Becca Garrison before, after, and Armani-ready with Style Director Mark Connolly
Who is Rebecca Garrison? I didn't know until four months ago and neither did the international fashion pack, but they sure do now.
I first met Becca this summer when she walked into my office with her mother Sue, her two sisters, and her brother to visit the editors of Condé Nast Traveler before embarking on a year-long world tour, which they have dubbed World School. You may have heard about the Sandfords from Consumer News Editor Wendy Perrin, who has been blogging about the family and their remarkable journey around the world. The family was inspired by our magazine's annual Dream List feature, which chronicles some of the most sought-after travel experiences—those that take you behind the scenes, allowing privileged access to people, places, and events that are verboten to most. Sue Sandford is committed to giving each one of her children a Dream List-like experience.
Her daughter Becca's lifelong ambition (at 13 years of age!) has been to get into the fashion business. Naturally, attending a fashion show in Milan has been a dream of Becca's since she could remember dreaming, and as her trip to Florence coincided with Milan Fashion Week for spring/summer 2010, I was lucky enough to choreograph that dream into a reality. Little did I know that the day would be nearly as surprising, rewarding, and magical for me as it was for Becca.
The plan: I would turn Becca into a fashionista for a day. She would experience fashion up close and personal as my "assistant," attending the Emporio Armani fashion show and an accessories appointment at Sergio Rossi. In order to look the look and walk the walk she needed a fashion makeover, and boy did she deliver.
Becca arrived from Florence as a fresh-faced, innocent girl and ended her day as a seasoned professional. Read after the jump for our timeline.
10 A.M. Arrival and wardrobe consultation. The highlight of the day was
to be Becca's first fashion show, Emporio Armani. Most celebrities and
some editors borrow clothing for red carpet appearances and fashion
shows. Becca was no exception. I made an appointment at Emporio Armani
to pull a rack full of this season's hot runway looks. My
team in New York also sent over extra pieces because a true fashionista never wears a runway look from head
to toe.
10:30 Hair and makeup consultation with Fabiana, an amazing hair and makeup artist who has worked with me on many photo shoots around the world. After selecting the final outfit, a washed leather jacket, silk shorts, and velvet ankle boots all from Emporio, mixed with a tank from Calvin Klein Underwear. We decided she needed minimal and natural makeup, but major hair that would elevate her to new levels. It was fierce. And it was MAJOR. (We had a small video crew in tow to document the experience for our Web site.)
12 P.M. Transformation complete! The video crew, Becca, and I departed for Emporio Armani show.
12:30 Arrival at Emporio. The minute we pulled up, Becca stepped out of the car in her black stiletto boots and big messy blond up-do and the shutterbugs descended upon us like a swarm of mosquitoes. They didn't know who she was after she got out of the car, but it didn’t matter. She was young. She was hot. And she was someone. And since the paparazzi kept caring, so did everyone else around us. We were then swept into the Armani HQ and ushered straight to our seats.
12:50 Introductions were made to all the editors of her favorite magazines. She was utterly charming and totally poised. Like a great representative for Traveler. And like she had been doing it her whole life.
1:10 Lights go down. Music hits. A rockin' Emporio Armani show starts. Like a true fashion junkie, Becca, alongside her new found fashion pack of editors in the third row, ditches her notebook and leans across me to take tons of runway pictures for my fashion reference library.
1:30 Show over. As we walked outside, you might have thought I was escorting the new Gossip Girl down the street. The photogs weren't interested in snapping my photo, but boy did they want pictures of Becca. Posing like a true pro (she had been studying young Hollywood starlets like Emma Watson) miss cool-as-a-cucumber took it all in stride. Sunglasses on or off. She was flawless. They followed us in the street. All the way to the car.
2:00 We pull up to my favorite restaurant in Milan, Bagutta, for a well-earned lunch and a chance to discuss the finer details of the show at Emporio Armani. I also got a chance to look at the handbag sketches she had just completed in Florence, which were way better than I could have produced and I spent three years in art school!
3:30 Time to get back into the groove. No time to waste. We had an important accessory appointment at hot shoe label Sergio Rossi, where we were meeting with the PR director Krista as well as the creative director Francesco Russo, who took us through the spring/summer collection. Becca was my accessory market editor and she took the responsibility for photographing the shoes quite seriously. I would consider putting in the pages of Traveler next season.
