I made my way east this morning, where I would be working at two Giorgio Armani runway shows, one at 12:00 and one at 6:00. This show would be very exclusive and a more private event held at his boutique on Michigan Avenue. Don't get me wrong, although I have worked backstage at a show before, there is still that little girl from Michigan in the back of my mind saying "holy crap, I can't believe you're doing this"!! Plus, this was Giorgio Armani....again, "holy crap"!! I began by meeting several Armani employees, some of which flew in from their headquarters in New York, others were based out of LA or here in Chicago. We immediately began prep for the first show; tape on the bottom of all shoes, all pants got pre-belted for easy changes, and every outfit was gone over at least twice to make sure it was all in tact and tag-less. A lot more went on during the 2 hours we had before the first show, but let's just skip to the good part, the show itself. Like I said, this was a private show, and the audience was solely made up of Armani's elite clientèle in Chicago. I was assigned to a 5'11" model who probably weighed 110 pounds soaking wet. My job was to basically help her change in and out of these incredible clothes and make sure things were properly fastened, tied, and buckled before she stepped foot out onto the runway. I was also responsible for properly hanging these clothes and putting them in their proper cases, etc. So she had her first look on and joined the other models in the hallway. I felt a sense of pride, almost as if she was my daughter leaving for her first day of school (although I'm not so sure my daughter will be wearing an outfit worth over $15,000 and 5" stilettos to school). Anyway, immediately following this proud moment was a loud crash. She buckled, that poor girl. I should have told her not to lock her knees like my mom used to tell me...she fainted. I didn't see this happen, however I did hear a lot of whispers..."Should I call 911? No, she's getting up, someone get some water." Not so luckily, her face-first fall was blocked by a cement wall, which resulted in calling the makeup artist over to cover up any signs of a bump on her forehead. Apparently this is not unusual. These girls barely want to drink water for fear of gaining weight and losing their modeling jobs. My model, the one who took a face plant into the wall, even told me that Ford Modeling Agency wanted her to lose another inch before they would sign her. She refused and actually gained an inch. So the next few looks passed without much disruption, things went smoothly. Her final look was one of Giorgio's velvet ball gowns. Although this girl was basically skin and bones, this dress was so small it took 3 of us to zip up the side zipper. After it was finally secure we sent her on her way, only to have her turn around and tell us her zipper split. This is one of those moments where you have to think on your toes. Even the tailor was at a loss for words. Finally, one of the girls grabbed a wide belt and a few pins, and after the 3 of us frantically did what we could to cover up this hole, she was sent out to showcase this makeshift gown. Silence drifted over us as she walked away, mainly because we were all thinking of how she would get out of this dress when she returned to us. Today, I witnessed a $15,000 Giorgio Armani gown being cut with scissors. I don't think my eyes have ever opened so wide in my life.
I could probably go on for days about what I saw and experienced today. Fortunately, for your sake, I won't. Let's just say I'm in a completely different world than I was a few months ago. I'm in a world of endless possibilities and I'm surrounded by moments that I will remember for the rest of my life. Regardless of where I end up, I hope the road there is filled with more of this. And I hope that poor girl had a cheeseburger after the show.
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