by Brittani Gural
Brittani is a senior marketing major from Holmdel, New Jersey.

Imitation of Christ Fashion Week Show Fall 2006

Olympus Fashion Week is one of New York City's most exciting, entertaining, and fashionable times of the year. With celebrities roaming the town, designer after-parties, and lots of paparazzi, who wouldn't want to be involved behind the scenes?

As a freshman, I knew I had to get my foot in the door fast. I volunteered for everything I could, but it wasn't easy to be selected. After taking the Fashion Show Production class offered at LIM, my professor (who owned her own production company) asked me to help her (front of house) at The World According to Jess show. After that, my passion for shows grew.

Since my first fashion show (dressing for The Worth show), I have dressed for designers such as Custo Barcelona, Oscar de la Renta, Carmen Marc Valvo, and Imitation of Christ. I was even head dresser for Doo Ri, where I was responsible for all the dressers and the clothes.

Every show has a different energy and rhythm. You have to be on your toes at all times and you never know what could happen in the five minutes that the show lasts. Each designer I've worked with has a different personality, which reflects in their clothes and in their runway show.

I have been in many unusual situations, such as running after the models and pinning and buttoning them until they are practically on the runway. I've also had my head used as a support by 6-foot tall models. Some models are nervous, while others are self-absorbed -- either way you only have to spend an hour with them.

The celebrities you see backstage are the designers themselves, who are usually swamped by the press. The press are always intense, pushing their way through the clothing racks or snapping demands at you to move out of the way or hold up garments to be filmed.

For two hectic weeks a year, Olympus Fashion Week brings out the good, the bad, and the ugly -- but who wouldn't want to be there?