Three weeks to go before Canberra’s FASHFEST 2014 kicks off and runway rehearsals went on from dawn to dusk at Zoo Advertising’s underground carpark on Sunday. Who ever though being a model was just about wearing beautiful clothes and being snapped should try a day in their shoes. FASHFEST models handpicked to walk the runways in Canberra’s four week event tirelessly rehearsed every night of the upcoming fashion event in the space of just one day – in sky high heels, no less!

Yours truly was invited for a look behind the scenes. It was a unique insight into all the planning and preparation that we don’t get to see. To think that it’s all for a short walk up and down the catwalk, might seem excessive, but there are so many complexities that you have to plan – when each model will come out, where they will stop and pose (and how), where they will look when they reach the end of the runway (because the cameras are all waiting to get that money shot), how many shows they will, and can, walk for. Clearly, models who are required to walk back to back shows must have their hair and makeup redone in record time, so the coordinators have to think about what kind of hair and makeup styles would make it easiest to transform to the next look, and the order to place the models so that enough time is allowed for this, with outfit changes.

FASHFEST has a keen interest in developing local model talent, and many of the models chosen to walk in this year’s shows had little to no runway experience. FASHFEST models were given the opportunity to attend modelling sessions in the lead up to FASHFEST, and  Sunday’s rehearsals was yet another learning experience. The teaching techniques were fun to watch. Models were asked to jog in a circle to – I later found out – learn how to synchronize movements. Extra office chairs were brought down to the carpark space to mark key key points of the proximate runway where they are required to stop and pose.

From where I was watching it was already looking extremely polished. Now for the rest of us it’s just a three week wait left for the show to begin!

 FASHFEST will be held on four nights between 30 April and 3 May 2014. Get your tickets here before they sell out!

Also, read my post detailing all the types of tickets up for grabs.

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