15 Minutes of Fashion Fame
Jamie Gillingham // November 22, 2011
Think about your morning routine for a moment. You might wake up, have your coffee and toast, shower, get dressed, pack your things, and listen to Britney Spears’ ‘Not Yet a Woman’.
Okay, maybe that last one is just me.
You may not realize it, but during that period of time, you make use of techniques and tools you have cultivated in order to make your morning go smoothly. This is the role that a Fashion PR practitioner plays for the media, models, and most importantly, the designer at a fashion show. The Fashion PR practitioner is a facilitator, and uses their training in the area to make the show go as smoothly as possible for everyone involved.
Picture this: The rich and famous sit on elegant white chairs wearing their sunglasses (in a perfectly-lit room) and, of course, shoes that cost more than your tuition. Little do they know, a lowly Fashion PR assistant, usually a woman or gay man–sorry hetero-counterparts, it’s a gay-eat-gay world–running around backstage ensuring the media aren’t taking pictures of nipple slips and preparing the models for their stroll down the runway.
Meanwhile, far above the 10, 000 dollar YSL gowns and Anna Wintour’s bob, is the director’s booth, the mecca of the Fashion PR world. It is a place where only the holiest of PR mavens may go and where a headset is a rite of passage. PR assistants can only stare up in jealousy and admiration while the booth seems to emit an ethereal glow, emanating superficial power.
Finally, the models are dressed and ready. The call is made from the director’s booth to start the music and, like clockwork, a silence falls over the crowd and the first model takes her place on the catwalk. As she walks, camera flashes go off like fireworks. Editors, buyers, and the occasional celebrity stare judgmentally, deciding instantly whether they love or hate it.
Return to backstage: PR assistants are grabbing returning models and in a whirlwind of sequins and eyeliner get them changed into their second look. From the director’s booth the model lineup continues to be called and, an emaciated army, they march onto the runway for the finale. And then, almost always reluctantly, the designer makes a short appearance on the catwalk to thank their guests.
Finally, a rush of reporters barge backstage to interview the designer. Quickly, before the designer embarrasses themselves by quoting Charlie Sheen (#winning), PR practitioners kick it into high gear and carrel the media, deciding what magazines and newspapers will get the chance to ask their questions.
Before you know it, after 15 minutes the entire thing is over.
Something you’ve spent a month preparing for lasted as long as Rebecca Black’s music career.
When no one is looking you slip yourself a pat on the back and breathe easy. You made it through the day unscathed.
But, because you are a PR assistant, you know the fun doesn’t stop there. At times it may be grueling, unsatisfying, and superficial, but you move on to the next show.
Fashion is what you love and you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
