Fashion Week ABC

Today marks the beginning of New York Fashion Week, kicking off the fashion month. This means a locust plague of fashion people checking off New York, London, Milan, and Paris, giving the step counter a significant boost into the higher regions. For learning and entertainment, we kick off today with a fashion ABC.

A

The A is for Ashley Brokaw, the most famous and powerful casting director. She makes and breaks, molds and kneads. Ashley is always on the lookout for fresh goods, in model land referred to as: new faces. But of course, there are girls so beautiful and special that they rock and rule the catwalk for many years, such as Maartje Verhoef, Rianne van Rompaey, Felice Nova, and Saskia de Brauw.

B

The B is for backstage, where it is ultimately the most fun with all the hair and make-up artists, the designer themselves, journalists, and the models.

C

The C is for call time, or the moment you are expected backstage. If the show starts at 09:30, it could very well be that you, as a model, are expected at 05:30.

D

D is for driver, a chauffeur who is at your disposal all day and drives you from show to show. The downside of a driver is that they are expensive and sometimes take longer in cities like New York and Paris than if you were to use public transport.

E

E is for exclusive. A brand buys you out so that you can only be seen with them. You can be bought out per fashion week, but it can also happen that you are not allowed to appear anywhere else for the entire month. This happened to Rianne van Rompaey at her first show for Louis Vuitton.

F

The F is for fitting, or trying on what you will wear during the show.

G

The G is for Google Maps, as it is used intensively. A typical model might have ten appointments in a day, and they are certainly not all in the same street.

H

The H is for head of make-up; woe to your poor limbs if you, as a journalist, accidentally point your microphone at the wrong make-up artist. Then you and he will get a reprimand because the only one allowed to speak is the head of make-up. They set the policy, others must execute and keep their beaks shut. When a model is made up, she always goes to the head of make-up to show her face.

I

The I is for illegal, because not everyone sitting at a show has received a proper invitation. Tickets are passed under the table to the person behind that person, people say they forgot their ticket and claim they are on the list, and their friend then shows the ‘forgotten’ ticket, or you just mention a name of someone you are sure is on the list, make a face as if you ‘totally belong there,’ and before you know it, you are sitting in a coveted seat. And yes, I speak from experience. In times of war and fashion week, everything is allowed.

J

The J is for Jennifer Lopez, because rocking the Super Bowl act at 50 and being the face of Versace deserves a mention on this list. I seriously consider a small guest appearance from her, somewhere to the left or right.

K

The K is for Kate Moss, discovered at JFK Airport at the age of fourteen by Sarah Doukas. Actually too short for the norm (1.67 m), but thirty years later still a phenomenon who also works as a stylist for Vogue Britain.

L

The L is for London, the second stop of the Fashion Week train where underground labels and established names merge. Rixo, Burberry, Roksanda, MM6… Want to go to London? Then I have some free tips.

M

The M is for Milan, stop three of the circus, but of course also for Micha Models, supplier of top models such as Maartje Verhoef, Felice Nova, Sarah Dijkink, Noortje Haak, Jessie Bloemendaal, and so on.

N

The N is for new face, because designers naturally want to surprise: with their looks, but also with models, and therefore they are always hungry for a new face. Or as Mo Karadag from Paparazzi Models said on Saturday in Het Parool: “A girl stepping off the plane in New York as a new face can already be old news in London.” But there are solutions to satisfy the hunger of designers. Also Karadag: “When they ask for a new girl, I sometimes show photos of the girl they rejected six months ago again. They have forgotten about that anyway.”

O

The O is for option, because to quote Micha Emmering from Micha Models: “You only walk a show when you are on the catwalk.” If a casting director is not entirely sure yet, you can be taken on option. The O is also for opening, because within the runway hierarchy, the one who opens the show is the queen. Maartje Verhoef walked her first show immediately at Prada (pretty much the highest achievable in model land) and was allowed to open it as well. You need to be on heart monitoring for excitement in retrospect, believe me. The O is also for charging, because those mobile phones are drained by all the Insta traffic and excessive use of Google Maps.

P

The P is for Piergiorgio del Moro, the casting director who searches for exactly the faces that various clients (from Victoria Beckham to Donatella Versace and pretty much everything in between) want. Or of whom he knows they want them even before they know it themselves. He is also someone who places great importance on diversity on the catwalk. The P is of course also for Prada, the show that means a lot in the model ranking and where models are looked at very critically. There are sometimes girls who are pulled from the lineup at the very last moment and put in a taxi crying.

Q

The Q is for queue, or the line of models waiting to pop up on the catwalk.

S

The S is for screen time (high), set card (the model's business card with the prettiest photos, your age, and your measurements), street style (because the fashion show on the street is becoming almost more important than the actual show and in real life models are becoming influencers) and for Sies Marjan, who will show in New York.

T

The T is for tape that protects the catwalk as all the guests walk over it to find their place. You know the show is about to start when the protective layer of the catwalk is pulled away. The T is also for toilet, usually in the form of portable ones found at backstage locations. Ranging from reasonably medium to quite beautiful and clean.

U

The U is for Ulla Johnson, who is showing today in New York with her wonderful line that is partly inspired by New York and partly by all the special trips to distant destinations she makes.

V

The V is for Victoria Beckham, from Spice Girl to Fashion Week classic who after years and years traded New York for London where she again colors the Sunday.

W

The W is for waiting, waiting, and waiting again. At castings, at fittings. It can go on until three in the morning while your call is the next morning at six. No, that model life is not all roses, especially not during Fashion Week.

X

The X is for X-ray, or a real baggage conveyor belt where your bag goes through the scanner as happens at the Louvre in Paris. Safety first.

Y

The Y is for yep, because no one wants to hear no, unless it concerns an indecent proposal.

Z

The Z is for sunglasses, because just about everyone wears them during a show. Of course, it is a nice accessory that underscores your look, but for Anna Wintour, it is also a way not to immediately reveal her enthusiasm or disappointment. Moreover, the lights are often bright during a show, and the sunglasses neutralize that image a bit. I take it up for Wintour and company, because besides the models, they also work hard.