garments, which are often delicate and majestic. And then back to them, the seamstresses, to complete the finishing touches or correct any problem that arose on the spot.
And then off. The music starts, mixed and selected by the sound technicians, the lights created by the lighting technicians are turned on to emphasize the clothes, textures, materials, colors and reflections of the fabrics.All punctuated by the urgent click of the photographers’ cameras , which shoot continuously, at every step, at every exit, at every model. They freeze moments of the fashion show that will then be published in major newspapers, on the web, on social networks, on the websites of designers and fashion houses. And if what we see on the catwalk is grace and grace, the frenetic race behind the backstage restarts. The urgent change of outfit to the model, the ultra-fast retouching of the hair and makeup and off we go, until the last change. The music then goes down, the lights come on and the moment and everything for the designer , who comes out to take his crowd and the applause, dedicated to him but to the whole team that has been able to give life to his creations.
