{"id":72614,"date":"2016-03-17T08:31:59","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T12:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=72614"},"modified":"2016-03-17T08:31:59","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T12:31:59","slug":"ill-fitting-shoes-long-dresses-among-potential-hazards-runway-models","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2016\/03\/17\/ill-fitting-shoes-long-dresses-among-potential-hazards-runway-models\/","title":{"rendered":"Ill-fitting shoes, long dresses among potential hazards for runway models"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(Photo<\/a>
(Photo from Flickr\/herval<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2013 Even with countless catwalk shows to her credit, nothing could have prepared Jacqueline Summers for her recent slippery turn on the Toronto Fashion Week runway.<\/p>\n

As she took her first walk in the Mikhael Kale show, the unexpectedly slickened surface in front of the photographers\u2019 pit caused the model to momentarily lose her footing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was water at the bottom of the runway,\u201d recalled Summers. \u201cI was (the) third girl, so I\u2019d seen the other two trip, and I thought: \u2018OK, I got this.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cTried to tip-toe, still had a little boggle. I still slipped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fashion Week organizers said rain tracked inside made the runway slippery and that they\u2019d \u201cremedied the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether they\u2019re newcomers or catwalk veterans, no model is immune from potential hiccups that can arise which may lead to spills during shows in front of hundreds in the room \u2013 not to mention countless others viewing images of such slips on social media.<\/p>\n

At the Givenchy show last September, Candice Swanepoel was helped to her feet after taking a hard fall on the runway. The Victoria\u2019s Secret Angel posted a photo on Instagram of the bloodied marks on her bare legs caused by the spill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to whoever picked me up off the runway tonight,\u201d she wrote. \u201cLeft with little scratches but mostly a bruised ego… #ohwell.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1993, Naomi Campbell famously took a tumble while wearing a towering pair of Vivienne Westwood platforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could have broken both my ankles,\u201d she told David Letterman in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one moved a muscle in their faces. They were just nervous until I started laughing \u2013 and then they started laughing, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got up and I continued. And I haven\u2019t done so badly,\u201d she added, noting that she landed commercials for an insurance company and chocolate brand as a result of the mishap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sutherland Models agency director Carole Reynolds said seminars and prep work are conducted with new models before show castings take place. The process typically involves sharing expertise on how to take those initial steps onto the catwalk while wearing six-inch heels.<\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s models typically make their start in Toronto in hopes of proceeding on the \u201cshow circuit,\u201d walking in London, Paris, Milan and New York, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sort of like a training ground for them to really get their first experience on stage and at a Fashion Week and deal with all of those elements,\u201d said Reynolds.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything from the bright lights, to the maybe ill-fitting shoes, to the runway, to an outfit that might need a bit of manoeuvring of how to show it according to designers… It\u2019s a lot for them to think about all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sutherland\u2019s creative director, Brandon Hall, handles all of the shows, and instructs models to buy inexpensive, uncomfortable heels to try out wearing at home, said Reynolds.<\/p>\n

Zoe Colivas said she\u2019s figured out a few tricks for dealing with ill-fitting footwear, like gripping her toes while wearing the shoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get used to it,\u201d said the Toronto model, who has walked for leading labels including Prada, Mulberry and Christopher Kane.<\/p>\n

Veteran Canadian supermodel and runway coach Stacey McKenzie said duct tape on shoes can help with slippery runways, and she\u2019ll stuff shoes that are too big with paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s too small, unfortunately, you\u2019ve got to work with it,\u201d said McKenzie, founder of Walk This Way Workshops.<\/p>\n

McKenzie said she always encourages her students to check the runway before the show starts, and even organizers should do the same to ensure the surface is clean.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thing is if an accident happens where I might slip or I\u2019m about to slip, it\u2019s important for the model to play it off,\u201d said McKenzie, who has walked in runway shows for Christian Lacroix and Jean Paul Gaultier.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019re still on the runway and you\u2019re still representing your brand \u2013 so play it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the shoes that can be a potential hazard: the designs themselves can prove tricky to navigate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not a huge fan of the long dresses only because I find (them) very difficult to walk in,\u201d said Colivas.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuge skirts are easier because if there\u2019s some kind of tulle underneath, it makes it easier to kick. I find it more difficult when it\u2019s a tight or flowy dress because you can trip on it more easily, and it can be caught in your heels.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKenzie recalled wearing a designer\u2019s dress that was so tightly constricted, the waistline was adjusted from a size 25 to size 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cI almost fainted in the fitting. But I had that mindset that I didn\u2019t focus on it,\u201d said McKenzie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just focused on looking fabulous and doing a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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