VOLTAGE 2011 // BACKSTAGE
It took me a lot longer time to put this post together than i anticipated, so i hope you enjoy this very long post!
KATHRYN V ———————————————–
jewelry designer: TimmiLynn available on Etsy
handbag designer: Amanda Christine & Kimberly Jurek
shoes: Lori’s Shoes
Every model was drooling over these heels!
MAX LOHRBACH ——————————————
Left to right: Max Lohrbach (apparel designer), me, Jeana (my friend from college who graciously & excitedly offered to help me backstage during the day of the show, seriously couldn’t of pulled it off without her!), Kristin (jewelry designer)
3:35 p.m.
Jeana & I start unpacking & neatly organize all our shoes, accessories & hosiery.
3:36 p.m.
Both Jeana & my OCD kick into full gear: color-coding our post-it notes, creating about a dozen different lists, labeling & re-labeling everything with a sharpie, then neatly laying everything out according to designer, then sizes, then each look.
4:29 p.m.
“Kitty, where are the other two shoes for Max’s line? I’m only counting eight,” Jeana asks.
4:29 p.m.
My stomach drops a little.
4:30 p.m.
We tear open every box & riffle through everything we brought. No shoes.
4:47 p.m.
The shoes are not here. I decided to send Jeana back to my place to ransack it looking for the two pair of missing shoes. After a quick tutorial of how to use my GPS, i hand over the keys & instruct her on about a dozen different places to look in my apartment.
4:49 p.m.
I call her to see if you made it out of the parking ramp okay. She says ‘yes’ & i take a deep breath. Hello, my name is Kitty & I am a control freak.
5:19 p.m.
Jeana searches everywhere: no shoes in my apartment. She calls to relay the bad news.
5:19 p.m.
I panic a little.
5:28 p.m.
No shoes in my storage unit in the basement of my apartment building. She calls to see if she has missed anything. I’m in full panic mode. My brain is locked into these missing shoes. I flash different images in my brain of where i think i had seen them placed throughout my apartment & rattle them all off to Jeana instructing her to double check. Nothing.
5:36 p.m.
Jeana is brilliant. She suggests i hunt down the model’s in Max’s set to see if they have a pair of black pumps they could lend. I think this would’ve eventually hit me, but all i could do was pace back-and-forth rattling off potential hiding places for the two missing heels.
6:00 p.m.
Success! With only an hour until the doors open, i find two adorable models who lend a pair of classic black pumps to me. Thank you times a million! You saved Jeana a frantic stop at DSW.
6:01 p.m.
I realize all i’ve eaten today is a piece of toast with mango butter. I inhale a Chipotle taco.
6:10 p.m.
Thirsty. I chug a bottle of water. Then crack open another.
6:15 p.m.
I feel like i just got punched in the stomach.
6:16 p.m.
Now, for the fun part. I get Kathryn V’s models dressed & drape them in TimmiLynn’s accessories to perfectly compliment their look.
7:00 p.m.
Doors open. The noise outside the ‘backstage’ area grows quickly. I change out of my day clothes & into a monochromatic number with Jeffrey Campbell Litas.
7:45 p.m.
My designer’s Kathryn & Max where respectively, the first & last collection to walk down the runway. So, just before 8 p.m. when the show is scheduled to start, i follow Kathryn & all twelve models downstairs to wait. Then, it seems like only a matter of moments all of Kathryn’s looks are doing their finally walk with Kathryn, TimmiLynn & myself in toe. The lights are bright & the crowd is raring in applause. I’m not even sure it i smiled, i just remember thinking: don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.
8:30 p.m.
I sit down for the first time in hours. It feels so good.
8:35 p.m.
My adrenaline keeps back in. Max, Kristin, Jeana & myself have a quick chat, then starting pulling together everything for Max’s line. Jeana takes notes like a mad man & i love her for it. With the shoe debacle behind us, we committee the styling & finalize all the looks. I was a little nervous about the styling of Max’s line, as it is out of my comfort zone of daily attire, but once i started it seemed to flow with little effort. It was amazing how seamlessly Kristine & Max’s designs meshed together. Thank you Kristine for being so prepared for everything & thank you Max for your ‘moment of zen’ poster, i pulled it out a time or two & enjoyed my little moment!
11:00 p.m.
Max’s models are all dressed and ready to make their final debut of the night down the First Ave runway.
12:00 p.m.
The show commences with a walk by all the multi-talented backstage crew & the crowd cheers. I sit down for the second time. My feet absolutely kill! Jeana is feeling the same. We both have a small ‘my feet really hurt’ pitty-party, then back to business. We break everything down, then pack everything up & haul it out to my car.
12:30 p.m.
It is snowing outside. I can’t believe it, but then remind myself that i live in Minnesota. Jeana & i hobble over to Seven bar, only a block back from First Ave, to meet Joel, his sister, Jess & her friend, Jen. Exhausted, we indulge ourselves in their leftovers & they introduce us to their favorite drink: raspberry Stoli, soda & a lime. I think this just might be my new summer staple. So refreshing.
2:00 p.m.
I slip into my pajama’s & sleep. I’m maybe exhausted, but i had an absolute blast & couldn’t have been more thrilled on how things transpired. The show as a whole was amazing & there were definitely pieces i need to get my hands on. I’m probably a little bias when i say this, but Max & Kathryn were my favorites! A huge thank you again to all my designers, Jahna, Jackie, Jeana & the generous Lori’s Shoes for the amazing shoe sponsorship! And finally thank you, Jahna & Anna for letting me take part in the last Voltage!
If you were there, i would love to hear what you thought about the show! What was your favorite line or pieces from Voltage? Did i smile when i walked on the runway? What was your favorite band?
Thanks for reading this entire post :) Hope you enjoyed it!
