♥ lights, camera, fashion.

at the end of may, i was very lucky to meet and interview the inspiring shanna gall, CEO and designer of SG fashions (read my post here), and this past sunday night i had the privilege of being invited back stage amidst the flurry of makeup artists, hair dressers and fashion stylists as they readied the amazonian models for their turn on the catwalk.

as one of the first fashion shows to kick off boston fashion week, the event was called F.R.E.E, which is short for "fashion reminds everyone to evolve." shanna believes that fashion plays an important role in female perception of beauty, and in her collection she explores women's rights and freedom through a study on victorian as well as flapper styles. according to the designer, each dress in the collection represents an emotion that she felt while sketching.

on top of the very powerful and positive message that this 2011 sg fashions collection will

undoubtedly stand for on its own, a portion of the profits from the show was also to be donated to a girl scouts of eastern massachusetts program known as the girl scouts beyond bars. this program was initiated in 1992, to lessen the impact of parental separation due to incarceration, and also to maintain and build relationships that will work to end the cycle of generational incarceration.

the girl scouts were so adorable and so thankful for their fashion filled day. it was a delight to watch them milling about the models, practicing their walks, and getting their hair and makeup professionally done by the talented stylists at indra salon (who also did all of the exquisite model looks!) according to the brand representative for indra, the hair following four hair styles were used on the models: victorian, romantic, finger waves & modern. the makeup was a mix of fresh faced and sultry/smokey eyes. needless to say, despite my black cream puff dress, floral jacket, chunky necklace and bow, i felt rather under dressed compared to these ladies.

what i noticed the most as i walked around backstage was how different each piece was. from asymmetrical backs, to corset tops, to ruching and bow ties and frills and feathers and leather, each dress was prettier and puffier more exciting than the last.

here is a sneak peak of the runway from the model's point of view.

and here is shanna gall herself (pink) with her lovely pr girl, brittney washington (blue).

becca, marissa and i had amazing front row seating at the very end, and with a nearly dead battery, i was able to snap at least one shot of each look! thank goodness it held up!