FAMOUS Editorial Assistant and beauty fiend Sophie Penhallow ventured backstage at the recent Rosemount Australian Fashion Week to find out all the goss on what really goes on behind the scenes.



Well let me just say – thank God I survived! Having never been to a Fashion Week before this was one exciting assignment for yours truly and I could not wait to get in the thick of it! Thanks to the lovely Alex Zuban of InEssence – the beauty brand which was sponsoring the LIFEwithBIRD and Flamingo Sands shows – I was handed the Holy Grail for every fashionista out there – an access-all-areas, backstage pass.

See my LIFEwithBIRD backstage photos

First up was LIFEwithBIRD, the brainchild of designers Nicholas Van Messner and Bridget McCall – sister of designer Alice McCall. I must say I was surprised to see how chilled out they both were backstage, considering it was utter mayhem around them! Models were rushing in late from the Zimmerman show, as others were getting their hair and make-up done in between snacking on fresh fruit and sushi platters, while event organisers were running round like chooks with their heads cut off because the show was running 30 minutes late. It was all fabulously exciting!

Makeup tips from LIFEwithBIRD's M.A.C makeup artist

As I snapped away on my trusty camera I hurriedly took down notes on anything that took my interest. For example, models DO eat. OK so it was only dried cranberries, mixed nuts, Sakatas and corn thins, but still... ! Their fashion style also caught my eye – gone are the days of glamourous models wearing high heeled stilettos with perfectly manicured outfits comprising of expensive designer brands – every model I saw throughout the entire week was rocking the tomboy look. I'm talking big billowy blouses and flannel shirts with skin-tight cigarette jeans tucked into chunky biker boots or hi-top sneakers, topped off with untidy hair and a tough-looking leather jacket. And of course they all still managed to look utterly gorgeous and girly in spite of it. Damn us regular human beings who haven't got a shot in hell at pulling off high-waisted, bright floral-print skinny jeans!

Read my interview with model Rachael Grosso

I'm happy to report though that despite the chaos, the show eventually went off without a hitch and proved to be a great way to kick off my very first Australian Fashion Week. High, messy chignons with gold smoky eyes and a palette of monochromatic, slouchy looking pieces that actually looked wearable?! I was hooked.

My next backstage adventure was at Flamingo Sands, the fabulous swimwear brand designed by Nicky Rowsell and Jane Hages. Let's just say being surrounded by bronzed glamazons in pompom-adorned stilettos and barely-there bikinies with bodies I only thought existed after some photoshop tweaking, was a bit hard to handle before I'd even had my morning cup of tea. The feeling backstage was much more relaxed though and a sense of excitement was brewing. Amongst the throng of girls being ushered into the makeshift spray-tan booth and over to hair and make-up, I spied one model quietly sitting down reading a Bob Dylan biography while another was studying up on her law notes from uni – yep, not only were they gorgeous but smart, too.

See my Flamingo Sands backstage photos

I also bumped into two of the contestants from the current season of "Australia's Next Top Model" who were busy taping footage for the reality show and were looking slightly nervous at the thought of their first big-time debut. I didn't blame them – especially when judges Alex Perry, Charlotte Dawson and Jonathon Pease were sitting front row, no doubt watching their every move! The girls did great though and looked like they were loving every minute of their turn in the spotlight.

So that was it, another exhausting yet exhilarating day at RAFW 2008 spent behind the scenes seeing just how much work it actually takes to pull off a show.

And I can't wait to do it all again next year!

Sophie x

More from Fashion Week
Fashion Week interview: model Rachael Grosso
M.A.C makeup secrets from LIFEwithBIRD
LIFEwithBIRD backstage photos
Flamingo Sands backstage photos