4:15 We left Sergio Rossi for the Gucci show, where we were to say our goodbyes. When we arrived outside the show, we might have thought the scene outside Armani was something, but apparently word had already spread around town that a hot new celeb had arrived, and the paps were hungry for a shot. Naturally, Becca turned on the star wattage. From British and Japanese tabloids to the fashion blogs, the photographers and reporters all wanted a piece of her. They wanted to know what she was wearing. Where she came from. And of course, they all wanted her photo.
5:05 Time to say the final goodbye amidst a frenzy of flashbulbs. That's when it struck me. I had just witnessed the power that fashion has to transform. While I knew the day would be life-changing for Becca, I didn't anticipate what a special moment it would be for me as well—to see up close and personal the impact of fashion, beauty, and a lot of confidence on the environment and people around us was truly amazing. I can honestly say it surpassed my wildest expectations.
A star was born. Or she was made. Either way, flashbulbs are likely to remain in her future.
10:30 Hair and makeup consultation with Fabiana, an amazing hair and makeup artist who has worked with me on many photo shoots around the world. After selecting the final outfit, a washed leather jacket, silk shorts, and velvet ankle boots all from Emporio, mixed with a tank from Calvin Klein Underwear. We decided she needed minimal and natural makeup, but major hair that would elevate her to new levels. It was fierce. And it was MAJOR. (We had a small video crew in tow to document the experience for our Web site.)
12 P.M. Transformation complete! The video crew, Becca, and I departed for Emporio Armani show.
12:30 Arrival at Emporio. The minute we pulled up, Becca stepped out of the car in her black stiletto boots and big messy blond up-do and the shutterbugs descended upon us like a swarm of mosquitoes. They didn't know who she was after she got out of the car, but it didn’t matter. She was young. She was hot. And she was someone. And since the paparazzi kept caring, so did everyone else around us. We were then swept into the Armani HQ and ushered straight to our seats.
12:50 Introductions were made to all the editors of her favorite magazines. She was utterly charming and totally poised. Like a great representative for Traveler. And like she had been doing it her whole life.
1:10 Lights go down. Music hits. A rockin' Emporio Armani show starts. Like a true fashion junkie, Becca, alongside her new found fashion pack of editors in the third row, ditches her notebook and leans across me to take tons of runway pictures for my fashion reference library.
1:30 Show over. As we walked outside, you might have thought I was escorting the new Gossip Girl down the street. The photogs weren't interested in snapping my photo, but boy did they want pictures of Becca. Posing like a true pro (she had been studying young Hollywood starlets like Emma Watson) miss cool-as-a-cucumber took it all in stride. Sunglasses on or off. She was flawless. They followed us in the street. All the way to the car.
2:00 We pull up to my favorite restaurant in Milan, Bagutta, for a well-earned lunch and a chance to discuss the finer details of the show at Emporio Armani. I also got a chance to look at the handbag sketches she had just completed in Florence, which were way better than I could have produced and I spent three years in art school!
3:30 Time to get back into the groove. No time to waste. We had an important accessory appointment at hot shoe label Sergio Rossi, where we were meeting with the PR director Krista as well as the creative director Francesco Russo, who took us through the spring/summer collection. Becca was my accessory market editor and she took the responsibility for photographing the shoes quite seriously. I would consider putting in the pages of Traveler next season.
4:15 We left Sergio Rossi for the Gucci show, where we were to say our goodbyes. When we arrived outside the show, we might have thought the scene outside Armani was something, but apparently word had already spread around town that a hot new celeb had arrived, and the paps were hungry for a shot. Naturally, Becca turned on the star wattage. From British and Japanese tabloids to the fashion blogs, the photographers and reporters all wanted a piece of her. They wanted to know what she was wearing. Where she came from. And of course, they all wanted her photo.
5:05 Time to say the final goodbye amidst a frenzy of flashbulbs. That's when it struck me. I had just witnessed the power that fashion has to transform. While I knew the day would be life-changing for Becca, I didn't anticipate what a special moment it would be for me as well—to see up close and personal the impact of fashion, beauty, and a lot of confidence on the environment and people around us was truly amazing. I can honestly say it surpassed my wildest expectations.
A star was born. Or she was made. Either way, flashbulbs are likely to remain in her future.
Dreams come true !
Keep dreaming !
Love
Milan