This was by far my most exciting show to date. It was an honor to be invited to participate--it was almost surreal seeing my name and my own words on that page off of USA Today. Seeing my name next to top brands, in a national newspaper, seeing my words so exposed...it felt incredible. And, it was just the beginning...
I was on a high all day from the attention since being put on the spot that night not only for my designs but also for my dancing. I was asked by the coordinator to do a tango performance before my show. Latino Fashion Live, she said, had to include traditional dances from different Latino influences....
I was thrilled. I've always secretly wanted to perform on stage, especially with tango, but never had the chance with such a large audience in my 10+ years as a dancer. The most adventurous part came out of not having an official tango partner and having to do the performance with Stefano--a lovely Italian dancer whom I met that very same day! We were able to practice for a bit that afternoon, but in the end it was left to fate and our years of tango intuition.
After our 3:55 min performance I was out of breath and ecstatic! I ran backstage quickly and anxiously--and entered "fashion designer mode" which means look at every last detail on every model, make sure there's not a single strand or wrinkle, get everyone in the right order, double check hair and makeup for last minute retouches, and so on, and so on...
After my models walked gracefully down the runway showcasing 16 looks from my latest collection--biggest show thus far--- I walked out behind them, feeling very self satisfied, proud and relieved. I had survived my biggest night of fashion with a fever, an impromptu tango performance and a flawless show thanks to a lot of hard work and a great behind-the-scenes team.
Sitting in the back row watching the Carolina Herrera show that rocked the runway and made most of the crowd gasp--I took a deep breath and felt more satisfied than I ever have in my life. Slowly I feel like my hard work is starting to pay off, and it's a very rewarding feeling--especially since this is a project that I started in the midst of chaos last year, and have been keeping the dream alive on my own, thanks to my own perseverance and confidence.
I drove home that night singing off the top of my lungs, and thinking about how grateful I am for having such a supportive family and friends. And how important it is to love what you do in life--or rather--choosing to do what you love and letting in all of those great things in life that follow.
