(slots in the airport!)
(magnificent party spots)
(even evening excursions beckon you...)
But I'm a dedicated filmmaker and I know what my Vegas goals are. I'm in town for the MAGIC show. Until a few months ago, I knew nothing of this event, but the excitement has been building ever since I received my press passes to the event. It's the biggest fashion trade show (buyer's market) in the world and an annual event that even makes the always-extravagant-and-over-the-top locale like Vegas salivate greedily -- EVERYONE in town looks forward to MAGIC.
So there I was with my friend Steve, who so graciously offered to operate camera and deal with releases, ready to tackle this huge event that takes over both the Hilton and the entire Vegas Convention Centre for 4 days each year. How is this show relevant? All of the biggest and hottest designers are in town, and my interest in booty-celebrating denim brought me here. Plus, the "Streetwear" area always seems to bring in a mix of celebrities, booty models, entertainers, etc. It seemed like the right place to be to tackle a topic that clearly affects the fashion industry.
We check into Bally's and get our game plan together. It's already Day 2 of the event and everything is in full swing (in hindsight, I should have arrived a day prior to get organized). We got to the show and the grandeur of it all hit us then and there. 100 000 people were registered for the event. It makes the Banff TV World Festival seem like a little intimate gathering in comparison! I was lucky to have someone to help out or I fear I would have been swallowed up by the crowds alone.
(this should give you an idea of the crowds)
We actually missed a ton of celebrity sightings because it takes a fair bit of time to figure out where everything is located, plus the time it takes to get from one area to another.... next time I go (if I ever get to again), I'll be ready!
After we got our press passes, we walked into the Womenswear area only to find that model Joanna Krupa was making an appearance at the Dollhouse booth. Excuse my ignorance, but I wasn't aware that she was one of the sexiest women in the world as declared by MAXIM. But there she was, in a stunning white dress, though she was promoting jeans, signing autographs and doing interviews. She was kind enough to talk to us about her booty and her new campaign, which was very exciting -- my first "celebrity" streeter! She was lovely, articulate, and extremely unaffected, which is always refreshing....
Though the ad is fab, she doesn't really appear to have a booty in person...though she talks about her "curves" in the interview... it's all so very confusing to me.... I do love the new campaign for Dollhouse though that centres around the tag line "You are Beautiful". :)
The days have all sort of blurred together, but we met a bunch of swimwear designers -- I was interested more in the bootys on the girls modeling then the actual swimwear lines (as no one seems to intentionally be making bottoms for girls with bottoms (the way denim finally is).... my cameraman got some lovely full-frame bikini-clad booty moments (how's that for a trip highlight?)... but my focus was on the denim.
Chatted with lots of South American designers. It's amazing how their product, even from afar, is clearly not American. The denim has so much stretch it looks like leggings. I have never seen so many beautiful South American gals up close then I did on this trip -- and it's no doubt that they celebrate the booty but I was disappointed to see that every model was also spilling out over her top, most as a result of noticeable surgical enhancements. There were some language barriers making it clear I could never get away with following a Latin designer around as part of the film -- too much lost in the translation! :)
We even came across a South American company that is very blunt about it's featured product: "Butt-Lifter Jeans". The mannequins being used to display these designs were actually TWO BALLOONS! After i got over the silliness of this, I marveled at how they gave a great, round, plump display effect.
Chatted with Apple Bottoms and PZI Jeans. The latter is a fledgling company out of Atlanta that is really making waves for women with larger waist to hip ratios.... the models in that booth took my breath away -- regular girls with beautiful, natural faces and amazing bootys. There was even a Caucasian girl showing off her rump! I'm loving the vibe of this company... and will definitely keep tabs on them.
The remainder of the time, we trolled the stands, shot b-roll, looked for people to comment on booty, and took it all in....
Because of all the showgirl booty in town, I did my darndest to get access to some events. Again, in hindsight, we didn't even scratch the surface. If anyone has been to see Crazy Girls, La Femme or Jubilee, please let me know! Also, fatigue caught up with me and I lost a couple of evenings as a result.
We did see Cirque de Soleil's ZUMANITY. This was my first Cirque show ever! I've always tried to get Cirque tix when a show is in town but they are always insanely expensive and by the time I come to a decision to go, they are all sold out. The show was pretty good. Music and costumes were stunning. A couple of the acts really left an impression -- particularly the tissue artist performing to moans, groans and gasps -- it was really an indescribable sight and the show really does take you through a journey of emotions.... trust me on this one. There were several asses of note that I plan on following up on, which was exciting.... and I loved that every woman (and most of the men) were wearing thongs, making the booty a focal point!
Last activity on the schedule -- meeting up with a woman named Shedini. I had found her on the internet when I came across her show "Booty Magic". She is an illusionist/showgirl and as it turns out, her show had little to do with booty (or any more so than any Vegas show with the obligatory T & A), but she was an interesting character and a resource into the Showgirl world. She and her friend met us at the Bally's bar, then we drove down to the bronzed Crazy Girls monument at the Riviera where Shedini talked to us on camera about what makes a good showgirl booty, how historically showgirls have always been fairly small chested with the focus around the booty, etc, etc. As for Booty Magic, the show is no longer running but living in a town like Vegas, I'm sure she'll come up with something new before you know it.
She didnt have a major booty -- quite thin actually -- apparently she'd lost weight because her My Space pics told a different story, but her charisma was ooooozing! And she kept me laughing all evening! She wanted to become an illusionist because she got tired of being the magician's assistant that was always getting put in the box and often saving the magician's ass because she was the one doing the escaping! Can't say I've ever met anyone quite like Shedini -- it was a real treat!
Some miscellaneous photos:
I feel (as I'm sure most people do after a brief few days) that I've only scratched the surface of this weird and wonderful world that is Vegas, but it leaves something for next time.
My cross-country rump (romp) is almost over.....
Tatyana
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