Backstage at Fashion Scout 2027
What a Fashion Stylist Really Does Backstage at a Catwalk Show
A friend asked me recently what I actually do backstage. When I told her about some of the moments that happen in there, she said, "That sounds like project management." I laughed it off at first. But she was right, and it made me stop and think about what the job really is.
By the time I'm backstage at a show, the styling itself is done. The looks are built and the running order is set. What's left is managing everything that could still go wrong.
The day itself
No two show days are the same, but most fall into one of two shapes.
The tight one. Sometimes there's only a three-hour call time. The models arrive and go straight into hair and makeup. If they haven't had a fitting, they have that too, squeezed in alongside everything else. Then there's a run-through backstage so everyone knows the order and the timing. About 20 minutes before the show, the models get into their first looks and line up. Three hours sounds like plenty until you're in it.
The long one. Other times you have all day. The models might arrive at 9 and the show isn't until 3. If they haven't tried on the clothes yet, that happens first, then hair and makeup. There's time for lunch and little breaks, and the pace feels almost gentle. Then, 15 to 20 minutes before showtime, everything tightens up exactly the same way. Models in their first looks, in the running order, ready.
However long the day is, those last 20 minutes always feel the same.
When something goes wrong
It happens in seconds, and you don't get time to think about it.
I remember one show where our models were coming from another show and ran late. Less than half an hour before we were due to start, our booker had to bring in replacements. The agency does its best to match sizing, but nothing is guaranteed on the day. One of the replacement models' shoes didn't fit. No time to panic. We swapped shoes between two models, adjusted the look, and she walked on time.
Broken zips are another classic. My assistant or I will find one, tack it up as neatly and quickly as possible, and it's done. On to the next look.
People assume backstage is where the creative work is still happening, adjusting outfits and perfecting looks. Some of that is true. But most of what happens is fast, practical decision making under real time pressure. Working with dressers to keep changes moving. Coordinating with hair and makeup so timing lines up. Working with the backstage manager and the model booker when something shifts last minute. Reading the room fast enough to know whether a problem needs fixing, or solving differently, right now, with what you've got.
What's in my backstage kit
That's why I never go backstage without my styling kit. It has everything you can imagine:
Pins
Needles and threads in loads of different colours
Safety pins in different colours and sizes
Insoles
Double-sided tape, bras, thongs, velcro etc
If something can rip, slip, gape or fall off, there's something in that kit to deal with it.
The team makes the show
None of this works without a strong team around you. A good booker who can problem solve under pressure. A production team that communicates fast. My own team, who know the collection as well as I do. The show only comes together because everyone in that room is doing their own version of the same thing, adapting in real time.
What I've learned is that the more shows you do, the more agile you become when things don't go to plan, because at some point, something always doesn't.
From the audience, it looks effortless
Sitting in the audience, a show feels calm. The lights go down, the music starts, and the models walk out one by one, perfectly timed. Backstage, it moves at a completely different speed. It's closer to running a small, fast moving operation where every decision gets thirty seconds and there's no room for a second attempt.
There's always a solution. You just have to find it fast.
I've styled more than 80 catwalk shows, including shows for Harrods, Rolls-Royce and Royal Ascot. If you're planning a show and want a stylist who stays calm when the clock is running, get in touch.