Sex and Catwalk Shows

Now that I managed to get my password and log-in back for this blog, I'm able to post again. Oh, it was such a hassle but I'm not going to bore you with it ... this time ;-).


I just spent five days or so at London Fashion Week, rushing from one fashion show to another and I'm finally able to sit back and catch some breath. It is quite challenging physically and not an easy thing to accomplish. A while ago, when I had some time to contemplate - okay, this generally happens about 15 minutes before every catwalk show starts when the photographers are ready and stuck in their positions but the audience is still ushered in - I came up with the following: "catwalk shows" and "sex" are very much alike. London "Fashion Week" is probably interchangeable with Paris, Milan and New York "Fashion Weeks" in this respect. What!! Shock, horror!! No, really. And I will tell you why.

Before it all kicks off, the photographers study the schedules and pick the shows they deem interesting and fashionable. More often than once, "normal" fashion show accreditation from the BFC will not suffice. Additional passes have to be obtained and PR executives wooed. These additonal passes add to the show's desireability and in photographer's conversations PR people are quickly transformed into "we always got on well" or the "eternal arch enemy" who will not recognise the quest you're on and deem your agency, magazine or web blog too bloody unimportant to attend. The hype adds to the build-up so badly that you're eventually prepared to kiss Mandy Lennard's feet - not that this is going to get you anywhere near your quest - and you eventually decide to blow it (I love BLOW PR, btw). Foreplay, don't you just love it!

So, the day of the fashion show approaches. You managed to obtain a ticket. You're dead excited. You're wearing your best frog. And why shouldn't you. But you're not quite there yet. Most good spaces will have been taken already. The house photographers will demand their positions, Chris Moore, Mitchell, Ian or the boy from Getty and Reuters will also be squeezing into the best slots. But still, you're somewhere up on the platform and your batteries are fully charged. Eventually, the show starts. The models track up and down the catwalk. Up and down. Over and over again. The camera shutters fire like there is no tomorrow. It builds up to the climax. And then, that's it. After five or ten minutes on the catwalk, if you're lucky, it's all over. The cameras are put away and the house lights come back on.

But it's not all over yet. The speculation begins. Not just with the photographers but also with the audience. Was it worth it?! Was it any good? How was it for you?

Some recent London Fashion Week images can be found here: http://www.vibrantpictures-agency.co.uk/