I had always been curious about the Canadian North. My mother was born in The Pas, and spent her early years there and in Flin Flon.
She told us stories about the harsh winters and how her father, a fisherman, and her mother navigated their lives in the north.
When my sister Valerie Durnin, publisher of The Reminder, contacted me about producing on a fashion show for the last day of Culture Days 2016, I thought it would be a great opportunity to visit her and see the land I had heard so much about.
Valerie and I acted as co-producers on the show, with Valerie handling planning in Flin Flon and me working on the details of the show from my home in Los Angeles. We were joined by an incredible team of volunteers who worked tirelessly to bring the show to life.
We started working with our volunteer staff about two months before the show, meeting weekly at The Reminder, with me attending by Skype.
Caitlin Bailey, recreation programmer for the City of Flin Flon, worked with Danielle Yungwirth on the venue. This dynamic duo created wings for the stage, found a way to mount a projector above the runway and basically created miracles to set the stage for our show.
Kat Windjack took on the challenging hair and make-up portfolio, finding our team of beauty professionals. Mari Pettersen gathered accessories and also worked with two local jewellery designers, Ashley McLean and Shannon Smadella, to showcase their designs. Stage managers Beth Heine and Katy Anderson brought their expertise to our backstage. Noelle Drimmie coordinated photography and video, and also helped us recruit Mike Spencer for a short skit to highlight our local jewellery designers’ work.
Local designer Lori Lawrence was an invaluable resource, solving problems even before they arose while at the same time sewing a collection for the show. Always with bit of fabric tucked under her arm, and a needle and thread in hand, she helped with model recruiting, rehearsal space, backstage prep – a long list of making things happen.
We cast the show on my first night in town. The girls were shy and apprehensive. In my mind, I applauded their courage. I know how daunting castings can be. Our models were required to commit to two fitting dates, a training, a rehearsal and a full day on show day – a lot to ask.
It took a while to round out our roster of designers, but when we had everyone in place I was so excited about who we would be showing.
Opening our show was bellaBALAS, by Winnipeg designer Shawna Balas. She came up to Flin Flon for the show, bringing her gorgeous line and showing the girls how to wear it with flare. Her line’s motto is “I am beautiful,” and her models certainly were in her creative women’s wear.
The line of Flin Flon-born Laurie Brown was our finale. Now living in the next province over, Brown’s tagline is “These garments were born and raised in SK.” So many tiny details went into her garments, flowing and delicate, decorated with tiny chiffon flowers and butterflies.
We wanted to include as much local content as possible.
Valerie approached Paulette Berthelot from the Newest Wrinkle, who brought a new line from her store, Dex. Tabitha Svaren from The Urban Tot also agreed to show her children’s wear line. We also showed Lori Lawrence’s Untied line, with women’s clothing inspired by and made with men’s ties. Amateur designers Patty Bloxom and Pat Meyer each showed two looks as well.
It was so inspiring, seeing the garments come to life on the models as they fit the garments. After so much preparation the show was becoming a reality.
Once the lines were chosen and the models were cast, it was time to prepare the show. We had five days from casting to showtime, and there was so much to do!
We started with a training so that I could teach our models the basics of walking the runway.
Walking is walking, right? Well, no. Not exactly. The walk on a runway is not a natural walk. There are many facets to the runway to learn about as well – terminology; knowing when to start, turn and walk off; navigating your way past other models and more.
I was so pleased with everyone’s focus and concentration. The girls learned quickly, but there was more to go before this group could navigate their way on a 40-foot stage with lights and music.
The second rehearsal went very well, and the girls progressed faster than I thought I would. They learned how to walk two and three models at a time, turns, and posing for the camera. We discussed how to think and what their goals were, as models on the runway. They seemed to be growing taller and more secure as women. I was so pleased.
The day of the show was a bit tricky. There were technical issues with our stage projection as the models walked the runway. We had hoped to block the show – which means go through it step by step – then run through from beginning to end. In the end we got one chance to go through everything, and then it was show time.
When the lights came up and the models started to walk, I found I had tears in my eyes. Who were these women on the runway? The models of Flin Flon rose to the occasion and then some. I saw them move in ways I had only described. They showed the clothes and walked on their high heels and owned the runway. I am still in awe of how bravely and beautifully the women I had met only five days before morphed into runway models.
I felt I was the luckiest one of our team, as I had the best view in the audience, directly facing the stage so that I could queue our brilliant stage managers.
One magical moment came when the audience blew bubbles while children walked the runway to show the clothing of Urban Tot, and another when Alicia Taylor brought her Eagles of the North Wind dancers to the stage. I had never seen hoop dancing in my life, and I could clearly see the birds and animals they portrayed joyously.
I thought the show was a brilliant success. I have to give kudos to Flin Flon Culture Days coordinator Crystal Kolt for conceiving the idea of a grand fashion show and encouraging all of us to make it a reality. Her energy and good will makes anything seem possible and bringing her idea to fruition was such a delight.
It was an incredible experience, and I did get a chance to see some of the area that is so important in my family history. I even saw the Northern Lights, for the first time ever. Thank you, Flin Flon, for an amazing time.
Lesley Pedraza is a professional photographer living and working in Los Angeles. She has been in the fashion industry for over 30 years, as a model, agent, commercial agent and photographer. She is the sister of Reminder publisher Valerie Durnin.
