…………………………..I know many of you are curious about just what it takes to put on a runway show. I should say that every designer has his or her own process, procedure and method for putting on a show. I should also say that over the years many shows have changed in how the clothes are shown, and in general the amount of “looks” shown has been greatly reduced…though there are still some, thank God, who put on big productions…..They cost a fortune as mine always did…..My training was handed down from Anne Klein herself. The way I did shows is similar to the way she did her shows. Of course once we took the shows out of the show room many things changed, and it got much more complicated….It all starts with the clothes…..the inspiration, the message and the mood of the collection. Designing clothes for a show never ends….At the 11th hour I would put into work new things that I thought were absolutely fabulous, exciting and had to be made! My head sample makers didn’t always agree with me, but I pleaded a lot. I had to keep them happy, and they wanted to keep me happy too. The amount of work was staggering…..I had worked with them for years and we were family…………There are so many things that go into creating a show. As the clothes get made and finished I’m always putting looks together…mixing this with that, trying this shoe or that boot…tights or no tights…..First, months before the collection was finished all of the foot wear had to be ordered. It took a long time to manufacture the shoes, sandals, boots etc in all the colors and fabrics need. We had to decide what sizes and in which colors to order the foot wear long before we even knew what models were going to be used. It was always a crap shoot. There were always shoes we need more of, and ones we ordered too many of, but the die was cast. Sometimes we could order a small group of shoes to be rushed from Italy…..If necessary a model would have to switch with another model……but that is all worked out much later……..A venue had to be chosen and booked well in advanced….I used a wonderful room in the NYC Library called the Celeste Bartos Forum which the above show took place in. I also used the grand promenade at Lincoln Center. For one show we use the Winter Garden Theater on the set of “Pacific Overtures”, but that’s a story in its’ self….The decision which venue would work best for the collection was always difficult….Once I made the decision it was booked for the night before and the day of the show….usually from 5am to 7pm, which gave them time to set up before the 8am rehearsal and time to tear it all down…….The first meetings, again a month or two in advance, were with the set designer, and the man responsible for the music……Sometimes the sets were very elaborate, and sometimes simple. I had a Roman ruin with columns created for one show, and I had the ruins of Pompeii recreated for another, with wall paintings, and tile mosaic floors. We would have long discussions of the look I was going for. The set designer and his team would then go off and do renderings, and show me mini maquettes of what they were thinking. There were usually 4 to 5 meetings, and sometimes more until a final set was decided……Then the music….that was an ordeal! Today they pick one or two instrumentals and repeat it over and over. Keep in mind today’s shows in general are much shorter…showing 40 to 50 looks. At the beginning of my tenure at AK Donna and I used to show 180 to 200 plus looks !!!!…but we used to show two, three or four models at a time on the runway. Towards the end of my time at AK 75 to 100 looks was the max, and some thought that was too long and needed editing…….The show was usually broken up in segments of clothes, and each segment had its’ own music, but all of the music had to work together so it didn’t sound schizophrenic. Jeff, was my music guy. He was young, and had a wonderful personality….most of the time….until I drove him crazy! He was up on all the latest music and the old as well. He knew his music. The girls all waited with anticipation for Jeff to come. Not only was he young, but very handsome too. At first I wondered why all four of the sales girls stayed late to hear the music, and then it was explained to me by Jac it wasn’t the music they stayed for….I could be dense sometimes!!! We always met after hours, and we would all sit in the show room to listen to what Jeff brought in…..My assistants, my sales manager, the sales people, and always Jac and Susan Reedy. Susan was another model I did looks on. Sometimes in went really well and sometimes it was very frustrating…. Jac and Susan would walk in the showroom as if they were on a runway to each song played….They were very vocal, but when they saw Jeff was getting frustrated Jac would just give me a look and I knew she didn’t like it…..Jeff would leave many an evening with his tail between his legs and go off in search of more music….Music was very important! The models had to love it, and they had to be able to walk to it. It was an emotional thing, and set the whole mood of the show. The audience had to love it too. It couldn’t be annoying, or painful to listen to. Believe me I’ve been to shows where the music was horrible. Usually we would be working on the music until the last minute. Finally, Jeff always came through and I was happy…he was happy…we were all happy…He would make copies of the songs for me to listen to over and over before the show so that it was embedded in my brain…Then Jeff had to make separate tapes, yes tapes, of each song. He would have two tape decks at the show, and he synchronize the music to each segment of the show. This was fine tuned at the rehearsal…..The music was done!