It’s Sunday and my alarm clock rings at 3:50. With just 2 hopeless hours of sleep I have to wake up.
At 4:10 I’m on the road, driving all the way to Amsterdam for the Amsterdam Fashion Week. The call time is 6:00.
Driving so early has some slight advantages, no traffic whatsoever.
Unexpectedly I can park my car next to the Westergasfabriek, for free! (It’s hard to find a parking spot in Amsterdam).
As more and more models arrive I see some familiar faces. Girls who I met during other shows and sometimes even in other countries.
It’s a prejudgment that models are mean to each other, just like the business world they’re colleagues with whom you laugh, and those who you nod to in the hallway.
I’ve been booked by Goldwell and this means long hours of sitting in a chair while artists are making a spectacle out of my hair.
I haven’t clocked it precisely but I’m guessing it was around 3,5 hours.
All naturel. When you go to shoots or shows you should not wear any make-up. 
After 3 hours, a mega transformation. As a model you will wear a lot of peculiar hairstyles and clothes. I have experienced hairstyles and clothes which I would never wear myself, but I’ve always loved the way how they transform me into a different person.
Besides hairstyling (and make-up ofcourse!) shows have long waiting hours, rehearsal 1, 2,3, a general rehearsal. Some slight (sometimes major) changes and so on. This is a hairshow so no several outfits this time. I’m slightly relieved because wearing >2 outfits on the runway means a lot of stress backstage. We all seen the Victoria Secret models run around for their next outfit and it’s the same everywhere. On the catwalk everything looks very smooth and skilled while people scream and run backstage.
Hair stylists, make-up artists, photographer and choreographers are mean and stuck up.
FALSE! Ofcourse there are some bad apples who kill the whole vibe making the end results shitty but these are rare occasions and most artists are absolute sweethearts.
I can’t expect runway clients to provide food that’s dairy free and sugar free and wheat free and doesn’t contain meat.
Also try to wear clothes that don’t need to go over your head.
It’s awful but leave anything expensive at home. I’ve experienced theft in Florence when walking a show. One of the models got her €800,- boots stolen and she was devastated obviously.
After 6,5 hour of sitting and waiting the moment everybody waited for has arrived.
Yes, that’s me 😉
I’m not in this picture as I was already of stage but this points out that you have to feel comfortable with your body. Sometimes you have to wear something exposing (of course the agency booker has to notify you in advanced) and you have to walk in it for hundreds, sometimes thousands of people.
My hair from the back. It’s truly a work of art but for me as a person this is really heavy and painful. Like other models I will definately take a asprin next time.
After the show my hair looked like this (and still is because I love it). I’m also slightly in love with the guy on the right because he undid all the pins and fake hair from my head. After hours of enduring it, my head just wanted freedom.
Show pictures: 2016 TEAM PETER STIGTER