Modeling Future Beauty

This past summer, Seattle Art Museum featured an exhibition called Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion, a stunning collection of garments from designers ranging from Issey Miyake to Yohji Yamamoto.  I checked out the exhibition in late July and was incredibly inspired by the innovation and artistry of the clothing; I love the complex conceptual and architectural elements of Japanese fashion, so it was really amazing to see so many pieces in person.

As a grand finale to the exhibition, SAM invited my school, New York Fashion Academy, to present a runway show inspired by Japanese street and high fashion.  Although I was swamped with preparations for the wedding, I was itching to participate - so, when my friend Nicole Hood of Samara Clothing asked me to model for her capsule collection, I jumped at the chance.

 

The shoe rehearsal was the Tuesday after the wedding, so I was still a little dizzy from a magical weekend with my friends, family and brand spankin' new husband!  It was a blast, though, to hang out with all the designers and their models, many of whom I recognized from the April runway show and earlier model calls.

Shoe rehearsals are a standard preparation for fashion shows; they give models a chance to walk the runway in the shoes they'll be wearing, hear the music, and plan any choreography or posing.  I know I was happy to have a chance to walk those steep marble steps in heels before I did in front of hundreds of people!

The day of the show was surprisingly relaxed backstage.  Nicole directed hair & makeup, coordinated our accessories, and gave us some last-minute direction about posing and attitude.  Her collection was three looks with a smart, sophisticated feel - appropriate for office and evening alike.  I loved the color and cut of my dress, and it fit me perfectly, which is a rare, wonderful thing for me.  I also tried on the shorts from her collection during a fitting, and holy damn were they cute!  (Needless to say, I'm ordering a pair.)  

It was my first time modeling for runway - other than subbing for absent models in jeans and flats - and it ended up being a great experience.  The audience was overwhelmingly gigantic, but had a great energy that made the whole thing very exciting.  Once I was out there, I hammed it up and had an awesome time!

Seattle photographer Bret Doss was kind enough to photograph both the shoe rehearsal and the actual event, as well as to provide the photos for this post.  He's always an absolute pleasure to work with - friendly, engaging, and a magician behind the lens!  (Lumberjack called me as soon as Bret's runway photos were posted on Facebook, and I won't go into details but I believe the word "foxy" was involved.)

Thanks to everyone who made this event happen - the behind-the-scenes folks at SAM and NYFA, my friends and fellow designers, the sweet and friendly models and dressers, the photographers, and the audience who made our event a success.

Happy Monday!