Good morning, fashion show goers,

For those of you already hampered by this obtrusive week, today is Tuesday. That means Transcend, 2013’s University of Texas at Austin senior textiles and apparel fashion show organized by University Fashion Group, took place five days ago.

After overcoming a sickness thanks to last week’s weather that relentlessly drenched me in cold rain, those five days seem like forever ago. However, being part of the show seems like yesterday – both in handling my public relations duties, modeling, and dancing the night away at the after party.

Thursday, April 18 began early – I rose at 7 a.m. to get ready, shower and make it to my 9:30 a.m. class in time. After the teacher released us from my last class at 2 p.m., I rushed to the Frank Erwin Center to make the model’s meeting. Interestingly enough, the model coach couldn’t decide on a runway walk for me, so I took the matter into my own hands and devised one myself. After showing the coach my moves, she commented on how my “eyes can speak.” I suppose that’s a variation from Tyra Banks’ infamous “smile with your eyes…SMIZE” catchphrase, but hey, I prefer eyes that can speak than eyes that can’t.

Then, it was time to get my face painted and hair done up. Out of the four male models, I sat in the makeup room the longest. Normally, I’d be concerned about my face taking longer to perfect than my peers, but alas, a face such as mine requires precision…that’s a good excuse, right? Mhmm…

Then, I rushed to the VIP check-in table to check up on my committee members to ensure they were fine on their own. Thankfully, most of the VIP guests checked in, including Bravo TV star Cameron Silver from “Dukes of Melrose,” and Project Runway’s Daniel Esquivel. The press gathered their passes, and everything went swimmingly.

Then, around 6:30 p.m., I headed backstage to prepare for my walk. It commenced promptly at 7:15 p.m., and around 8 p.m., I stomped down the runway wearing Irene Carter’s scarlet blazer with a black fur trim. She was inspired by music – rock music, in particular – and as such, rock music played overhead as I presented her look to more than 5,000 pairs of eyes.

The show was a great success; tons of people attended, and by the growling of my stomach,  we clearly worked diligently. So, I headed to Gloria’s downtown and gorged a combination plate featuring an enchilada, tostada, quesadilla and rice and beans. So worth the fat and carbs.

Later, my friends and I marched to the Madison on 5th Street for the after party and danced, danced, danced. When I got home, I set my alarm for 6 a.m. to prepare for the private fashion show especially for UT president Bill Powers the next morning…

That’s not all, folks, but you get the gist of it. Best of luck to you all this assiduous week, and work it like a rock star.

Yours truly,

Jonathan