LIM College

Fashion Week, for me, is one of the most exciting times of the year. And lucky for me it come around twice a year. Last semester I almost went crazy with anticipation for the event. I am majoring in Fashion Merchandising but I want to focus on Fashion Show Production and Event Planning, so, needless to say, I drool at the thought of being behind the scenes at a major fashion show.

Last semester I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer at a ton of shows and get the feel for volunteering for PR companies and designers. A few of the shows were for dressing positions where you are backstage and help the models get changed and into their next looks, and a few were for front of house positions where you are seating people, checking the guest list and putting together information packets. No matter where you’re working within a show you are making so many connections and learning so much all at the same time.

This semester’s Fashion Week was an entirely different story, though. Not saying that my experiences were bad in any way, but they were MUCH different. I appreciate any opportunity to learn about event planning and show production so when I got the email about how a few designers needed help at their shows I was all over it. For Fall/Winter 2010 I volunteered for three different shows in the span of three days.

The first show I helped at was for a menswear designer named Andrew Buckler. I was excited because I had never worked for a menswear designer before and I was excited to help. The day started at 8 a.m. and wasn’t over until 1:30 a.m. First, we got everything set up at the building, waited for all the models to arrive, got them set up in hair and makeup, put all the looks out onto the racks, got the models into their first looks, did the run-through for the presentation, did the presentation (which lasted about 3 hours), tore everything down from the presentation, cleaned the building for the after-party, set up for the after-party, then staffed the after-party. I didn’t get out of the cab in front of the dorms until 1:30 a.m. I was so sore and tired the next day, but I was so happy I had taken the volunteer opportunity.

Not only was it great experience and fun to do, but I also got an internship offer from Buckler for the work that I did. This is just one example of the opportunities that LIM College offers to its students, but in my opinion it is one of the best. Next up… Bridal Week!