When I got there the music was bumping, pounding in a way guaranteed to give you tinnitus in old age. I wiggled around the limos to get to the velvet rope where the guard did a full look-over before letting me in, the list monitor matched my name to my face, then I was there, in the happening--Beatnik Gallery, fantasy-time Sacramento.
"Fashion On Film" premier, a showcase of short films inspired by the local fashion scene, was a melange of
photo shoot, runway show, costume design showcase, make-up and hair design, trunk sale and party in an art gallery with tons of people.
Here's a link to a video explaining what this fun evening was about http://youtu.be/u6fE4QhTfmw
And, here's a link to film producer/director Matt Salvo's movie trailer for "Freakquency"
High fashion is not my usual subject matter so I was astonished to find hundreds of people in a big mid-town art gallery celebrating the local fashion scene on a work night.
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| Runway show at "Fashion on Film" premier |
I was there because a couple of friends have produced fashion films selected for the upcoming Sacramento International Film Festival and another friend, a former high-fashion model, has an insightful new memoir out about her international modeling experiences -- Runway: Confession of a not-so supermodel. As a result, beautiful clothes, body art, technology and fun suddenly came together in my life. I wasn't looking for it. It just happened and now I'm trying to understand "fashion" in this larger, more dynamic context.
When the party was over, I couldn't help but wonder
What's the point? Yes, it was a fun evening. But, I guess I'm wondering why young women model. What I mean is why would any beautiful young woman wants to dress in showy clothes and strut around grabbing attention? If you're young and beautiful, the attention is automatic so why bother with theatrics? What is the internal dynamic that causes someone to exhibit themselves beyond the usual notice? What's the emotional payoff on the runway?
One of the short films was the story about a girl caught in the hum-drum of life and college. For her, getting onto the runway was about "the dress." I assume the motivation was that she got to wear lovely clothes she wouldn't be able to otherwise. Is that a common motivation for models or is there something deeper? What's in it for the model?
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| Meghan modeling, age 18 |
I asked author/editor Meghan Ward about the motivation and she said: "For me it was ALL about the money. During high school, I was waitressing at the Sign of the Beefcarver for $2.15 an hour plus tips (and the tips were low because we didn't have our own tables and didn't serve the food - it was a buffet-style restaurant). I met a girl in a lifeguarding class I was taking who had just been paid $800 for one day modeling in a pizza commercial. I was probably making $50/day waitressing. That clinched it for me.
"But others do it for other reasons," Meghan said. "I think many just like the attention, the chance to be on a runway or in a magazine and be admired by others. Others do it to get away from their home towns and travel. I think every model has a different reason."
She has a
blog post about the top 10 questions people ask her about modeling. Here's an answer to the question:
Do you miss it?
Meghan: I miss the travel sometimes. I never stayed in one country for more than three months at a time. I lived in Paris, London, Tokyo, Milan, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich, Sydney, and New York and traveled to Greece and India. And I miss the money sometimes. I could afford designer clothes back then. I owned a $2000 jacket and several $400 pairs of shoes (and this was 25 years ago). I bought my own apartment in Paris when I was 21 (long sold, sniff sniff), and an Alfa Romeo for my French boyfriend at the time. But it’s really true that money doesn’t buy happiness. I’m much happier now wearing blue jeans and tennis shoes than I ever was back then.
Although not my usual subject matter, here are some raw images captured at the Fashion on Film preview party:
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| Cast of "Freakquency" with producer/director Matt Salvo |
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| From "Gatsby Glam" collection |
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"007 Hot Shot" collection
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"Star Wars Fantasy" collection
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| "Star Wars Fantasy" collection |
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"Street Smart" collection
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Why does fashion matter?
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I hated being a model. As a single mother in the '60s there weren't a lot of part-time (what's part-time?) jobs for women and the pay was deplorable. Forget about hot dates, meeting guys, a glamorous life. I hated working in high fashion retail stores where the sales clerks treated you like a mannequin who could take orders. They were quick to tell you that your make-up was all wrong, that you looked awful, you were late: "were you out late, dearie?" and that you obviously had gained a few ounces in the wrong places. Photo shots in glamorous places? Only for the top ranked ladies--all dedicated and working their tails off for the dubious honor of being envied and adored.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out, Kate! I can't say I hated modeling. I did get to travel, to live in Paris, to learn French and some German and Japanese. But there's a lot of sitting around, a lot of boredom, a lot of loneliness and low self-esteem. I wouldn't want my daughter to do it!
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