I have always wanted to attend the Fashion Week in Milan or Paris or New York or London or anywhere! Friday night I had my chance. Ok - it wasn't Italy - but it was an incredible fashion show in Houston. Fashion Week in Houston is in its 4th year. It lasts four days, takes place at the Wortham Center in the downtown theatre district and this time featured over sixteen designers including several from Houston.
I attended with several friends and we arrived soon after the doors opened to make sure we wouldn't miss a thing. The front entrance to the Wortham was an official red carpet complete with paparazzi surrounding us to take our pictures. Once inside, we located our seats and then went off discovering what there was to see and do. We happened to wander into The Green Room, (where celebrities are interviewed and performers can relax). It became our break room throughout the evening to people watch and enjoy a few free cocktails made with a featured new liquor.
The show was exactly like I always pictured it would be. Beautiful models with similar hair styles wearing the latest designs of famous designers were paraded up and down the runway, all walking with the same hip thrusting move with their arms quietly at their sides and a serious look on their faces. Except for one. She delighted the crowd when she reached the end of the runway and shimmied her shoulders to swing the fringe on her top and the beads on her shoulders. I have to admit, there were quite a few outfits that I could picture myself in but I couldn't picture paying the price.
At the end of the evening we were invited to attend the after party with dancing models and thumping pumping music. We decided the action inside was not worth the additional $20 cover charge at the door, and headed back to our Green Room to relax and recharge. It was there I met a VIP member of the press. She mentioned that in addition to the fashion event, there were fabulous affairs happening all over town, and she gave me her card to connect with her on them. I shared my delight at having a new adventure seeking partner with my girlfriends. They teasingly dared me to ask her if she had passes for the after party. Not being one to be able to resist a dare, (and not being one to enjoy begging people for anything either), I turned the dare into a playful question. I asked her "Do you happen to know any secret passageways into the after party?". To my surprise her reply was "as a matter of fact I do, follow me". And we did. Holding hands we followed our fearless leader right up the pitch black hallway and carefully edged our way up the dark stairway into the party. To our delight, in less than a minute we were right in the middle of the action. We shared a brief good-bye, checked out the party for a short while and headed out into the late evening to our car, still exhilarated from our fashion adventure.
Moral of the story - It never hurts to ask. You just might find yourself being led up a dark stairway into an adventure you would have otherwise missed if you hadn't taken that dare!