In the world of fashion, where inspirations are often inexplicable, we rarely get the chance to describe what happens behind the scenes. Planet fashion leaves some of us somewhat perplexed, with all of its razzle dazzle and silliness. Sure, we may flick through a magazine and enjoy the glossy images of beautiful people in beautiful things, but we never get the opportunity to know the real story, or what things looked like from the other side of the lens. Which is a shame, as the cogs of the machine are often the most interesting part.
Our job as fashion editors, when we produce an editorial, is to create a character; to tell a story as such, taking dozens of elements such as location, lighting, models, samples, colour palettes and treatments and put them all together to create a collaborative mood and a story that flows. Think of a short film made up of captured stills - there to seduce, to entice and of course, at the end of it all, to inform you of the most important trends of the season.
On Wednesday night, however, we wanted to thank - and inform - our loyal readers with an event called A Night with The National: Fashion Extravaganza, held at the multi-brand boutique Maison Sez in Abu Dhabi. It was our opportunity to explain the process, to give a little insight into the fashion world, and Maison Sez was the perfect canvas for the Roaring Twenties-themed party, with its swinging chandeliers and marble floors.
Along with a special fashion show, we wanted to explain that there is no right or wrong way to look at a fashion editorial, and that, even if you don't understand (or care to understand) the fashion world, its imagery can still be enjoyed.
Nadia El Dasher (The National's stylist) and I took 35 of our readers, who won a spot in a recent contest, and others through a journey of our own experiences to illustrate that not everything goes to plan - sometimes 75 per cent of your clothing gets stuck in customs the morning of the shoot; sometimes a cyclone hits the tip of the Great Barrier Reef and you have to plough on with your photo shoot there regardless; sometimes a snake peeks its head out of a tree and slithers past a model's arm (who is mercifully oblivious) as she perches precariously on a high branch for a double-page spread. You see, those are the bits you don't hear about.
We explained the importance of the right model for the role, of the endless days scouting for locations and of finding something unique in the most ordinary.
It was a lovely night, despite the madness backstage. And not to succumb to the "fashionable stereotype" with an unnecessary amount of self-gratification, but it was a nice moment to look around and see Abu Dhabi's fashion set come out of the woodwork in its support. To look around a crowd of 50 or so in their finest Great Gatsby-inspired clothing, and to read the online chatter about the evening, confirmed for me - I can finally say - that Abu Dhabi is a platform of its own in the fashion industry, and one that the world is taking the utmost interest in. And that's a nice thing to be a part of.
Of course, we are already onto the next thing; for fashion irks us, it pokes, it prods and it heckles. Tomorrow, we can always produce something bigger and better!
For more on the Fashion Extravaganza, visit blogs.thenational.ae/lifestyle/all-dressed-up
