I participated in several catwalk shows last year, two small and one much larger, and I’ve experienced quite a learning curve which I'd like to share. Fashion shows like these are great fun and enable you to put your work physically in front of people, in motion, on a stunning model - so doing a catwalk show is definitely something worth thinking about. 

Tuma Keke Nissi in the Armadillo corset at the Corinthian Boutique Fashion Show
Image copyright Faisal Latif 2012
Lee Ann McCall in my Ecosse Noire Ayrshire lace outfit at the Corinthian Boutique Fashion Show
Image copyright Faisal Latif 2012Vanessa May Dolphin in silver silk and antique lace at the Corinthian Boutique Fashion Show
Image copyright Faisal Latif 2012

The first couple of fashion shows I took part in were group shows in a local, very stylish bar and restaurant complex with limited audience space. The organisation varied a little as one show employed a choreographer while the second didn’t, but they were still similar in scale and procedure. The third show was a large affair in a club and music venue. It was very professional and organised with 300 tickets sold! (Sadly, I’ve experienced just two full fashion shows as the first one experienced a power cut just before we were due to start, so the show had to be postponed.)

Backstage at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Alison Campbell 2012

Why a fashion show?

As a corsetmaker in business, or any sort of designer, of course your main objective is to show your work to people in some way. You can’t sell your wares if nobody knows about you, so promotion is crucial. Aside from photographic work, web, advertising, social media and so forth, you should also think about getting it physically in front of people if you can. Wedding shows and independent makers’ markets are one route, but they generally charge for a table (sometimes quite a lot) and the whole event is rather static and reliant solely on your ability to chat to potential clients. Also the ‘audience’ may have no interest in anything but the most mainstream of styles and be completely unreceptive to your work. On a catwalk your designs are brought to life, moving and dynamic. They’re on a model who will hopefully show them at their best and they’re in front of an audience who are primed to have relatively open minds.

Madeline Harvey-Brown on stage at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Dominic Martin 2012

How to get involved with one

This is basic 'keeping your ear to the ground' stuff. Put your feelers out and keep track of local blogs for events and fashion. Try checking listings sites and network pages for models and photographers to see if there’s anything mentioned in your area that you can follow through for next time. This is when it’s a good thing to be actively participating in shoots, as networking with models and photographers can get you news of, and access to, such events. My city has several showcase events for upcoming designers and I’d guess the situation will be similar in other places. Once you track some events down, then email for info and add their Facebook pages for future reference. Nearer the time, there will possibly be an application process, so that’s when you allow your work to speak for you. Make sure you have some good photographs ready and be prepared to sell yourself. Of course if your name is out there and you’re promoting yourself well, then you might be invited to take part in a show.

Kay Slater in Crikey Aphrodite pink Scottish wool crepe and Ayrshire lace.
Image copyright Bartosz Madejski

I’ve been accepted to show at one, now what?

Now the fun starts. It’s unlikely you’ll know any models sizes in advance so develop a sample size pattern you’re happy with and make your pieces for the show in those sizes, perhaps with some slight variation. I have a sample block that fits most size 8, smallish busted models pretty well. It might be an idea to make up some curvier samples too and have more than you will need. You might get the one model with curvy F-sized cups, or at the other end of the scale, a tiny model that swims in anything you try on her.

Kay & Amy backstage at Nightwalk AW12. The Aphrodite outfit that Amy is wearing was cut to a bigger bust size to allow a better view of the bust gores (made from salmon skin leather) and luckily it was a really good fit for Amy.Image copyright Afuah Atuahene 2012

If it’s a show that’s using alternative models or burlesque performers, then you might be faced with more varied sizes, so it’s worth checking with the event organisers for measurements or links to model profiles so you can contact them directly. One thing is sure, though, you won’t be able to produce garments that are tailor-made for those models. There will be some compromise and fudging, but more on that later...

Fitting days

Some (more organised) shows have fitting days in advance of the event - perhaps a week before. This lets you select models, try the items on and go away sure you have a set of girls who will show off your items to their best advantage. Some other shows are a free-for-all on the day of the show, which can be a bit stressful.

