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| Image by Rob Sheppard. |
With the bank holiday service on offer by London transport, I was late! Super late in fact....not the fashionably late, I wouldn't have minded being.
I was so late, it ment on arrival it was a quick dash to backstage to try to set up and meet the models and the team behind the whole event who had up until this point I had only had email and telephone contact with. No posing on the red carpet for me- boo!
Backstage was mayhem! But for a show this size it was to be expected!
All in all, it seemed to me like such a great event; an amazing platform for Dancing Dolls UK: who definitely did not disapoint with its runway debut of the 'Closet Princess' Collection.... Yes- I said that, and maybe I am being biased in saying so. But, I have seen the tweets, emails and comments that have been coming in since the show.
We went mad for the Dancing Dolls collection yesterday by @PaulinahNes. Think urban dancewear turned high street!
— gossipdrip.com (@gossipdrip) April 9, 2012
@PaulinahNes smashed the catwalk with Dancing Dolls x check there website out x stir on the catwalk ! Powerful x thanks for being involved x
— Adam Ryan (@AdamRyan_) April 10, 2012
@PaulinahNes @EssexFashionWk And what an amazing collection it was! Loved modelling for you ;) xxx
— Jane England (@JaneEnglandP) April 10, 2012
"@PaulinahNes: #DancingDollsUK! Pow!" Absolutely wicked brand ;) x"Was great meeting you on Sunday and I must say again your collection was amazing best of the day!" Layla Flaherty (ScouseWives)
— Simon Ryan (@SimonRyan_) April 10, 2012
"Amy (Childs) loves your brand!" Julie Childs (mother-Amy Childs)
I also gave out business cards a plenty- with a lot of talk of music videos in the air- now I don't know, if this is coming from people with big music video or little music video backing, if you get my drift!
So that is just a waiting game there.
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| Image by Rob Shepperd. 'Midas' mini dress |
But hey! I will say this- though, Layla Flaherty of E4s 'Scousewives', Amy Childs and her mother: all got love for Dancing Dolls UK, so who knows what possibilities can arise from there!
Talking of 'celebs', there was a fair few in what Essex has to offer. I am not a celeb hunter, but I do understand, how important they are to a small growing brand, such as mine, so it was definitely good opportunity for me to push my much improved networking skills.
For, all those who care, in terms of what the Brits consider 'celebs'. I saw a few including some of the TOWIE gang and even took a couple of pictures with the likes of Amy Childs, Gillian O'Toole (Scousewives) and a few others.
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| Me with Gillian O'Toole (ScouseWives) and Rylan Clarke (Signed by Katie Price) |
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| Amy Childs and myself-not my most flattering pic :-/ |
I remember seeing other TV hoppers like Louise Glover (Glamour girls), her fellow glamour model counter part, whose name refuses to enter my brain and Kirk Norcross, and thinking: 'he/she looks familiar, where do I know them from?'
Obviously, I don't know them. I've just seen them on the TV! Ha ha!
'Celebs', extraordinary amounts of fake tan, eyelashes, hair extensions and all the rest of the Essex razzmatazz aside. I do have my little niggles that I have to air too.
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| 'Envy me-reloaded' hooded swimsuit. Image by Rob Sheppard |
To be fair it looks pretty hot without a hood. Yes- I am allowed bragging rights, on this occaision!
Having said this- on the downside, fitting the models for the very first time, between them rehearsing for other brands, hair and make up was not fun at all- which of course is my own fault!
But, it ment that my usual big shpeel of 'how to' and 'how not to' wear the garments....and' what to do' and 'what not to do' was not severely drummed into the models heads prior to the wearing of my collection on the runway.
And on finding out the models were all volunteers and not all professional models, as I had expected. I wish I had drummed 'garment wearing points' very clearly into their heads!
Do not get me wrong the models were fantastic- wonderful to work with and extremely pleasant. However, an experienced model can wear a balloon, a sack or even a cage and most times safely work and walk the runway, ensuring that press get the all important money shot for the designer.
On seeing some of the images and footage from the event- this was not the case, as some of my dresses where captured gathered up by the models knees! Yikes! We are talking about long gowns that didn't transalate as long gowns in the images for this reason.
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| Image by Rob Shepphard |
Now, lets not get it twisted here: I am not slating, any of the models and this should be a learning curb for all models- up & coming or aspiring.
They looked great, but there is a reason why pro- models are paid to do what they do. Even tough,, having said that, pro-models or not; the models used for the event, should have been paid, for all their time/effort. That is what I assumed part of my hard earned cash was paying for! And boy did they deserve it!
But to all the team behind Essex Fashion week, I cannot thankyou enough! Now I guess, its over to me now to work hard on chasing all the leads that the twins, Simon and Adam Ryan, their business partners Ali Salim and Joe Sealey have opened for me in allowing Dancing Dolls UK to grace their show at Essex Fashion