….Check!!!…… Now for the lighting designers. Once the set was decided and a finished maquette was ready a meeting took place with the set designers and the head lighting designer who also did the video of the show.. The set designer knew exactly how they thought the set should be lit. There were always discussions about the best options and what was possible. They were very clever when it came to dramatic lighting ideas. They discussed the opening when the room was in total darkness and the music would start and just how the lights would come up, and if there should be lighting changes between segments….At that point I was already thinking about how I wanted to stage the show…..I absolutely NEVER had people come in who’s jobs it was to stage shows. I had a vision and that’s how I wanted it done without interference… Jeff was always there for these final meetings…….set, lighting and music….the three main elements of what the show would look and sound like….These elements set the mood and the message….Every season I would have the same argument with the lighting designer, who as I said also did the videos… He wanted bright daylight flood lights which would be perfect for the video…but it was too harsh on the models and the clothes on the runway. I always had to have him put warm gels on the lights so the models looked beautiful….I cared more about how the show looked than the video!!…and it was MY SHOW!!!!!Now casting the show!!! What models I would use was always a challenge. I booked the models for the DAY!! which meant from 8:00am until 5:00pm, They weren’t allowed to leave to do other designers shows so this always caused some hard feelings with other designers, but they all knew Thursday was the day Anne Klein shows always were…so if these models were important to them they didn’t plan their shows opposite me. I wasn’t trying to be difficult or mean spirited, but I had two rehearsals….one for staging where the models came out just holding their outfits so I knew what they were wearing, and then a full dress rehearsal……I would stage each segment and who was to feed out and when. The models took notes as well as my assistants who would be at the two entrances to the stage so in case a model forgot where or what to do they were told. After we did this rehearsal….we had the full dress rehearsal where the lighting and music cues were established and finalized…At the entrances to the stage there were closed circuit TVs so they could see what was happening on the stage, and knew when to send out the next model….this was all timed at the rehearsal….They also wore head phones so they could speak to the two Jeffs and knew when the lighting and music cues were happening……..I just couldn’t have the models leaving for other shows. It was difficult enough to corral 30 plus models who weren’t listening to me. I used a MEGAPHONE, and ultimately I had a sore throat at the end of the day….Lots of hot water with lemon or honey was needed and I was well supplied by my staff….When the final rehearsal was finished, which could take a long and grueling time, the models took their break for lunch, and the hair and make up people would get to work……..For each collection I would choose a hair designer and a make up artist to work with. We would meet weeks before the show, and I would show them the clothes. Jac and Susan would put outfits on so they knew the “look and colors”of the collection. Then we would sit and discuss their ideas and my ideas. I knew a lot about make up after working for years with true geniuses in their fields. I worked with the absolute best. I had a strong feeling about the way I wanted the models to look, but these were artists at the top of their game and I was always open to their suggestions. They knew everything new that was happening around the world…They also used to love to do my shows because I used the most beautiful models…all of the super models. When they came up with a “look” they would come in and show me sketches of faces with the actual make up colors on the paper….then they would do the make up and hair on Jac and Susan for me to approve. Jac was blond and Susan was brunette so they showed me how they would vary the make up, but still make it all look unified. Once we were all in agreement they gave Jac and Susan a set of the make up so they could do the “show” make up as we did the looks….In the mean time I worked with Connie and a girl named Nancy on the press release, and the gift bags….I left the seating arrangements up to Connie, Joe [my sales manager] and Nancy……They new exactly where Vogue, Harpers,WWD, the NY Times, Saks 5th Ave, I Magnins , Bergdorfs and celebraties etc. etc should sit……..Choosing the models. There were always a list of models that I would use for every show probably 20 to 25 or so. Depending on the show and how big it was I used between 30 and 35 models…PHEW!!!! Then Connie Francis, my publicist and PR person, would book “go sees”. Appointments would be made to see each and every model even the girls I always used. I wanted to check them out to see if there were any surprises….Linda Evangelista, during a period, changed her hair color every season, so I wanted to see for myself what the new color was…It would determine what clothes she would wear. I had to be sure the models were the same size so when I assigned the clothes I knew they would fit. My head sample assistant, Teresa, took measurements of each model which she wrote down in a book.. We sometimes had to make some adjustments and alterations to the samples. Some of the girls