DRESS REHEARSALS: BACKSTAGE WITH HAMPUS & GEORGY

5 pm - roughly two hours before the show starts, things are buzzing backstage. hampus' is backsstage, and along with boyfriend charry, he is dressing his models and putting last minute touches to his garments. for georgy, his collection was not chosen to debut at the show, but that doesn't mean he's sulking in the sidelines. far from it, he is front and center helping his classmates dress their models. his every move is being covered by russia's rntv, which is shooting a very intimate documentary of him and his life in london. in the meantime, the loreal hair and make up team is busy prepping the models, and louise wilson, course director, is running a tight ship backstage and on the catwalk....

hampus is the picture of calm backstage, where he is prepping his collection for the catwalk presentation.

georgy too is backstage. in addition to helping, he is being interviewed by reporter and crew from rntv. once again, he shows his magical skill of posing for several cameras while chatting with reporters at the same time. lord, should we all be this talented.

it's busy as all get out, but we still made time for a close up with the paparazzi. thankfully, my hair has calmed down a bit (not that the state of my hair should be part of the narrative for this blog, but it is equally important.)

hampus, backstage with his boy friend , charry, as they get ready for the show.

hampus and georgy listening to louise wilson, course director, as she gives instructions for the show.

the loreal hair and make up team in action.

rows of clothes waiting for their doting designers and rightful models...

LIGHTS, CAMERA, FASHION: MANNING THE FRONT ROW

like lipstick on a model, lights add a touch of sexiness and glamor to a catwalk show. they were in abundance at the csm graduate collection presentation.

camera men getting set up for the show.

puma, one of the sponsors of the show, gave out these amazing gold totes to the front row guests.

programs - which are nearly 30 pages thick, are laid out for the guests...

me, and my classmate zoe, were part of the team of helpers at the show. the show itself was so packed that once we had gotten all the guests seated, there was barely room for us to stand and watch the show.

5:45 pm - with the backstage under control, i head over to the catwalk to help arrange goodie bags and programs on seats for the guests....

THE MORNING OF THE SHOW: HAMPUS, GEORGY + ME

me on the way to the hempel hotel to capture my boys in action during the puma press conference. yes, i am keenly aware of the fact that my hair could have used a comb and conditioner. but as you'll see below, i left the house in a bit of a rush...

9 a.m - at 9 a.m in the morning i got a text from georgy: "hey girl, r u coming to puma interview!?" what interview!? i had no knowledge of it, but a few minutes later i was washed, dressed, and with my trusty notebook and camera in hand, ready to report on the story that's consumed me for the past four months: geory & hampus. as one of five winners of the puma design award, they, along with the legendary louise wilson (course director for the m.a. fashion show) were being interviewed by press...after that i rushed into a cab to go to the british council fashion tent where the student collections would be shown at 7p.m...

the luxurious hempel hotel, which is spread over a row of stately town houses at craven hill gardens.

my boys, georgy and hampus, posing with their award winning bags. the bags are an homage to the upcoming olympics and will be available for sale later on this year.

an upclose of hampus' bag.

an upclose of georgy's bag in white.

hampus, chatting with a reporter and a fellow student during the press conference.

georgy! he knows how to answer questions during an interview and smile for the camera at the same time. such a multi tasker!