Last week was fashion week and i headed off to London, to endure four days of hard work! I was in the front of house group, therefore was one of the lucky ones who did not have to start at 6am on Saturday morning! Emily and i headed to the V&A for lunch and then made our way to the Science Museum for our 2.45 start. We had a small briefing on what roles we would be given over the coming 4days and had a tour around the venue (backstage, front of house). We had two events happening in the evening; the first was Hannah Marshalls presentation of her upcoming collection and the second was an exhibition of Justin Smiths hat collection. I loved Hannah Marshalls collection and she was very friendly and approachable. Whilst these two events were going on, i was downstairs on the door greeting and directing guests to the exhibition. The day finished at midnight.
Sunday - Sunday was an early start (8.30), given that we finished late Saturday night! Again we were given the same roles as the night before. It was good being on the door, as you were able to meet new people and help out with enquires, plus being able to spot designer shoes and bags!!!! However, it did get a little boring, your feet killed from standing up for too long, and it would have been nice to experience something else. Aside from this, i was able to watch one of the shows in the afternoon, which was rewarding! The day finished at 9pm.
Monday - Monday was much more interesting than the previous two days, as we were moved around doing different things, other than standing on the door. My first job of the day was to go and buy 8 bags of ice and 4 bottles of tonic water, which was a bit of a struggle to say the least, especially having to drag it onto the tube! Once back, i was told to stand around the exhibition and by the entrance to the catwalk shows. Once the shows had finished we had to quickly clear up ready for the next. I was able to watch the end of the Pam Hogg show, which was brilliant! The evening consisted of a fashion show and an after-drinks party. My role was to stand by the bar, ensuring that no one was to have a drink until the show had been and gone, unless they had a VIP pass. I rubbed shoulders with celebrities including Gok Wan, Jodie Kidd and the Sugababes. The day finished at 10.30.
Tuesday - Tuesday was our last day working at fashion week. I was lucky enough to dress backstage for the Ashley Isham show, which was amazing! My model was called Oskana and she was lovely and helpful when being dressed. Her first outfit consisted of a black polo neck jumper, blue embroidered dress, tights, heels and black gloves. Her second outfit consisted of an a-symmetric white beaded dress, with the same tights and heels as worn before. It was a little tricky getting the polo neck top on and off oksana as her hair was really big and hanging over her head! But apart from that it went ok and it was really fun! For the rest of the day i was able to watch a few of the catwalk shows, help organise gift bags and stand up in the press room/exhibition area. Once the final show had finished, everything had to be de-rigged, which to my surprise didn't take that long! We had a final meeting with the front of house leaders etc and awards were given out. We left around 10.30 with bottles of John Paul Gaultier limited addition water and sample hair products:) To celebrate completing the 4days, 8 of us went out for a late dinner. It was nice to finally have a proper meal!
Overall, it was a great experience working at London Fashion Week. I got to meet new people, designers and celebrites and was given the chance to work backstage. I would definately consider working at fashion week again, however would prefer to work backstage dressing models, as this was the part that i enjoyed the most!
