Alright, guys, I'm back from LA, with some time to settle down and catch up on sleep. It was a crazy fall taking two solo trips to meet up with Kristi in New York and Los Angeles. While it wasn't totally out of my comfort zone, it was definitely far out of my realm of reality-- I mean, I'm a stay-at-home mom to three boys four and under, living in the northern-most part of Wisconsin, and I don't even break 5'4". I've never been to NY or LA, me-time is completely non-exist (save for the rare occasions my kids let me go the bathroom by myself), and if I'd ever let you see my high school yearbook pictures, you wouldn't be surprised that I've never dreamed of being a model. But, what I will tell you about me, is that I do have a great love of adventure, I relish in getting to do new things, and I've actually done a ton of theatre and am an absolute ham for the camera. So, needless to say, I was 100% positively over-the-moon excited about these trips.
I was supposed to do a post about New York, but I'm going to be honest- I was a little over-whelmed. The city, the experience. But I had a blast with my sister-in-law being touristy. One of my favorite parts was just sitting in the lobby at the Roosevelt Hotel. You can see up into the mezzanine outside of the ballroom, where models and designers would be waiting in line for the stage. It was SO cool to see the other collections (some of them super-crazy).
It was super fun meeting Kristi for the first time. She got in late, so I went down to the hotel lobby to meet her in pajamas, haha! Meeting people from the sewing world *in real life* was amazing. Many of them I felt like I already knew.
Okay, so here's how it goes backstage: you get there 5-6 hours before show time.
Initial "yay" excitement. Whoo-hoo!
Everyone eyes up the clothing rack, wondering which gem you get to wear.
Hair, make-up. Everyone helps out, getting things done.
Get dressed.
In the case of LA, get laced up!
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!
Now wait.
And wait.
And wait.
AND WAIT.
Go get in line. Wait some more.
Holy crap, it's happening. It's almost my turn.
BLACK OUT
What just happened? I did it!!
More photos.
Honestly, so many of us exited the stage and we were all, "I have no idea what I just did". Haha!
I thought I wouldn't be nervous. I've been on stage in front of hundreds of people. I've sang, I've danced, I've been L'il Bit in How I Learned to Drive. I mean, I've put myself out there for a crowd before.
But this, oh my goodness, was I nervous! I couldn't believe I'd be nervous about this, compared to so many other things I've done on stage, but there we are.
And then, I take my first step on the catwalk, and my stupid shoes were slick. So I know I was walking all stiff. You're walking right towards a whole lot of camera flashes. Pose. Hold. Pose again. Walk back. Should be easy, right? Haha!
Honestly, I had way more fun in LA. Maybe it was the relaxed SoCal mindset, but I probably just felt better because it wasn't all brand new to me. For all that hurrying up and waiting, obviously, the actual show goes SO fast. All that hype, then you blink and it's over!
The coolest parts about these trips were the people and the creativity.
It really was unbelievably fun meeting and getting to know people in real life.
And I have to say, it was downright inspirational being backstage. Seeing all the hard work and and creativity the designers put into their designs: it's awe-inspiring.
I love that Kristi opened it up to her group for us to model for her. Being a part of George + Ginger has been one of my favorite parts of the on-line sewing community. Thank you to her for letting me be a part of it and thank you to all of YOU for your love and support too!
Check out the official photos in the George + Ginger group:
xoxo
Molly
Molly