Embracing Fashion, p. 1

Say the word 'fashion' to me and I'll instantly think of cat walks, frantic dressing rooms and in-house tantrums: my views of the modelling and fashion world have been shaped by constant reruns of America's Next Top Model.

Not that I haven't wanted to explore that world for a long time now. I love scrolling through fashion blogs and thumbing through magazines, where stunningly beautiful girls glare at nothing, their faces caked with makeup and their bodies dressed in the latest designs. Fashion is an incredibly unique form of art and it's just amazing seeing what people can do with some cloth and a willowy figure.

So naturally, when my host mom asked me if I wanted to follow her to a fashion show (invite-only of course) I jumped on the opportunity. A real fashion show, right in front of me? A chance to observe the social elite of Surabaya in their natural habitat? Heck, yes.

I put on my makeup, my dress - white lace, theme of the evening being 'a touch of white' - my leggings and borrowed some sandals. We drover to the country club/hotel where the event was being held, met up with some of my host mom's friends and promptly panicked and flurried around to find a solution when my borrowed sandal broke in a way that meant I couldn't walk in it whatsoever.

Thanks to some very nice concierges who taped my shoe back together - and made sure it was solidly repaired by pounding it with the heel of a walkie-talkie - the night was recovered and we went to sit for the show.

This, like so many other things in Indonesia, was a "first" for me. My first fashion show was, in a word, faaaabulous! The designers featured were mainly, if not all, Indonesian and that was reflected in their designs.  I saw some kebaya, a traditional style of Indonesian's woman dress, that would sell for at minimum US$50.000. Mostly the women who buy them are celebrities and the wives of high-up government officials.

One of the super expensive kebaya

There were also wedding fashions and normal Western-type dresses, most all of which took my breath away. It's one thing to see high fashion in print, but another entirely to see the models right in front of you, and take in the entire experience of the show. I had my camera up nearly the entire time and took an insane amount of pictures.

I think that if nothing else I can dream of being a fashion photographer someday because it's just so fun to try and get the perfect shot, and nothing compares to the pride felt when you do. Here's just a few of the shots I liked, if I posted them all this blog, and my poor modem, would break.

Along with going to a fashion show and generally learning how to be a high-class and elegant lady with my host mom, I've had the opportunity to model here. More than once, actually, and it's only been about three months! But, I will talk about that in my next post because this one is long enough already!