HOT DAMN!!! The Plus Size Fashion Showcase FINALLY HAPPENED!! After months of planning and working towards this goal Liz(With Wonder and Whimsy) and I held our event this past Sunday. 10 fabulous brands were featured, we had food, drinks and a photo booth. The event was a smash hit!! We sold out all of our tickets, and couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out!
Guests arrived at the event and were greeted with swag bags stuffed full of branded merchandise, FabUPlus magazine, hair ties, journals, selfie sticks and a water bottle. They were able to pick up their drink tickets and be checked off the guest list. We made sure to have all of our bases covered, from the “Girls Run The World” playlist to the decor, we wanted the ladies at the event to have a blast! We set up the room so that guests could be seated at a table or they could mix and mingle.
We planned the runway presentation for the middle of the event, so that the models could mix and mingle with the guests and chat about their different looks and answer any questions. Liz and I both felt strongly that this be a presentation more than a “Runway event’ where you see the looks one time and thats it. We wanted the guests and models to mingle and generate conversation based on plus size fashion.
Maurices, shop locally at the Maurices Brighton, Ann Arbor or Howell locations
For the Plus Size Fashion Showcase, Liz and I divided up many of the tasks. For our first event we decided that I would walk in the show and she would MC. So naturally our post show recaps would show two different perspectives on the event. For more details on each look, and a description of each brand head on over to withwonderandwhimsy.com, Liz outlined each look and blogged what she talked about at the event!
Model Perspective
What I really want to talk about is modeling. What was it like walking in the show? How did I prepare? What are my thoughts as a real girl trying out a models job.
What was it like walking in the show?
It was a BLAST! I had been practicing, and attempting to channel Gigi and Kendal for a few days before the show. But I got out there and just tried to smile and stand tall and show off the different aspects of my look. I think the biggest part for me was not getting in a rush, my nerves had me wanting to walk as quickly as I could there and back. But I really tried to think about taking my time. True Story : the day before the show I had some Beyonce on as loud as it could go and I was STRUTTING my stuff around the house, trying to figure out exactly how to “model” lol.
How did I prepare?
From a couple of years of blogging I have learned that half the battle of good photos is having your hair, skin and nails on point. The biggest thing I did to prep for “The Runway” was to remain vigilant on my nightly skin care routine, no nights off, no sleeping with my makeup on. The day of the event, I did a conditioning treatment on my hair, and doubled up on my lotions lol.
Additional Thoughts
I would definitely walk the runway again, but I really would like some lessons. I think that it is so easy to watch fashion shows and think “Oh yeah” I can do that. But really you get out there and transferring what you think you can do to what is actually happening is REALLY HARD. Again, I am going to reference blogging. when you are in front of the camera, and behind the computer screen there is a safety net. You can really control the narrative, and the view your reader will have. In live action situations(like runway shows), you have to prepare ahead of time as best you can and the rest is in the wind.
Liz and I are so thankful to everyone that supported this event! From the brands that believed in us to the beautiful ladies that attended. We could not have made this dream a reality without you.