Author: Ana Paula Jelić
The first sentence is always one that is hardest to come up with as it should make the whole following text interesting to the one reading it. Clothes are such a trivial theme to write about, but they are also a core part of our lives. With our clothes, we can communicate without using any words. I still don’t know how I managed to end up on this life path, as I was always hesitating about various life choices until I realized all that I love doing is fusing costumes and fashion together.
Whatever you want to accomplish, you can do it only with immeasurable willpower and by diligent and hard work. With that in mind, I’ve set sail to a place where I can fulfill all my wishes. The biggest obstacles are always ones in your mind, including all of those dark thoughts and fears. But it doesn’t really matter in which field you are, how old are you, what are you going through. The only thing that is important is to get out of your safe zone, beat your inner demons and do what you want to do. If you get stuck in a place that you feel comfortable with, you may never do something you were destined to.
In my first year of study, I was extremely unhappy with how little I knew regarding the fashion world. Without the support that I got from people who are close to me, my academic career would probably be long over. People who think that success comes out of the blue are the ones I can’t understand. Success always comes from dedication and hard work, after many ups and downs, tears and laughs. But as I should be writing about everything that led up to this, it is simply all of the above: taking the best chances I must make up my mind about what I really want, what I am, and finally, what is my goal. Some of it came in the form of various workshops that were organized around the city, different exhibits, fashion shows, and collaborations. You could accomplish your own goals by doing various projects, going to see some motivational speaker, or finding a thing of your own.
My application to Balkan Art and Fashion Event was done with a fair bit of craziness and courage, and as there was nothing to lose, I just went with it. E-mail confirmation that I was accepted came soon, necessary payments were made and that was the start of this wonderful adventure. My idea was to make some costumes by blurring the lines between modern and historical pieces, and it’s up to you to decide if it was a success or not, considering I’ve been working and studying for two and a half months. Preparations went pretty well, even if it didn’t look like that: there was a lot of late night sewing, cursing, broken needles and changes to something that was supposed to be finished. With help from professor Đurđica Kocijančić, I’ve mastered the art of cuts and my friend Petra (who must be included in this article) helped me with corsetry as I’m still unsure how to work with faux leather.
As is the case with any project, it is vital to have unlimited sources of information that can help you. Surround yourself with books, people, videos, articles – anything that can help you in a good realization of work, but also don’t be afraid to come out and say that you don’t know something or that you need help. Nowadays, people are rushing through their lives so much they forget there is someone in their lives who needs them. As the event was nearing, thoughts about failure started to creep in. What if something gets teared up, what if this or that, millions of little scares came to mind. Corsets and outfits were finished, and then I received models’ measurements. Corsets were too big, and fitting was going on in Belgrade. As I am studying in Zagreb, it was far away, but also extremely expensive for a student like me, so there was no way I could get there.
If you are doing anything that you can show off, do it. Maybe you think that it’s a waste of time to do so, but it is invaluable in the sense that it will pay off one day or another. Develop a habit of doing something as many times it’s needed to make it perfect as your work is a reflection of yourself. The organisers required photos of what I was working on, so I did them with help of some of my friends that do photography and modeling. Ivana Blažinović was behind the lens and she took photos of Dora Šitum in two outfits, and another friend, Lorena Tinodi, posed in other two. There was something that was simply overlooked and that was noticed while we were taking photos. Cups on the corsets were enormous. I needed to do a quick fix before the event. Lorena decided to come with me to Belgrade to wear an outfit. I was shaking, lacking sleep, and my fuel were candy bars and other sweets. One of my friends, Nikolina Balatinac, traveled and stayed with me at the place we rented for a few days – she also had a few of her own pieces at the event with her collection Monochromatique.
There’s no need to describe some of the finishing touches like shoe polishing or whatever was happening behind the stage. I had the experience of two fashion shows behind me, but this one was different. We met with organizers, took over pegs, hangers, and suspenders and went straight to meet with the models. We had the list with the ones we chose or were assigned to before the event, but there are always some changes in the last moment. I had five of them at my disposal, one was the reserve in case that Lorena didn’t make it to Belgrade in time. I didn’t know who will wear one of the pieces and there was no way to know if falling crinoline will function. I came to Serbia the night before, rain was everywhere, and all of the footwear was wet. I was hoping that it would dry off before we had to go to the venue, and the sponge that was supposed to be filling the corsets was wet. There was fear that water would dissolve some of the glue that was used in costumes. Then all of the what-ifs started coming to mind: what if models don’t want to wear my shoes, what if they act unprofessional, what if this, what if that…
With all those questions in my mind, I have forgotten about one that was the most important at the moment: what if I don’t have time to prepare all of the models? I need about 10 minutes per model. Lorena came to the venue in the meantime, I helped her get ready, fitted the crinoline and explained what she should do on the runway. She went on to try the act of throwing the crinoline. It was almost the time to start, and we hadn’t done the rehearsal because there was no space to do so. In the meantime I have fitted other models (who all did an amazing job): Ivona Despotović was in the orange outfit (sorry for stabbing you with needles for a few times), Aleksandra Antić was in the green outfit (I have to thank her for agreeing to wear that one because of the whole construction underneath it), Kristina Radisavljević wore the pink outfit (I have to thank her for giving me the permission to stuff her corset with sponges). The last model I was supposed to have was Sofija, but she was wearing outfit for one of the other designers. I had to search for a reserve in the last moment because Sofija wouldn’t be ready for my part of the event. Even though I planned to have all of the dark-haired models, I didn’t care in those minutes. Milena Vujić was the lucky one, she was tortured (figuratively) a bit so we could get her ready in time. I was having a panic attack because I feared there was not enough time left, but in the end, everything was fine.
Music cue that was chosen for my part of the event started, girls went out on the runway, I was peeking from the backstage and all I wanted was to see how the audience reacted. The feeling going through me when I saw the audience looking at every detail of my work was incredible, especially when I noticed faces full of excitement. Milena was the first girl out, followed by Ivona, Aleksandra, Kristina and Lorena with a performance for the grand finale of the event.
The pride that was flowing through my veins couldn’t be described then and I can’t do it now either. Everything went better than I expected. When all of them went to stage together, there was loud applause from the crowd. Finally, it was the time for me to get out on the runway and there was this feeling that everything I worked hard for was worth it. I knew this was only beginning of my career, but who knows where is the end?
To close off, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone that helped me. If I start to list all the names, I could go on for hours. Everyone was a part of this success, from ones that helped me with some of the work, to the ones who helped me emotionally. Dora Šitum and Lorena Tinodi are great models based in Croatia, and Milena Vujić, Ivona Despotović, Aleksandra Antić, and Kristina Radisavljević are from Serbia. I would recommend working with them to anyone in the future – I was honored by working with them. You can find them on the social media for the more details.
P.S. I want to thank my roommate Rebeka who collected a bulky collection of earplugs over time. Thank you for your patience.
Models: Aleksandra Antić, Dora Šitum, Ivona Despotović, Kristina
Radisavljević, Lorena Tinodi, Milena Vujić
Photo: Ivana Blažanović, Lilit Andrić, Lorena Tinodi, Nenad Karlić, Svetlana Braun
