Cleveland Fashion Week

   Early on this year I was on a quest to be part of Fashion Week in NYC. I was trying to find contacts that could help me get there and be part of the event. I did not find a contact. Recently Cleveland had their Fashion Week. I had heard many tales of it in the last few years but never have been asked to do make up for it. This year I sent out emails to designers but did not hear back from anyone. I also contacted a fellow makeup artist and friend Bridgett to ask if she knew anything about it. She too had never been part of it.


   Then one day I got a text from Bridgett saying women named Elaina from Fashion Week contacted her but she was booked and knew I wanted to participate so she passed on my number to her. With that call I was all set to do makeup. The date was a Saturday and I already had a bridal party of four on the east side to attend to but I could make my way downtown later to make up six models. The show was at the historic Halle Building in downtown Cleveland. On arrival I was directed to the basement into a party room with awful florescent lights. Girls were perched all over waiting to be made up. 62 girls needed makeup and hair done in five hours. There were no signs of hairstylist yet and some designers weren’t there. Girls were trying on clothes, eating, dancing, and singing all over the place. I thought to myself what did I just sign up for?



   I quickly set up and found my models. I must say all the girls were so pretty and many very young. One of my girls I met a few months back her name is Mariah her photo is attached. She was excited I was going to be her makeup artist. One of the other models Inga commented that “If I had a suitcase full of makeup I must know what I was doing.” A lot of the talent there are new in the business and I see why none of my friends do this, because in their career they are past it. You give up hours of your time for free, use your own products and even pay to park. Not glamorous but never less a way to network.


   I recently met a fellow hairstylist that went to NYC fashion week and said she would never go back it was awful. She too has a lot of experience and was treated like she just out of school. I feel if people donate time and in her case money for a flight, room would it be so hard to be kind to the artist? My experience was a good one. Everyone was very sweet and very gratuitous I was even asked to come back for the show if I wanted. Cleveland’s Fashion Week is the third largest in the country. I think after my experience in Cleveland I will check off my fashion week goal I had set early on this year. Right now I like being a bigger fish in a small pond because I know if I go to NYC Fashion Week, I will probably get eaten up as a small fish in that big pond. Sometimes ideas seem good at the time but its O.K to wait a little bit before you act. You just might save time, money and have no reason to have regrets on your decision.

Miriah

The stage is set!

Backstage not so glamourous

My Cover Girl Moment

   A few weeks ago, I got a call from Kristen Miller the Art Director of Cleveland Magazine. She asked me if I would be interested in helping her out and being on the cover of the June edition, “Rating the Suburbs.” I said, “Of course, right away!” After speaking to Kristen for a few minutes, she told me that they wanted me to be photographed as a gardener. Inside I started to laugh and thought, Okay this means I am going to wear a hat for sure. No one will realize it is even me. Kristen sent over a list of clothes I needed to bring with me to the shoot.

   After a review of the items, I headed out to pick up some new shorts. I had a day to get my act together, so I quickly colored my hair and used my self-tanning towels to tan my chicken white legs. I hadn’t spoken a word to anyone being cautious that my interpretation of the cover may have been grander than Kristen’s version. A few years back, Jen Kessen posed a similar proposition. She asked me to be on the cover of the Summer Fun supplement of Cleveland Magazine. It was a very pretty shot by Eric Mull. I was there in the background, but a bit fuzzy, so really no one knew it was me.

   Once I got to Jason Miller’s studio, I was asked to put on my shorts and tee shirt. I looked in the mirror and asked Kristen if the shirt was too tight. She said, “No it will be fine. You are going to be so small, no one will notice it.” Jason started snapping pictures and said, “You will be about as tall as a thumb on the cover.” I had to laugh again and thought, Good thing I didn’t make a big deal about this. I also thought, Thank God I am not in a hat!” It was all right that I was the size of Thumbelina; I am still on a cover.


   A few days later, the editor Steve Gleydura did send out an email with questions. He asked my take on the city in which I live and love. He also wanted to let me know my name was being added to the piece. I have attached the beautiful full size photo Jason took of me, so I can prove that the small blonde woman with no roots really is me. When I first started my career, I wanted to be a stylist for just one cover of Cleveland Magazine. To date, I have done 12 covers. My turn as a “Cover Girl” may be small in size, but is huge in my heart. Thank you, Kristen and Steve, for this opportunity.

clevelandmagazine.com

http://miller.photoshelter.com

My Cover Girl moment

My pose. Photo credit Jason Miller

Inside the magazine, me in  front of my fake house

My other shot from 2007 (the girls are not mine) photo credit Eric Mull