The faces behind Portland Fashion Week: Elizabeth Mollo
(Elizabeth Mollo with PFW 2010 designer, Jay Nicolas Sario, of Project Runway fame)
For those of you that have never been lucky enough to be backstage at a fashion show, let me paint you a picture. There are people EVERYWHERE and they are all doing something important, on their way to do something important, or on their way back from doing something important. All of them are working at a very composed, yet somewhat frenetic, pace. On any ‘normal’ night at PFW we have upwards of seven designers and their assistants, a dozen dressers, just as many hair and make-up stylists, thirty models, select press people, wardrobe stylists, model ushers, catering services, and even a couple of burly security people to make sure no one’s sneaking around backstage. And all of it’s happening… in the dark. Believe you me, there is nothing quite like it in the world and the only person stopping the controlled chaos from being, well, just chaos is Elizabeth Mollo: PFW’s Associate Producer and Backstage Manager. Yesterday I interviewed Elizabeth about her vast experience with Portland Fashion Week, what keeps her coming back each year, and what inspires her own personal style.
BP: I’d like to hear a bit about your introduction to Portland Fashion Week…what was that first year like for you and what were your emotions associated with being involved with such a large event?
EM: I got involved with PFW by answering a bulletin post asking for volunteers on MySpace in 2007. I had already helped produce a couple of my own fashion shows with Doom Town Productions and wanted to learn more. There wasn’t an interview process at all back then, I just showed up and they started giving me assignments. I started out doing lots of research on designers and sponsors and pretty much did whatever they threw at me. When Fashion Week came, I was the Backstage Manager’s Assistant and the Model Usher (I told the models when to walk out on the runway.) For my first show I was so incredibly nervous that I thought I was going to throw up all over the place. After the week was over I knew that I wanted to keep working with PFW. I loved the excitement, stress, and everything else that goes along with it!
BP: Is fashion something that you studied in school or are you, like so many inspiring creative minds, self-actualized?
EM: I graduated from the Art Institute of Portland with a Bachelor Degree in Apparel Design. I took one fashion show production class while I was in school but have learned most of what I know about fashion show production on the job.
BP: What keeps you inspired - not only in fashion but in your daily life?
EM: Basically I read fashion magazines, blogs (Fashion Gone Rogue is one of my favorites) and keep up on what designers are putting out. I also like watching other fashion shows and big budget award shows for their production value. I just try to keep up on what’s going on in the world. Also, whenever I can travel, that definitely inspires me. For example I went to Vietnam a couple of years ago and was inspired by the architecture and jungle landscape and recently I went to Palm Springs and was inspired by the desert. Getting away and experiencing new places always re-invigorates me and inspires me.
BP: Tell me about your life and how fashion has shaped who you are. I know for me, when I was a 8 or 9 I would spend hours going through magazines and ripping out pages upon pages of fashion spreads that I loved and then I saved them all in a huge box way before I knew that tear sheets were a valid reference. Do you have any moments like that, where you look back and just know that as an adult this is where you’re meant to be?
EM: When I was in high school I loved going to thrift stores. I would buy the strangest things and always somehow managed to put them together in a really cool way. Then I started sketching outfits that I wanted but couldn’t find. From there I figured that if I had so much fun doing that then I should pursue a career in fashion. Toward the end of school I ended up discovering that that my real passion was producing fashion shows, which was not what I had expected. Basically I went into school thinking I was going to be a designer and came out wanting to produce fashion shows, and I am really happy with the way things have gone for me.
BP: What’s the most incredible thing you’ve seen at PFW?
EM: The most incredible thing that I can remember happened on the second night of the 2010 shows. That night was a big one, with 13 designers and over 100 looks there were so many people backstage and it was just complete madness. At one point model Arti Danes had a very tight change into a complicated Devonation look. I was lining the girls up to go out and was missing Arti, so I look up to find her and I see three people dressing her, one person changing her make-up, and two people changing her hair while she just stood there, knowing she had to be out on the runway in literally one minute. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen! She ran up just in time and we sent her out. Those are the moments that keep me coming back.
BP: Biggest Backstage Blunder? (Change all names to protect the innocent!)
EM: This blunder happened my first year with PFW. One of the collections was going down the runway (I won’t say who’s) and things were going along fine when the last 4 or 5 models came up in looks from the designer that was coming up next! That meant the last looks from the other designer never made it down the runway unfortunately and we had to just keep on going. That has never happened since. We’ve got a great system backstage now so we run like a well-oiled machine!
BP: Favorite PFW S/S 2011 line?
EM: That’s a tough one. I don’t think I could pick a favorite. This is such a diverse group of collections and I like pieces from every single one!
BP: Dream job in fashion? Or is it not in fashion at all?
EM: My dream job would be to work at the shows for New York Fashion Week, and also the fashion weeks in London, Paris, and Milan. I would also really love to work backstage at the Academy Awards and the Grammys because the production values for those shows are insane and I would love to experience what goes on behind the scenes.
BP: You’ve got such incredible personal style. Talk to me about that. What’s beautiful to you?
EM: Why thank you! I tend to gravitate to more classic and clean lines with neutral and monochromatic palettes. I am very petite so I try to keep things simple, because too much and I end up looking like a fourth grader who got into her mother’s closet. Two of my favorite places to shop are Red Light and ASOS and I also love going to thrift stores. Basically my style is part rock and roll (David Bowie being my all-time favorite style icon) and part modern 1970’s career woman, with a touch of Studio 54 and early 1990’s Madonna.
Find out more about what Elizabeth is up to at her very own blog: In-vested.
-Bree Perry