When you attend the fitting day make sure you have a clear idea in your head of what body shape your corsets fit. You will most likely be confronted with a line of models that you have to choose from relatively quickly, or you’ll get girls coming over left and right asking for one to wear. You have to be able to assess their shape (allowing for the fact they might have padded bras on – I was caught out with that first time) and match corset to girl quickly and calmly. The whole thing can become a bit like a cattle market and you can feel rather under siege, but it always helps if you have an idea in your head of shape and also colouring/look that will work with your garments. When it comes to it, though, your choice might be limited or you might have models switched on the night because of running orders (remember, you’re most likely to be showing your work alongside other designers who’ll also have to get models in and out of clothes, and do it all in sync). Be ready to compromise and be flexible. These girls will be in your clothes for minutes, they’ll probably be above eye-level and they’ll be moving so if the fit isn’t perfect don’t worry, nobody expects the corsets to look like they were made for them.

You can see here that this corset has a wide modesty panel, needed when it was worn by Tuma Keke Nissi in the picture at the top of the page. However it wasn’t really needed for Vicky Campbell pictured here, as she was used to corsets and of a smaller build.
Image copyright Bartosz Madejski

Preparation

Model’s rails backstage at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Afuah Atuahene 2012

It’s better to be over than under prepared. Try to allow time, but I’ve done all nighters before a show and I’m sure that’s common.  At one show, a fellow designer was doing substantial alterations because the models had been changed at the last minute and nothing fitted. Now that’s stress!

Make sure you have full outfits and match everything up before you leave the house. If you can put things on hangers and in garment bags then you don’t have to worry about creasing so much. You’ll either have a rail per designer or it will be a rail per model. The latter is actually easier as there’s less tripping over each other. Have everything hung and put a hang tag on the hanger with the models name and your name. It’s a good idea to have the inside of the garment labelled with your brand too, in case something gets mislaid. Also an inside label helps to identify the top. I know, but we all know it can happen! The backstage area will get very messy and very busy, so anything that helps things run smoothly is worth doing.

Rails Backstage at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Alison Campbell 2012

Loosen all the laces evenly in advance. Make sure you have extra long laces on any buskless corsets so you aren’t re-lacing. It’s not a bad idea to have wide modesty panels on small corsets, as it allows for more fit variation, however they can get in the way when lacing quickly (a bulldog clip to the corset stops them twisting when they’re on the hanger). Likewise, don’t do anything tricksy that will confuse any dresser other than yourself. For instance: I sometimes cross the lacing on the inside behind the bunny ears for added grip but not on a catwalk piece, as it's way too confusing for someone not used to lacing and in a rush.

If you have anything like sheer skirts, take some plain big knickers for the model to wear over her own. They usually get told to bring black and nude but you can guarantee if you need nude they’ll be wearing black, or the reverse.

If your corsets have suspenders, remember the stockings. The first show I did used a glass catwalk so the girls had to be barefoot for safety, but, one of my corsets had built on suspenders and needed stockings. My solution – nude fencenets. There was something to make sense of the suspender but there was ample skin there to grip the surface so she wouldn’t go flying.

Debay De Lux at the Corinthian Boutique Fashion Show in nude fencenets to keep her safe on the glass catwalk.
Image copyright Faisal Latif 2012

It’s not a bad idea to take chicken fillets for any models that duped you by wearing a super padded bra on the fitting day and who are now way too small for the corset bustline!

Check with the organisers about shoes. They’ll probably have told the models to bring a choice but if you have a particular colour/style in mind, then it can’t hurt to bring a few pairs if you have something to hand. Bearing in mind they’re tall girls and probably take a medium to large shoe size, I’d reckon a UK 6 to 7 to be a good bet. Like the knickers, you can bet you turn up with a pale coloured outfit and the model tells you she just has black shoes!

A good example of a substitution affecting fit. Kasumi Noir was scheduled to model this outfit at the show and as you can see this fits her very well (as it does Lee Ann McCall who modelled it in the Corinthian.
Image copyright Louise Cantwell Photography 2012A last minute change meant Macoula Dembele wore it instead. As you can see she’s far curvier and although it worked ok it is rather too tight on the bust.
Image copyright: Bartosz Madejski

Checklist to take

• All garments (plus perhaps a spare or two if you haven’t had an advance fitting day). Pressed!
• Sundries you may need e.g.  accessories, shoes, stockings, neutral underwear.
• Hangers and labels.
• Water to drink and snacks (it will be a long day).
• Paper and pen.
• A camera – backstage pics are good. There will probably be at least one pro photographer about but it’s never a bad idea to have your own too.
• Business cards or flyers to put out in the venue.
• Chicken fillets, body tape, bulldog clips and safety pins.
• Basic sewing kit and scissors.
• Deodorant, make-up bag and maybe a change of top/clothes for yourself. You will end up hot and frazzled and, depending on the show format, you might have to make an appearance yourself later! You’ll quickly understand why Sarah Burton sticks her head round the curtain at the end of the McQueen show looking a bit untidy with her scissors sticking out her back pocket.

