Fashion Shows: The Making

Setting up Fashion production is extensive and captivating. It's the rendezvous of dancing lights, click-clack of elegant heels, stomping of boots, and avian fabrics.

Below this lies the cacophony of squabbles in storming the dynamic themes and fabling out the storyline. Themes ought to be well thought out because if the audience doesn't understand the theme, the production doesn't leave an impact. At Nakshatra, the fashion society of Hindu College, abstract themes are chosen, such as karma and Maya, which have earned a distinct reputation for society in University of Delhi circuit.

Military precision is needed to plan and execute production because even the smallest mistakes can spell a fashion disaster. A designer usually works with a stylist who selects the looks and briefs the designer on trends and industry movements. But, the stylist is just the first of many involved in a fashion show. There are sound engineers, technical assistants, the director of hair and make-up, and the people behind the planning stages. Also, there is a casting director, the PR team who invites the media, the graphic designers who create the invitations, a sales agency that looks after the buyers, the seamstresses finishing the garments, caterers, security, lighting, runners, and the list goes on.

Colour codes are kept in mind while designing the outfits. Plain fabric is fetched from the market, and designers get them stitched. The whole team prepares props like headdresses that leave an impression upon our audience and give brownie points in the competitions. Backstage managers handle them in the shows with great fragility.

Fashion shows are expensive. The more elaborate and complex the show, the higher the costs increase. To meet the expenditure budgets, are granted, and cash prizes won in the previous shows are utilized economically.

To serve our theme explicitly and to keep the audience engaged, a monologue is written. Music is chosen to create a soundtrack that must go well with the sequence.

After that, the choreography is set up under different show elements: music, tempo, background, lighting, styling, and how models move to implement the show's vision authentically.

Mentors guide the models on different runway walks and help them in best exhibiting the designer's art. Sometimes models are so decked up with long and heavy attires, high heels, and hefty jewellery that walking, and that too with grace and poise, becomes a next to impossible task. They train models to walk with confidence and grace to accentuate the designer's collection by not being too stiff or theatrical.

Once the audience is seated, the lights dim, the music starts, and the atmosphere is transformed into a unique vision. When the first model steps onto the catwalk, the audience becomes transfixed; it is now just about the clothes. If a designer has created something that captures their attention and imagination, the show will have a resounding success.

Nakshatra is self-reliant, so the team manages everything which goes into production from scratch. It is essential for two reasons. Firstly, developing a show gives professional experience to youngsters looking for careers in modelling, designing, or styling and fostering a vibrant fashion culture on college campuses. Secondly, to leave an incessant impact and set loose the waves of our message in the attire of art to flood open our viewer's minds' doors!

-- Palak