Lee Richter Heads Back Stage NY Fashion Week

Here we are with Vicki backstage. Now, Vicki had an unusual experience yesterday. Would you like to tell us about that, Vicki?

Yes, so I was in the back helping with the models, helping get them dressed, helping get them ready, hair and little things that they were putting on, just everything. And I was helping a particular designer, David Tupaz, and what I thought was so amazing was that he spent the time to actually talk to the people who were helping, the volunteers, and share his story, which goes to show how much story is important.

Yes.

And encouraged them to keep going in whatever endeavors they had in life. Most of them were pretty young, and he gave them a lot of coaching on what's possible for them, regardless if they came from money or if they didn't, and that the industry is hard, but they could do it if it was something that they really wanted to do. And I think that was really, really super surprising, I guess, in a way, because I thought it was just going to be all about business. We're getting models dressed, we're putting on all this, and he took the time, like took out time to do that, and I thought it was really special.

I was so happy because I had the privilege of coming in when he was telling his story, and it was not only inspiring, it was something that every single person was so connected to in the room, and they were glued to his every word, so it was engaging as well.

And one of the girls who was listening, she goes, oh my gosh, you have me crying, and that's how much it meant to her. Yeah.

So she got so much more out of the day than she could have imagined.

Exactly. Because I think a lot of times you think you're just helping. You're just here to do tasks and things like that. And when you get something that is more meaningful than that, that's something you can take away with you forever. So I feel like yesterday was this memorable day that I'm going to, like, forever be— it's etched in my mind forever.

Dreams come true.

Exactly. And then, of course—

Well, I know this is the most amazing part. It's almost beyond a dream because you wouldn't have even imagined it. But what happened when he handed you some material?

Yeah, that's what I was about to say. So there ended up being a couple extra models yesterday. So the one model comes in, he says, oh no, I don't have enough outfits. Next time I should bring 50, or more like 150, so that there's enough out there. So he had these scarves, you know, like they wave them on the runway and they drag them behind them and all that. So he had a whole bunch of those, and he took the scarf and he just made a sarong out And he said, that's what you're wearing. So somebody pinned it up, and then the next person came in. Next model comes in, he's like, oh no, there's another model that doesn't have clothes. What are we gonna do? I happened to be standing right there. He had a safety pin. He hands it to me and he says, here's the safety pin, here's the scarf, make her a dress. And he walks off.

Oh my goodness.

And I'm like, okay. So I took and I made her a sarong like the other one, and I pinned it up. And all the time I was thinking, thank you, Mom. Thank you, Mom, for showing me how to do this. Thank you, Mom, for showing me how not to make the pins show. Because that was one thing in particular I heard him say to the person who was pinning up the other one was, make sure the pins don't show. I don't want the pins to show. So I had to do it twice.

Yes.

But I got it so the pins didn't show and it flowed right. And so it was great.

And how did it feel being in the audience and watching that come down the runway?

Oh my gosh. So she was the third one in that scarf because there ended up being a third person who came in without a dress and he did that one and it was a one-shouldered thing, but when she came out on the runway, oh my gosh, I'm like, that's mine, that's mine, that's mine! It was like I wanted my name plastered on her forehead.

Well, it's plastered in your brain forever that you had that experience. So what does this experience mean to you? Because you said yes, you traveled, you brought your daughter cross-country. What does it mean to you to be part of this experience? It was—

and I was talking to somebody about this earlier today— that it was more than I ever thought that it was. Because when you think you're volunteering, you think you're just a nobody backstage, right? That you're just doing these menial tasks sometimes, you think, right? You know you're a support and you know it matters, but in a way you just figure it's just things that I'm doing. It was so much more than that. Like, I'm not even sure how to say how much more than— than it was more than I thought it could ever be.

I will say you were floating on cloud nine, and I just am so delighted that it made you so happy. And And your daughter Stephanie too, like to see her have the experience she did and be behind the scenes like that, it really was heartwarming in so many ways.

It was so amazing.

Well, I'm glad you said yes. I'm glad you're here.

I am so glad you invited me.

And this is only day 2.

I know, like, how could it get better, right? But I'm sure that it will.

And here we are backstage and we get to see exactly how they get the models ready for the runway and then they go right out and It's just that simple. Yeah. So, but a lot of little details go in.

Yes, a lot of little details. You have to make sure your hair is just right. You know, they have specifics about how they want their hair done, each designer. So if you go into hair and makeup, you'll see pictures up there of how they're supposed to be done. Like they have a certain thing. And what was really cool was he said that the, the order of how things came out, it was supposed to tell a story. So if you watched, it came out in bold colors and then it turned to the sarongs that I made, and then it turned into flowy, flowy things that were Not as bright, and then back to some flowers. So you could see the progression of it, but if you didn't know, you wouldn't think about it. But he had a specific way of making everything flow.

And what was so gorgeous too is at the end when they all came out, you could really see that his imagination took form in a beautiful masterpiece. So, well, thank you for sharing this with us. Thank you for being here.

Thank you for inviting me.

And I'm glad you said yes, that's for sure.

Me too.