Runway Ready

I can hardly believe it. I booked TWO, count 'em, TWO runway shows for Fashion Week! I will be walking for Shipley & Halmos and Akiko Ogawa.

The first show I booked was Shipley & Halmos. I was completely floored when I read in my email from the agency "fit to confirm", which is now my favorite phrase. Basically it means that they are ready to book me for the job, I just need to show up for the fitting. What really surprised me was that the casting was insane. I stood in line for about 45 minutes waiting for my turn to be seen by the designers. I would imagine they saw over two hundred models including the best and most popular in the world. It was surreal enough waiting in line, making small talk with the faces gracing the ads in the magazines you probably have in your living room. Now, I beat some of them out for a job?!? Insane.

The second show, Akiko Ogawa, is an avant-gaurde Japanese label. Very edgy! This is her first time showing in New York's fashion week and, I think, her first time showing mens clothes. It will be really interesting though. The awesome thing about this show is that it takes place in the tents at Bryant Park. The major venue for shows. It isn't in the big, main tent, but in one of the smaller side tents. Fashion week will be moving from the park to Lincoln Center next year and I was really hoping I would be able to walk in Bryant Park before they moved. Now I get to!

What is really great about booking these shows is the response I got from my bookers at the agency. They were really impressed that I was able to book the shows because my portfolio is WAY less developed than most of the other models (I don't have a single magazine tearsheet yet) and I wasn't in the show package (collection of the best guys the agency sends to the designers - special composite cards -show cards- are printed for these select models). I don't even have real composite cards yet. I am just using laser-printoffs. It is really funny to look at the casting director's walls and see all of the cards for the models they are using pinned up. My little piece of paper with my photos and measurements, folded in half, next to glossy cardstock showcards for the best in the business. I hope this means I'll be getting my show card next season!!!

I took my computer to the shop yesterday, got the diagnosis, and found out that I have a damaged video card. It is covered by the computer's warranty, but I have to do some more work before I can get the computer up and running. It shouldn't be too long though, so I'll be able to upload some photos after the shows. I can get the runway shots from other websites, but the juicy-backstage shots will have to wait until I get the computer fixed!!!

I haven't gotten my daily schedule from the agency yet, but I think tomorrow is the first show. I just hope I can pull it off without tripping and falling down or something. I would probably just lay down on the runway and die. It would be so embarassing! I'm just not going to think about that. I'll write back tomorrow night and let you know how it all went.

Wish me luck!!!