What Happens Before the Spotlight?
Tic… Toc... The clock is ticking, adrenaline rush is rising, the rhythm is increasing… We are few days apart from the most awaited moment of each season: The Haute Couture Show.
We embrace the new year with a new milestone: it’s the 10th year of Tony Ward Couture catwalk held from the heart of Paris… and still the rush of the Couture Fashion Show preparation is yet to be the same. Every. Single. Season.
We reveal the inspiration, the press release, talk about the statement pieces, the fashion show itself with its front row, we spread the beautiful pictures straight from the runway…
but we never talk about what lies beneath the surface, about what happens in those endless months, days and hours that take to prepare for a 10mins Fashion Show. Documenting it into words won’t give it justice. Stepping into the Ateliers Ward during this period is a scenery on its own, a chaotic beauty where the fascinating rush occurs.
Tony comes in for his usual morning tour around 8ish to check each and every thread, to make changes, to adapt to situations and to make sure the rhythm is flowing smoothly and firmly.
We hear the loud voice of the Chef D’Ateliers motivating the tailors, we feel a sense of challenge among them to keep going and to push forward for those innovative techniques to "make sense” into the dresses, we spot different shapes on the tables, different geometrical shadows, sharp angles, three-dimensional embroideries, outstanding volumes…
The pulse of the magical hands working around the clock to create the pieces with the most intricate detailing, designers roaming around the Ateliers making sure the sketch is coming to life.It has always been about the detailing for Tony, and especially for this season’s inspiration. He goes into details for the bigger picture.
From threads to embroideries, each stitch has its own story; with this collection in particular, Tony wanted his designs and creations to be based on a "proportion”; A "proportion” unifying the sketches, unifying the "toiles” of the designs pinned on the stockman, but most of all, unifying the un-matched fabrics.and yet they match.
Then comes the fitting.Tony sits on his usual chair, music of the show is on repeat, head of tailors are here, designers taking note, a model comes in with an unfinished dress and out with a final outcome. One dress after the other, some changes here and there, many happy claps (true story for this season), few disappointments, lots of attention to details, marketing team snapping "behind-the-scenes” videos, sales team observing… it takes a village. And this scene gets to be repeated. Over and over again until the very last minute before the take-off… to Paris.
It’s Couture day.The backstage is a whole other beautiful chaos with lots of exciting mess, the space is filling up with people from all over the world, friends of the brands, celebrities, influencers, clients, press and photographers rushing to get their exclusive interview on time and the behind-the-scenes of the fashion show. Music up, lights are dimmed down, heartbeats accelerating…
3 - 2 – 1
The dresses are ready to hit the runway.
Tic…Toc
The clock is ticking, adrenaline rush is rising, the rhythm is increasing…We are ready for the next Couture season.