So today is day 4 of fittings for Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2010 and I’ve been asked to give a rundown of an average day of fittings for a model.

Most people who don’t work in the industry and just come to enjoy the shows don’t realise how much time and effort goes into all the preparations for each show, so here’s the inside scoop from a models perspective:

The day begins with an early morning pickup with a bag full of as many heels as we can carry and all our model basics. Then it’s a mad rush to beat the traffic and arrive at the venue in time for a rushed breakfast before the first batch of fittings is underway.
First we start with a line up so the designer and stylist can look at the models and assign garments accordingly, then a quick change and a line up in our outfits for the order to be decided, outfits to be changed, swapped, dropped or added. Once the outfits have been finalised for each model they need to be accessorised and styled, shoes need to be assigned and changed based on size and the outfits, then one final check before we do a quick walk of the ramp. We each have to walk to test out the shoes and so the garment can be checked for any alterations needed.
It’s an extremely tedious and time consuming process with a lot of waiting around involved so us models have to keep ourselves occupied so we try and entertain ourselves by listening to music, chatting, joking and generally keeping each others energy levels up which obviously gets a lot harder as the day progresses. Some girls will sing or dance, others will nap or read and we even had a girl today start doing crunches to bide her time! Anything to pass the time and this includes snacking as the only breaks we get are for lunch and dinner so food is constantly on our minds.

Fashion week can be very stressful and leads to a lot of frustration, tears, anger and fatigue but its all part of the process and the end result usually makes all the hard work and effort involved worthwhile and once show day arrives despite the lack of sleep, everyone’s energy levels seem to rise and the fun begins.

Everyone at some point in their lives want to be great at something, anything as long as they’re great at it! Some are lucky and know what they want at a very early stage; they know what they were born to do! While the rest (including me) are confused, struggling to find that one thing that we can be ‘great’ at!

Since I didn’t exactly know what I wanted, I decided to cross the things I didn’t want to be, off my list. Basketball came first, I love the game and it loved my height! But that wasn’t my dream. So I decided to be safe and stick to what I knew best –economics.  But life decided to play ball and put modelling in my court!

Fast forward to a day in July, I was in Mumbai on my way to Bandra for some work. Stuck in traffic with a friend, I looked back to see Manish Malhotra in his car. Excited, I tell my friend and she tells me soon he’ll know my name. I smile and think – ‘that would be nice.’

Today, he knows my name.  I was right- It does feel nice!

Fast forward to January 20th, 2011- Lakmé Fashion Week auditions for Summer /Resort 2011. I’m sitting in a room surrounded by beautiful girls most of them with toned bodies, perfect jaw lines, long black hair and I think – ‘do I belong here? Continued to ‘do I stand a chance?

The truth is I never stopped asking myself that question since the day I came to Mumbai to participate in I AM-She.  After that I saw myself walk the toughest ramp I’ve ever seen with models I absolutely adore and did a decent job (as far as I know) and here I was sitting in the room, asking myself the same question; my confidence fleeting to this secret hideout in my body I can never recover it from! but this time instead of panicking, I pushed my thoughts away and took a deep breath and turned to a friend I ran into. There was only one way to find out.

There were three rounds in total and after each round that I cleared, the more well I got acquainted with that secret hideout which finally, graciously, handed over my confidence back to me!
Soon there were only 8 of us! To think that after reaching to the final 8 I would be a little confident – No! Not me! It’s against who I am as a person you see, I make people around me believe in themselves but self application- VERY difficult! (Human nature…sigh…)

The story ends on a happy note. I’m among the seven new models walking for the best designers of India this season of Lakmé Fashion Week. As I write this I look back on where I started last April. I was synonymous with disaster on the ramp and today I’m chosen for LFW! Have I come a long way? Yes! Am I proud of myself? Yes! Am I ecstatic beyond words?  Undoubtedly! Do I have to start working out ASAP? – YES! 

As we go along we find many opportunities some we acknowledge and some we show the door followed by a loud SLAM! I was a patron of the latter until I finally understood that opportunities don’t expect a lifelong commitment, all they ask for is a trial and whether you surge forth along that road or not is and always will be your choice! So here I am welcoming that opportunity with open arms, diet food and hours of exercise!!

Was I born to model? I don’t know…..all I know is…right now….this IS what I want!
Next stop- Lakmé Fashion Week!