Miles to go

ROMA ARORA / TNN / Sep 9, 2007, 00:00 IST

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By today evening, models at the WIFW would have walked about 200 kms, changed 1600 outfits, 400 hairstyles and put in over 1600 hours of hard work

By today evening, models at the WIFW would have walked about 200 kms, changed 1600 outfits, 400 hairstyles and put in over 1600 hours of hard work.Phew ! It's not all glamour and glitz for our supermodels. There's a lot of perspiration before the inspiration . Supermodel Carol Gracias, who is doing 11 shows, would have walked almost five kilometers - including rehearsals, changed her hairstyle and make-up 11 times, and outfit and shoes 44 times. Exclaims Carol, "Where's the time to do calculations? You could say, when I'm through with the fashion week, I would have changed my clothes 44 times, if not more!"
That's just one model. Every show has roughly 20 models who would have changed their clothes, shoes and make-up umpteen times. Model Amanpreet Wahi says, "We wear a different look for each show. If a model is doing four shows per day, then she has to change her hairstyle and complete make-up at least four times and it can be more. In four shows, I may have to change my lipstick eight times, as all outfits aren't the same colour."
Mostly, a model changes four dresses for single designer's show and if she is doing four shows a day, that's 16 outfits in a day. But if two designers are showcasing their collection in one show, then the number gets doubled. Choreographer Tania Lefebvre says, "The ramp has a length of 62 feet and each model has four walks per show. One or two rehearsals before the show are a must. So, more the number of shows, more are the ramp walks."
For every show, hair-styling takes 20 minutes and another 20 minutes are kept for make-up of a single model. Beauty expert Ambika Pillai says, "For every show, we take just a few minutes to do touch-ups on the make-up of models and change their hair accessories. We don't have enough time to do anything else. But for every new show, the look changes altogether."

How many pair of shoes does a model change? Says model Rachel Maria Bayros, "If your dresses are all very different, then you have to wear a new pair of shoes everytime. Sometimes, I change four pair of shoes for a single show. In case, you have to change your nail polish and shoes both, then the task really becomes tough."
There's too much chaos backstage before a show starts. Designer Anjana Bhargav says, "The tension is always intense. In back-to-back shows, there is hardly a time gap of more than five minutes, so the model has to wear the same look. A bit of lipstick, gloss, powder and blush-on touch-up , and you're set to walk the ramp. But if there's a gap of an hour between the shows, the total look is changed."

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