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An unforgettable experience In the streets of Antwerp, posters announced an open casting for Dirk van Saene's fashion show. A closer look taught us that the show was taking place in Paris and that Dirk was still looking for some girls to show his clothes. One of us, Caroline, plucked up her courage, went to the casting... and got selected. Read her story about a day in the world of fashion.
The casting for the fashion show took place in the 'Walter' shop in Antwerp. In this shop both Dirk van Saene and Walter van Beirendonck (van Saene's boyfriend since 25 years) sell their clothes. Dirk and Walter themselves welcomed me. They took a picture of me and asked me to walk for them very fast yet in a natural way, like someone who's in a hurry.
A couple of days later Walter gave me a ring to tell me that I was selected for the show and that he would send me a letter with some useful information.
Click here to read the information letter Dirk and Walter sent me
On Saturday the 8 of March at 3 a.m. (!) about 20 sleepy girls met in front of the 'Walter' shop. We got on the bus, received a woollen 'Walter' scarf and fell asleep. Five hours later we were woken up by the noisy Parisian traffic. The bus brought us to the 'Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Baux Arts', the equivalent of the Antwerp Academy, on the banks of ' la Seine'. Still sleep drunk we climbed up the stairs to the second floor. It soon appeared that the van Saene show wasn't the only show that would take place in the building that morning. People were walking in and out carrying make up trollies, clothes or turntables. Stages were being built and lighting installations were set up.
In the Backstage room a tasteful breakfast helped us recover from our journey, yet soon Inge Grognard and the Mac team asked us to come to the make-up room. Inge Grognard is one of the most famous Belgian make-up artists. Recently she even received an award for her work from Belgian Minister of culture Paul van Grembergen. When she is hired to do the make-up for a fashion show she always brings a team of people working for Mac ( a make-up brand that is often used on shows). The make-up included a foundation and 'silver foil' freckles.
After our faces had been done, we tried on our outfits and showed them to dirk. Dirk took a close look and decided if last minute adjustments had to be done.
At 10 o' clock Walter called us together for the rehearsal. He showed us our position in the line-up, where we had to walk, where to turn ,et cetera.
At 11 o' clock, the public, mainly consisting of buyers and journalists took their seats and the show started. On the beat of trendy music, provided by a live dj, we hit the runway. Since most of us had to show two different outfits, we had to change very quickly. Luckily everyone had a personal dresser, we could not have done it without them!
At the end of the show Dirk came on stage to greet the audience. His appearance was received with loud applause. Backstage again, Dirk got hugs and kisses from his friends and assistants. Some members of the audience even defied the bussiness of the backstage room to congratulate the talented designer personally. For us, the models, the time had come to leave since the bus was waiting. But before leaving I asked Walter if I could take a picture of him for my English class project. Not only did he agree, he also gave my camera to someone else so I could be in the picture with him. He even insisted on taking a second picture " ...to shock the teacher". Thank you Dirk and Walter for this great experience!
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