Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

In the career landscape, fashion is something of a Liberty Island calling upon the poor, tired and huddled masses yearning to breathe Italian leather and hairspray. Once through the golden door of fashion though... is the grass really that much greener? Swide investigates a few of these fashionable professions. this week, the model dresser.

WHAT

Not Kate Moss or a model with a dress sense but the people who come into play in the very last minutes before a catwalk show, with the task to dress, accessorise and prepare the models into catwalk perfection. Legend has it some even carry snacks to feed any model whose one-apple-a-day diet might compromise chances to make it down the catwalk and back without fainting. Of course in most cases models come back for a second round with generally less than a minute's time and that is why all hell might break loose and the dressers really shine under pressure.

WHO

Apart from the odd student, one cannot survive on dressing models alone and so for most it is merely a side activity/reward after months of slaving on the collection and its completion to perfection in the design studio. Having followed the garments since the beginning, it actually feels like a reward to be waving the final goodbye before it experiences its few minutes of fame.

"It feels really rewarding to see a dress you have worked on being worn by an actual person, it makes all the long hours worth it, it's really quite emotional and it totally feeds your passion and you strive to do even more."

WHERE

The dresser's natural habitat is the backstage where models can be found roaming freely in bathrobes waiting to be hunted down, tamed and dressed.

WHEN

On very punctual occasions, aka fashion week; before the show and most significantly during the show for the all-important outfit change. The dresser's journey does continue on after the show as well when models and celebrities are toasting with champagne and the clothes need to be stored safely back in their plastic covers, and accessories back in their respective boxes.

WHY

In theory a grown woman should be able to get dressed on her own but then this is the catwalk and every inch of fabric should fall in exactly the right place for that flawless finish (the photographers' lenses won't miss a single detail). That and the time factor for which it is essential for the models not to have to rely on their own skills alone. And since most dressers work on the design team they know better than anyone exactly how the garments are meant to be worn.

CHALLENGES

Time constraints aside there aren't many: the models can sometimes lack in sympathy and vitality, and the infamous fashion week crash diets can lead to garments no longer fitting the way the ought to, hence the all-important tool kit!

Always prepared!

PERKS

Being backstage, experiencing the slight celebrity factor of running into a model that is a household face or a frequent cover star, and the anecdotes.

 

 

SWIDE'S RATING:

STRESS FACTOR: 2/5 for the first outfit, 5/5 for the outfit change
FUN FACTOR: 3/5 for the chance to experience the atmosphere backstage
WOW FACTOR: 1.5/5 if one is a model dresser alone (not overly impressive), 4.5/5 if one's day job is designer for a hgih-end fashion house
X FACTOR: 1/5 on the women's shows (unapproachable), 3.5/5 on the men's (approachable enough)

 

With special thanks to the lovely team at D&G!

 

Aurelie Bellavigna

 

Photo credits: Luca Cannonieri

TAGS: fashion jobs fashion third degree model's dresser catwalk show backstage dolce&gabbana d&g models