NYFW: The True Backstage Experience
Deanna Kei ~ NYFW Runway & Front Row Illustration
An elaborately dressed crowd blocks the entrance, hoping to catch the eye of the stand by photographers. They’re kept at bay by a few suited men, acting as security. Here and there, people dressed in all black have their name’s checked off and pass through the doors. The models, managers, hair and make up teams are already inside and have begun preparing. The side of the room is already lined with racks of garment bags and shoe boxes. The new entries dressed in black are sent back and forth between people with clipboards until they find their assigned place among the racks. Some of the models are already sitting beside them. Others are still in Hair & Makeup. The ones that are finished scroll through their phones or chat casually with friends they recognize from other shows. There’s a bit of chaos in the room, but also an excited nervous energy. So much has been prepared beforehand but so many things must be saved for last minute to ensure perfection.
Creatures of Comfort NYFW Look
The people dressed in black are part of the Dressing team. They’re the ones who’ll help the models change outfits fast during the show, and will be ready to stitch up a zipper or two if there’s a last minute mishap. They’re usually volunteers and are fashion students or fashion lovers who want to help out and be a part of the excitement. They’re not there for the glory, dressed in a mandated all black dress code—(no accessories allowed!)—and they’re not there for recognition: taking photos or Insta stories is prohibited. They do get to see the collection up close and touch some of the pieces before the rest of the world sees them come down the runway.
Dressing is definitely a one of a kind experience and working each show is completely different. ‘Dressing’ at a runway show is a little more complicated than dressing yourself at home. Each ‘Look’ for the show is given is number. The looks include not only the clothing, but the accessories, hair, makeup, shoes, and any other props that have been confirmed in advance. All of the pieces are kept together on hangers and in garment bags. They’re grouped together on rolling racks and marked by a giant card/poster listing the Look # (which is the order it will go down the runway) and the model’s full name. There’s also a photo of the model dressed in the entire look. This part is key! The dressers are seeing this look for the very first time so they’ll rely solely on the photo to figure out how to put it on. Sometimes its simple, but usually its not. Many times there is an head piece that wraps around, or a certain button that’s meant to be skipped, or a draped piece that looks like a rectangle on a hanger but must transform magically on the model.
—But the most difficult aspect of all is the time limit! You might think “Why don’t they just get dressed in advance?” but to keep everything, pristine, clean and perfectly pressed, the models aren’t allowed to begin dressing until moments before they go out. Then, all at once, chaos ensues! It’s not uncommon to see a dresser running along side their model and still dressing her as she takes her place in line for the stage. Yes, the first go around is pretty intense but its when the model has a second or third look that things get really crazy. After the model returns from her first walk, there are only minutes to get her out of that outfit and into the next so she can run back out. It’s quite the time challenge.
In the past, as a design student I’ve dressed for Creatures of Comfort, Farah Angsana, and Zadig Et Voltaire and each back stage experience was extremely unique from the others. At one of the shows, all of the teams were allowed to walk around the site freely and enjoy the hors d'oeuvres. The model I was working with preferred to dress herself and I really only had to help her get into her shoes and then make sure everything was on correctly and matched her card.
Another show was at Chelsea Piers. There were multiple shows going on inside the venue. It was amazing inside and there were a lot of random photo ops, like a giant armchair on a platform, and a flower wall. At this particular show the backstage organization was terrible. For this show my model had 1 mid-show outfit change. The second look racks were wedged in a tight corridor beside the runway entrance. The first look went fine, but there were only seconds to completely change the models for their second walk. The back stage space was so tight for 20 models and their dressers, and there was a lot of tripping and accidental elbowing. It was chaotic to say the least!
Zadig Et Voltaire NYFW Look
The third show I worked on was much more organized and there was so much space! I was assigned two models but they only had one outfit each. I helped them both simultaneously and they lined up and went out without a hitch. After the final walk, I helped them change back, packed up the look in the garment bags and that was a wrap! —but the most unique part here was what happened to me even before the show dressing!
One of the models was missing for the pre-show rehearsal. (The last minute pre-show rehearsal is when they line all the models up in numerical order and everyone does their full catwalk to the music to test that everything is ready for the show.) Some one grabbed me by chance and told me to line up as model #26 since she was still stuck in Hair & Makeup. I was praying for #26 to turn up before the line moved but unfortunately she did not. I was a least a foot shorter than the rest of the line and they had all just come from Hair & Makeup and were glowing. I felt really out of place. However, seeing the actual NYFW runway from the models point of view was such a unique and memorable experience that it was worth all the awkwardness! The show hadn’t started but some of the audience had already been seated. I walked out in the line up, to the music and the lights—to a partially filled room— and as much as it was embarrassing, it was actually pretty fun!
NYFW always brings an amazing energy to the city and there’s nothing else like it! While the runway shows are fun, my new favorite events are the Pop Up Shops and Design Installations that many designers are opting to reveal their collections during. I especially love Illustrating at them!
Are you looking forward to any shows this season?
The Fall/Winter 20 Women’s RTW shows kick off on February 7th and run until February 12th. You can check out the official CFDA calendar here.
*Snag this fun Fashion Week notebook here to keep track of all your inspiration and trend notes!
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Deanna Kei is a NY based Fashion and Beauty Illustrator. She works with brands to create unique and engaging content featuring their products and collections. To commission illustrations for your brand please write to deannakei@gmail.com