COUNTDOWN
TO CATWALK“We had 70 models fly into
London for AW19,” says
model booker Daniel Robson.
“So we start arranging flights,
accommodation and visas
months in advance.”
But the creative process
for hair, make-up and nails
starts days or even the night
before a show. “I receive
references in advance but during
the ‘test’ – a sort of trying on
session with a model – we work
up ideas with the designer and
conceive a look that will
complement the collection and
help set a new tone for the
season,” explains Val.
Preparation for leading nail
artists, like Sabrina Gayle, who
worked on Bora Aksu and
Roberta Einer’s AW19 shows,
is painstaking: “If there are 25
to 30 models in a show, I will
prep 350 nail tips. But you never
know exactly what a designer
wants until a few days before.”
And hair stylist Tina
Outen, whose team worked
on 440 models over 14
London shows, explains that
even when hair pieces are
prepared and approved at
the test, they still have to be
cut and colour matched to
the models backstage.
“This was the case at Izzue
[who showed at LFW for the
first time this season]. Luckily
I had a big team with me!”BACKSTAGE
PA S S
Waking up at the crack of dawn, cramped
conditions and uncompromising standards.
But LFW is still a draw for these creativesLONG DAYSIf a fashion show starts at 9am,
the call-time for the hair,
make-up and nail teams to
convene backstage is usually
quite uncivilised. “My earliest
this season was 5.45am, which
was brutal,” says Val. “But I am
used to an early call-time on the
Saturday and then, at the other
end of the day, Gareth Pugh
wouldn’t normally start until
8pm. After that I would have to
get across town to do a fitting for
Erdem at 10pm, followed by a
6am call-time on Sunday. It’s
tough but you always knew it
would be, you just get on with it.”
It’s no wonder 20,000 cups of
espresso were downed during
LFW this year. “There's a frenetic
energy backstage in London,”
according to Val. “I suppose
so much of it is done on a
shoestring, we squeeze every
drop out of everything. You
get invited to all the parties,
yes – but you can’t go. You’ve
got to be ready for the nextCOUNTDOWN
TO CATWALK“We had 70 models fly into
London for AW19,” says
model booker Daniel Robson.
“So we start arranging flights,
accommodation and visas
months in advance.”
But the creative process
for hair, make-up and nails
starts days or even the night
before a show. “I receive
references in advance but during
the ‘test’ – a sort of trying on
session with a model – we work
up ideas with the designer and
conceive a look that will
complement the collection and
help set a new tone for the
season,” explains Val.
Preparation for leading nail
artists, like Sabrina Gayle, who
worked on Bora Aksu and
Roberta Einer’s AW19 shows,
is painstaking: “If there are 25
to 30 models in a show, I will
prep 350 nail tips. But you never
know exactly what a designer
wants until a few days before.”
And hair stylist Tina
Outen, whose team worked
on 440 models over 14
London shows, explains that
even when hair pieces are
prepared and approved at
the test, they still have to be
cut and colour matched to
the models backstage.
“This was the case at Izzue
[who showed at LFW for the
first time this season]. Luckily
I had a big team with me!”BACKSTAGE
PA S S
Waking up at the crack of dawn, cramped
conditions and uncompromising standards.
But LFW is still a draw for these creativesLONG DAYSIf a fashion show starts at 9am,
the call-time for the hair,
make-up and nail teams to
convene backstage is usually
quite uncivilised. “My earliest
this season was 5.45am, which
was brutal,” says Val. “But I am
used to an early call-time on the
Saturday and then, at the other
end of the day, Gareth Pugh
wouldn’t normally start until
8pm. After that I would have to
get across town to do a fitting for
Erdem at 10pm, followed by a
6am call-time on Sunday. It’s
tough but you always knew it
would be, you just get on with it.”
It’s no wonder 20,000 cups of
espresso were downed during
LFW this year. “There's a frenetic
energy backstage in London,”
according to Val. “I suppose
so much of it is done on a
shoestring, we squeeze every
drop out of everything. You
get invited to all the parties,
yes – but you can’t go. You’ve
got to be ready for the next