Kalistan

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Fashion Week is held this fall in Kaliburg
"Biggest trade show ever" attracts celebrities, models and even Royalty
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 1, 5701


Alice Bjorksdattir Helms Del Valle's Winter show last month in Kaliburg

Del Valle model Alice Bjorksdattir, who remains Kalistan's highest paid and most sought after spokesmodel was in Kaliburg last month for the Del Valle Winter Show. From September 21-24, models flew north to show off the coming season's fashions from both Del Valle and Casa Gran Cultura, as well as numerous other smaller fashion brands who showed more consumer oriented clothes. The Fashion Week also featured a Kalistani Trade show where Kalistani consumer brands were featured.

Bjorksdattir's appearances featured three days on the runway, showing not only the Winter Couture collection from Del Valle, which was the House's flagship show, but also the Del Valle Casuals and the new line of Del Valle Intimates, an invite only lingerie show. She also spent an afternoon at Dah Surf Co.'s pavilion greeting those interested in checking out the upcoming season's new surf wear and surfboards. "I did not wear a wetsuit for Dah this year," said Bjorksdattir with a laugh. "But they did have some very, shall we say, revealing poster prints for VIPs and I spent about an hour giving autographs."

This particular year's fashion week, called Kalistan's "biggest trade show ever" featured a bevy of upcoming Kauffman models who have been busy signing with companies like MoCo, Motor Vrassa, Reed, Empire Motors, a new Motorcycle manufacturer in Sulari, and AeroKal. The recently resigned Van Alvarez was featured in the Reed Jewelry pavilion. "Kauffman is really benefitting from the success of their biggest models (Bjorksdattir and Alvarez)," said fashion columnist Jennie Caldwell of La Moda. "These two girls have been fabulously successful, and this inspires lots of others to want to get involved as well, and Kauffman has really made a lot of money representing these ladies. There's the top tier models, of course, who can more or less set their own terms in their contracts, but even the younger lesser known models are really doing pretty well. They do well when the companies they represent do well, and the goal is rapidly becoming resigning with companies, because, if you are resigning, you are quickly on the road to becoming a household name, identified with a brand. And that's where the real money is, in the exclusive contracts."

One thing that was different this year was that modelling was not longer just a women's game in Kalistan. One man, who has broken through was Charlie Weiss of Springfield, who scored an exclusive contract with Empire Motorcycles. "Sure, we'd all like to see the ladies riding bikes," said Weiss. "But I think Empire wants to sell a different image. They are asking the guys to see themselves on a motorcycle flying down the Coastal Highway at a hundred miles an hour. They are selling this image of freedom, danger, and excitement, and I think Kalistanis are more willing to think of some guy doing that, both in the positive sense, like us living that sort of lifestyle, but also, we know motorcycles are dangerous, and I think if we imagined Alice (Bjorksdattir) wiping out on a motorcycle it would just be too horrifying to too many people. Me, on the other hand, I think people are a bit more ok with that. I'm not complaining though. They gave me my own motorcycle after my first year." Men also modeled on the run way, both at the Casa Gran Cultura show as well as at the Del Valle Intimates show, much to the excitement of many in attendance.

The show was as much about the fashion as the people in attendance. Guests in attendance included royalty. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto, was on hand during the week to support Bjorksdattir and hang out with her bestie. "They even provided the Empress her own box seats at the Del Valle shows," said Caldwell. "I think this might be the first time the Empress attended the fashion week event, but her visit went off without a hitch. At the end of the show when the models all come out to salute their designers, they invited the crowd to rise to salute the Empress first. It was certainly an experience."

But Her Imperial Majesty's friendship with Bjorksdattir is well known in the Industry and she has certainly gained a very high affinity among those who dress up for a living. Most of the Kauffman models have had the opportunity to meet the Empress through Bjorksdattir. "Its a very strange pairing on one hand," said Caldwell, "but, these two treat one another like sisters so, that's wonderful. In another reality, the Empress might herself have been a supermodel." Her Imperial Majesty also visited the Reed Pavilion and spent some time with Van Alvarez, who is a distant relative of the Royal Family, though is not, herself considered royalty under Kalistani Law.

Other major celebrities, including musicians, artists, and photographers attended the events throughout Fashion week, and most of the peers living in Ananto were present for much of the event, turning it from Trade show to social gathering for the glitterati in Kaliburg. "It was a who's who of Kaliburg High Society," said Caldwell, "which made it very easy to cover. Everywhere we turned, there was someone worth interviewing. I don't think I met so many rich people in my whole career."

The Next Fashion week, in March, will move back to Sulari, where it is expected to be smaller and more industry oriented. "Fashion Week doesn't usually happen in Kaliburg," said Caldwell. "I think they decided to hold it in the North this fall because they wanted to really kind of try it out to see how big it could be." Sulari is the capital of Seleyan Fashion and the center of Kalistani consumer industry. Kauffman is located there, Del Valle and Casa Gran Cultura, and dozens of other brands are located there.

"Sulari has by far the largest consumer market in the entire Empire" said Caldwell. "They buy the lion's share of Kalistani products, and those companies will aways cater to that consumer base, reflecting Sulari preferences and Sulari worldviews in their products. Kaliburg may be the capital, but compared to Sulari, the City of Sun, the capital is quite rustic, conservative, and highbrow, while Sulari is definitely the locus of the hip, new and exciting aspects of Kalistani culture in the 58th century. So it always just makes more sense to hold Fashion Week there, so this was kind of a special thing more than an abandonment of the norms."

@LaModa