lost weight and the waist band had to be adjusted…or the clothes had to be taken in…..like wise some gained and that had to be adjusted too. It was never extreme because they all usually fit perfectly in the clothes that had been fitted on Jac….but everything had to fit properly. The only shock I had was when one of my favorite models came in and proudly showed me [bra off] that she had her boobs made bigger…OK I chose clothes for her that would work for her new body….but the next season she had them made even bigger….much bigger…..I canceled her…..Inevitably Connie would get a phone call from one of the girl’s agents asking if I could release her to do another show. If a model did the looks for that designer or had a very special relationship with a designer we would agree that she could do it, but no one else could know or it would start a revolution! They always managed to sneak out with out causing any suspicion…..Then I had to see the “new girls”…the ones who just started, and the models who were coming in from Europe. The models that their agents said were “HOTHOTHOT” and I had to see them!! Well I didn’t want to miss someone who was HOTHOTHOT, so I saw them all. Sometimes if Connie knew they just weren’t for me she would have them wait in her office and she would bring their portfolio in for me to see. 9 times out of 10 I would agree with Connie, but once in a while I would want to see them in person….and once in a while I would book these unique looking girls…..I would have Connie put them in an outfit and they would walk for me in the show room. If I didn’t like them I would give Connie a sign, and she would thank them very much and off they went. If I did like them I would have them try on a few more outfits so I could see what suited them. Eventually the show was completely cast, and sometimes that was a few days before the show….Once in a blue moon a model had to cancel and we had to choose a substitute…and twice in my entire career a model came in drunk…at 8AM!!!…..She was asked to leave, and the agency was called immediately. We got a substitute….While ALL of these meetings and go sees are going on I’m working on the collection and doing looks…..Jac, Susan, my assistants and I worked day and night getting the looks for the show done. When a look was finished all of the accessories were put into an accessories bag and hung with the outfit. These “accessory bags” went into long clear garment bags that the looks would eventually go into also. A list was written on each long garment bag of what was in the bag so the dressers knew what to look for. There was also a polaroid scotched taped to the bag of either Jac or Susan in the look so there was no question of what the model should look like. Once the look was finalized it was taken into the show room and hung on the rails that went all the way around the room. Then I started to group them, and put them in order for the way I wanted to show them….It grew and grew and grew. It got pretty crowded, but it was getting exciting as I perused the room and looked at all of the clothes….These rails were normally used by the sales staff to hang the clothes on when showing to buyers……Once the show was set, or almost finished I would call Jeff in so he could estimate how much music he would need for each segment…….All season long I had been working with Matt, the wonderful young man who was responsible for collaborating with me on the jewelry collection. He worked for Swank, the company that made all of our jewelry in R.I…..As things were approved I would order samples for the show. There was tons of jewelry, belts, and bags, tights and gloves and hats [depending on the season] that were all designed for the collection, and samples made for the show were constantly coming in. There were three people responsible for unpacking doing an inventory, and organizing all of these samples, and make them ready for my use. We usually had tables set up in the studio against the walls with all of the accessories……Then the day came when boxes of sweaters and knitwear came in from Italy….Holy Smokes!!!! More looks were done to incorporate them into the show…Then the boxes of foot wear would come in!!! Holy Moley!!!!! There were so many boxes it was embarrassing, but it was always exciting when the SHOES ARRIVED! It was like Christmas!!. The boxes were taken into the show room and unpacked. The sales staff volunteered to put masking tape on the bottom of each shoe so the models wouldn’t slip or slide. Everyone pitched in……..Finally after every outfit was finalized and the show line up was set. I would pin polaroids together of each outfit in the “show order” in rows of the amount of models in the show….If there we 30 models then there were 30 photos in the row. There were usually four and a half rows which meant 135 to 140 or so outfits. Then I would assign models to each outfit making sure each model had plenty of time between changes. Her name would go on the photo, and eventually on the bag which held her outfit. If a model was number 30 in the show her next outfit would be the 58th, 59th or 60th outfit to make sure she had plenty of time….Each bag of the model’s outfits was numbered, and was put on a rack in the numerical order of the show [#20, #50, #80, #120] and I would go through EACH and EVERY bag to make sure everything the model would need was in it…This procedure was done two or three times before they were zipped and packed up….Connie would then make a list of “dressers” for each model. The dresser was responsible for making sure each model they were dressing had the outfit on correctly. We would hire Parsons students who were good at dressing a model. The head of the fashion design department knew which students would be good and who would be too nervous…..Connie also assigned certain “difficult” models certain dressers who could handle them and get them dressed and undressed without any problems……..DIVAS!!!!