Working for Baby, the Stars Shine Bright!

Phew! Incoming from the home stretch, Innocente Seraphim – InnoSera, the northwest’s first Lolita & BJD convention – is finally over! I’m still nursing my feet and sorting through the weekend’s photos, so I figured now was the perfect time to settle in with a cup of tea and write up the report for you, my wonderful readers!

I ended up working as an alternate for the Baby the Stars Shine Bright fashion show, which made a switch from my previous role in New York City as an Alice and the Pirates model. Working backstage was quite the trip – a way to get an inside peek of how a real lolita brand puts together a show. Since myself and my good friends Miss Julia and Miss Lumpy run the lolita events of Connecticon, it was very much the learning experience. How is a real lolita fashion show put together? In case this wasn’t made clear, the answer is: a lot of work!

First the girls were gathered and sorted out according to outfit. Baby had a master list of coordinates they had brought, each with its designated accessories and shoes; then they paired the girls to the outfits according to who seemed right. After this, everyone tried on their clothes for fit. I’ve never seen such complicated outfits! Not only were their the usual pieces you could buy in stores, like the recently released horoscope print from Alice and the Pirates, but also the fantastic showpieces made specially, like a long-trained wedding dress and a sweet print studded with swarovskis. I made one girl, Kelsey, my special project to get her in and out of her main outfit, as it included three petticoats, a pair of bloomers, and two separate hoop panniers! Not only that, but the outfit was originally designed to be worn with tights! The effect was splendid, but cut down the time between changes and it’s quickly realized why you need backstage help. Add in one girl’s belled jester shoes, another corset lacing, and everybody’s bows, and you get the picture. But I have to admit – the outfits were gorgeous and definitely worth the extra complications.

After the initial fitting the girls were herded downstairs for hair and makeup. Curls were dished out by the dozen and false eyelashes applied by a team of professional hair and makeup artists while everyone was provided with lunch. The stylists only asked for one payment – to see the show, VIP, and attend that afternoon’s tea party! They were very sweet and interested in the style, asking for feedback and our viewpoint on the aesthetic.

Commencing after we fumbled our way through several full-change run-throughs, to the beat of what seems to be Baby's idea of runway music: Japanese pop-ified Disney songs. My favorite is Ayumi Hamasaki's rendition of Some Day My Prince Will Come from Snow White.

And then, of course, the actual show occurred! Unfortunately I wasn't able to see it, as I was busy pinning and unpinning (the fastest I've ever learned to remove a girl's clothes, hurr hurr); but after the show, everyone was called forward and I asked Uehara-san, the main designer, to be in a photo with me. In the photo above you can see the beautiful flowers she was presented with! I am very pleased to say that the translator told her about my work in New York and she personally thanked me, which made all the of the effort quite worth it. Not only that, I took away great information and met some wonderful girls. Plus, of course, my new Baby purchases - glitter star Alice and the Pirates socks and Merry Castle Sweets skirt in a gorgeous mint crepe fabric.

One of the models also ran the Sunday show for showcasing American lolitas in their own personal style, and I decided to give that some love - and my wonderful pet project style, fairyloli! Baby's designers seemed to like the look, too - they were in the VIP section of the audience and waving their deco'd out cameraphones like no tomorrow!

I'll be discussing InnoSera in general and InnoSera's doll section shortly in another post, but suffice to say - hope to see you again next year!

Labels: event

posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 12:50 AM