Lisa Carter – Each Fashion Show model had a dresser

Simon: Did you have fittings or anything before that or …?

Lisa: Well I think that’s what my visit was for, to try things on, and once she saw that I was a standard whatever size I was at the time, she just picked the outfits out based on that.

Simon: Did they alter them, ‘cos I know they had a big Alteration Department?

Lisa: No, nothing was altered. I remember she would have all the outfits you know on the hanger, all labelled up with the cellophane over it and everything, and each one of us had a Dresser. I mean you had to ‘cos the changes were quick.

Simon: Oh right.

Lisa: Yeah, it wasn’t to be fancy, it was for efficiency and so you know you have to be not self-conscious because you have to be not self-conscious because you know you’re getting quite naked in a room of people and you know you can’t really worry about it, you’ve just got to get on with it and undress and dress again. I think we used to wear like nude colour knickers and maybe a strapless bra, but sometimes you had to take the bra off to make it fit properly, and there was a section at the end where we would wear ball gowns and sometimes … and then at the very end one of the models always came out in her bridal gear.

So, often for the gowns you just had to lose the bra, so you just had to, you know, forget your inhibitions and you know you’re trying to step into a hooped thing and leaning on the Dresser who’s bent over you and you know, it’s not glamorous at all (laughs) and you’re hot and you’re sweaty and you’re panicked trying to get your shoes on, the straps done up, and then you come up (sighs) like it’s all rush, rush, rush, go, go, go.

And then when you get to the walkway bit then you compose yourself and no one knows what a big fuss you’ve just had (laughs).