Don’t dehydrate! (alcohol optional!)
Image copyright Alison Campbell 2012

On the day

The shows I’ve done have required me to be there from about 2-3pm for an evening show which started around 8pm. They’ll want time for a run through, to make sure everyone knows where they need to be and what they’re doing. You’ll probably find you have a lull for an hour or two where you can go and get something to eat or nip away to do something else. It varies with the format, but when the models are in hair and make-up, there’s usually time to kill.

Running order notice at Nightwalk AW12 - halfway through should give me plenty time, or maybe not!
Image copyright Bartosz MadejskiLee Ann McCall in make-up at the Corinthian
Image copyright Faisal Latif 2012

Kay Slater Backstage at Nightwalk AW12in the calm before the storm.
Image copyright Bartosz Madejski

You’ll possibly be asked to bring an assistant to help dress. Even if you aren’t it’s not a bad idea to have someone else there who can lace a corset, keep you company and keep you calm.  Depending on the size of the show it’ll either be a muck in and help everyone else affair or each model will be assigned dressers. Either way you’ll need to keep a check on everyone in case any slip through upside down or back to front, so it's invaluable to have an extra pair of hands and eyes around that are familiar with your garments.

Kay Slater Backstage at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Afuah Atuahene 2012Debay De Lux Backstage at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Afuah Atuahene 2012Sian McMullan Backstage at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Afuah Atuahene 2012

As we know, corsets are tricky to get in and out of at speed, so make sure they’ve allowed for that on the running order. There’s no point having a model in your corset who is first up in a skin tight dress with the next designer on the line-up! The organisers should space them out to allow time for the trickier outfits. Going on first makes sense for a corsetmaker, but it’s not the most memorable spot in the show. Just make sure the organisers are aware that corsets take more time.

Sian McMullan at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Bartosz Madejski
Amy Ledger at Nightwalk AW12
Image copyright Bartosz Madejski

Once the show kicks off it will be manic! Organisers yelling, models running about in their underwear, designers getting stressed, dressers getting confused, hairdressers and make-up artists trying to stop their work being destroyed by a tricky neckline. Try to stay calm, as corset lacing doesn’t lend itself to stress. At Nightwalk I was sure I had plenty of time as I was eighth in the running order. Before I knew it, a model was pulling on one of my outfits and then it was as if someone had hit fast forward! I have never laced so quickly in my life. My fingers were burning, but it was also a massive adrenaline rush.

Frantic lacing and total concentration (hence the chin!)
Image copyright Alison Campbell 2012

The models will just let themselves be dressed and prodded, they’re pros at this, so get them in as quickly as you can.  Just watch for things sitting wrong, a lining poking out or (the one that I was caught with due to lacing in a dark corner) a bra left on. Out they go then, and like a flash they’ll be back in to strip again - that’s when it’s really chaotic. Keep scissors handy in case the lacing gets well and truly stuck. It's better to lose a few metres of lacing than never be asked back because you delayed the show!

Your exhausted writer, nervously waiting in line for the designer’s walk. With Amy Ledger in the Aphrodite outfit.
Image copyright Alison Campbell 2012

After that’s all over and you’ve gathered your belongings from the four winds they’ve been flung to, you can enjoy the rest of the show and do a bit of circulating, unless ,of course, you need to get an outfit back on a model again for a walk on at the end (eek!) You can then marvel at how much stress, work and frenetic activity was involved for something that’s over so quickly, although the photos of the show and the impact on the audience will last a lot longer. It’s definitely worth every drop of blood, sweat and tears for such a memorable experience.

Camera, lights, action - Debay De Lux in Crikey Aphrodite at Nightwalk
Image copyright Dominic Martin 2012

With thanks to Fasail Latif, Bartosz Madejski, Dominic Martin Photography, Louise Cantwell and Afuah Atuahene for the use of the photographs. Afuah was also one of the very talented make-up team at Nightwalk. Along with Andii James, Maddi Powell, Mera Fin & Rachel Gallagher. Hair by Sassoon Hair. And, of course, organisers Eris Events and Nightwalk Events.