Backstage pass: Beyond the runway

Working behind the scenes at Service in Style's "Fashion Speaks" show last Friday, I learned that the clothes may be breezy and the models pretty, but fashion isn't easy.

Before the show, while the models spent the day getting their hair and makeup done at the local boutique La Jolie, I joined other volunteers for a pre-show denim sale. I legitimately feared for my safety when the sale began, as dozens of Princeton undergrads — not to mention pre-frosh — fought for their right to cheap jeans. The mere thought of Citizens for Humanity jeans for $30 turned girls into wild, territorial animals, and I was the only thing between them and that perfect pair. Within an hour, only Abercrombie boot-cuts and leftover Levis remained.

As a member of the sponsorship committee, I was tasked with helping the models dress. At first, my job was pretty simple: I stood around while girls put on their own clothing and was occasionally asked to hold safety pins. I comforted models fretting over the absence of backstage mirrors and brushed some loose strands in place. Besides feeling particularly short and in need of a trip to the gym, I thought that everything was running smoothly.

After a half hour, Service in Style chairwomen Arianne Lovelace '08 and Courtney Brein '08 finished going over last-minute details, and the models danced to techno as the crowd began to file in on the other side of the tent. The show finally started, and the first set of models hit the catwalk.

Then the hard work began. Now that the show was underway, some models had only a minute to change. As the clothing gradually shifted to the more complicated and the more expensive, and the lag times grew briefer, both double-sided tape and our help became essential. Crises ensued when one girl couldn't find her heels and when two models couldn't find their Service in Style tees for the final walk. Two volunteers quickly obliged, lending the shirts off their backs and huddling uncomfortably in jeans and a coat.

Living in a college town where many students choose sweats for class has left me fashion deprived, and the fashion show was a great opportunity to see some beautiful clothes, off the racks and glossy pages and on real girls. Of course, I had a few favorites. Kristen Badal '09, wearing her hair in soft ringlets, looked gorgeous in a waist-highlighting cream shirtdress with flared skirt. Erica Duke '08 rocked an intricate kelly-green Stella McCartney dress. And Autumn Anderson '07 pulled off a psychedelic chiffon confection that made me miss the hibernating sun. For me, these fashions stood out not only because the dresses looked gorgeous, but because they truly flattered the girls who wore them.

Perhaps the hardest part of frantically working backstage was missing the show. Though I peeked through the curtains to see the opening and closing, for the most part I had to rely on the sounds of the audience to gauge our success. Each model elicited cheers and applause, with some of the shirtless male models receiving notably louder screams. The sounds of jingling belly dancers and a cappella groups signaled a break in the schedule and a moment for me to relax.

One voice floating from the other side of the curtain stood out. Glenn Tringali, senior vice president of Autism Speaks, the organization that benefited from the sale of tickets and shirts, came onstage to thank the Princeton community for its support. He reminded us all that the 1.5 million American children and adults suffering from Autism would have been overwhelmed by the colors, sounds and energy of our show.

As the models headed off to celebrate their success, we volunteers were left with a greater appreciation of why we were there. As easily dismissed as fashion can be, the glitter of our show had a higher purpose.