The first of many

Yesterday I did my first fashion show in India and I have to say it is quite unlike anything I’ve experienced before in the fashion industry. Back in Singers, when I modelled there seemed to be an unwritten rule that models should not have any fun. Not so here in Bangalore. Before and after the show the models were allowed to mingle and behave like the guests. So that included bites, booze and bickering.

The show was, in true Indian style, a bit of organised chaos. The run was practiced once (as opposed to the two hours back in Singers) and then when the show happened the event manager decided to improvise on the mike, ordering the models to do things that they were not in any way expecting to do. They had to answer questions, remove garments and smell each other, while all the time not trying to embarrass themselves in front of hundreds of people.

It went surprisingly well. Nobody made an ass out of themselves, nobody tripped and nobody said anything overly stupid. Well, except for me when they shoved a camera in my face for some local news channel and asked me about the products (which I had not even heard about until yesterday). ‘The products? Oh yeah, they’re really great. What products do they have? Well, uhm, skincare and uhm, hey look over there! That man is using a moisturizer on an uncleansed face!’

No, I didn’t say that. Instead I rattled. I always rattle when people shove a camera in my face. If I’d slow down then I’d sound much more in control and I’d have much more time to think about what I’m going to say next. Slowing down would be the logical thing to do. At that moment logic is not foremost in my mind, though, and I end up speeding up. I guess I can hope I talked so fast that they couldn’t understand me so they’re not going to use any of my footage, or maybe they’ll just slow down the track.

It was quite funny seeing the reaction of the lady interviewing me, when I asked her name (this was before the cameras were rolling) she actually looked shocked. As if I should already have known who she was. She did mention her name, but then I promptly forgot it, as the heavy camera light momentarily blinded me and she started in on her questions. Now that I think about it, maybe she asked me those questions I couldn’t answer because I didn’t know who she was. Would TV personalities be that petty?

Talking about TV personalities, I met another woman last night and she’s the anchor for a new TV show. We chatted about what doing TV was like and only about 15 minutes in did I realise I didn’t know what kind of TV show it was. I hadn’t asked and she hadn’t volunteered the information. It became clear why when I asked her. Her show was the overly exciting and highly entertaining ‘Realty Check’ a program dedicated to bringing the newest news and the hottest tips in the real estate industry.

Wow, that must make for stimulating viewing. I can just imagine getting some mates together, cracking open a beer and sitting in for a long evening of real estate news. One group could cheer for the improving economy and the other group could cheer for dropping house prices. We could invent our own chants and occasionally tussle in a friendly, non-lethal kind of way.

Anyways, the evening was fun. Not profitable in the least (it paid a measly $50 US) but at least it kept me from spending money elsewhere and allowed me to meet some new people. As if I haven’t met enough of those over the last few weeks.