….The last thing we had to do was give out the shoes and put the right shoe in the right size in their bag. If a model had to share a shoe, a note was put on each model’s bag….i.e. on Linda’s bag number 4 it would say give red pump to Christie look number 15, and on Christie’s bag it would say get red pump from Linda look number 4. If a model shared something with another model they were put on the same rack [two models to a rack]. I usually worked it out that the models were separated in the show so they weren’t changing at the same time to give them more room…Most times this worked out fine….It was all about logistics…and LOTS OF ORGANIZATION!!!!!….The day of the show when all of the racks were brought over to the venue, and put in order all of the dressers were already there waiting for the clothes to arrive. They unpacked the clothes, and gave a final check to see if anything needed steaming or pressing. I had my sample makers there during rehearsal in the audience to handle anything that might come up before the show, and something always came up…..sewing needles, pins at the ready My assistants went through each and every bag with the dressers to explain EVERTHING……Hannah Khoury, who was my fabric person, was my general! She had nerves of steel, and made sure everything ran smoothly, and everyone was instructed if they had a problem to report to her!…..NOT ME….unless it was really extreme and something she couldn’t handle then Hannah would come to me……..The morning of the show Jac got up, made coffee, took a shower and then took care of me!……I got up, showered and shaved….had my coffee and got dressed . I was very quiet in the car thinking about everything I had to accomplish that day…..It was a nerve racking day from the minute I opened my eyes to the end of the last show. We always had two shows. The first show was for the most important editors of the press and magazines, celebrities and the most important stores. The second show was for out of town press, secondary magazines, B and C list stores and family and friends….They were always packed, and the standing room was filled…..When I got to the venue at 7am the stage and runway were already up and the runway was covered with plastic for the rehearsal…The set, lighting fixtures and runway had arrived the night before, and at 5am they started to set it all up……Lighting was still being adjusted…I would sit with Jeff and the lighting man, who’s name was also Jeff, and discuss what was happening and when we could start to rehearse. I would then go behind the stage and check to see that all the clothes arrived and check in with Hannah that all the dressers arrived…Then on to the hair and make up crews who were finishing setting up waiting for the beauties to arrive…….Then we waited as the models came meandering in……I was a nervous wreck!…….Once all of the models were there I got them all together and told them what was going to happen with the rehearsals, lunch break and hair and make up….so the more attention they paid the quicker we would get done and they would have more time to eat, get made up and had their hair done. There were always those who didn’t pay attention [no names], but for the most part we got through it. Lighting cues and music cues were finalized, and the guys had their own meetings off to the side to go over every detail…The rehearsals were crazy and I was sure the show was going to be a mess….ULCER TIME!…..Finally the time would come for the models to get dressed in their first out fits as the people came streaming in and were ushered by the sales staff to their seats….It was the first time I had seen these 30 plus beautiful models completely dressed and in make up and hair….It was overwhelming!… When everyone was lined up the signal was given to the two Jeffs to start the show. The ambient music was turned down as the lights went down and the room became pitch black……The models took their positions on the stage in the dark, the signal was given that they were ready and all of a sudden the music started and the lights went up….The show went on!!!!! I can tell you, with all of the planning and the rehearsals with the models the shows always went perfectly even with all of my worries and forebodings……These girls were the best of the best and they all knew it was their time to shine!!! God bless them all. I was stationed at the entrance to the stage to check each model before she went out…….It was a whirl wind….model’s names were being called to hurry and get on line, but somehow all of the planning paid off…….At the end of the show the models all made their walk down the runway to great applause, and lined up as Jac and I did the final walk down the center of them…….The show was over, and now we had to get ready for the second show, but the really important show was over………Now it was in the hands of the Gods……..What would the reviews be? How did the stores like it? I could always get an indication by who and how many people came back stage to congratulate me…..or not……..When it was good everyone felt it…..It was electric……..We would all go out and celebrate……but then the next day reality hit…..It was a little depressing when all of the excitement and working and pressure and inertia….STOPPED….The wind came out of my sails………………and I had to start all over again.
