Thirty-two models showcase the collections of different designers during the week and the number hasn’t changed through the years. They are divided into two equal groups and have to arrive at the venue by 7 am, at least three hours before the show to queue up for hair and make-up. If they are lucky, the base make-up for all the shows for the day will remain the same, if not, they’ll go through the arduous task of getting it all off and starting all over again. While Manuel resents waking up early, Vidisha Pavate says, “We don’t mind the increased number of shows during the week, it’s the wait that tires us more.”

For many, the LFW becomes a time to catch up with friends they don’t meet often and so backstage the cigarettes are shared along with the gossip. While some sip on Red Bull, others retain energy by catching up on their beauty sleep. Oblivious to the activity in the make-up room, Manuel naps sitting on one chair while her legs are stretched out on another. As I walk out I see someone else has settled herself on the three feet wide carpeted corridor, a metal luggage trolley works as a pillow. Won’t your neck hurt, I ask. “Well, there’s pain everywhere else, so this won’t make a difference,” she says. Model Himangi Pate sits in the corridor tweezing strays out of her eyebrows: “This is the only place we can get some peace and quiet.”

For each show the models get around two minutes to get into the next garment and be back on the runway. So while the model is applying baby oil to get the shining cleavage, the helper is zipping up the dress and slipping her feet into the stilettos. The oomph ceases to exist for those few minutes. “The urgency and stress takes over and talking does not remain a form a communication.” You have to scream to be heard, never mind being seen. “We tell our helpers in advance not to take these things seriously,” smiles Pate.

... contd.