A showstopper is what makes the show keep going! Thanks for Pining!
Are you into fashion shows??
I looooove them! I find that they are a great manifestation of creativity, vision, culture, style, colors, beauty exploration and artistic signature. They don’t fall from a high-end produced entertainment event… the biggy-named ones at least.
Even the behind-the-scenes are fascinating! (re Project Runway??)
Now, let me ask you:
What is that you remember the most from watching such a show?
It’s that ONE piece, right? Often towards the end? The one that makes you wonder “how hasn’t she fallen on her face yet with all that thing on her head”, or “how can she go to the bathroom wearing this??”, or “Holy cow! where could I go wearing this, myself?” I am not a mind reader here…
This is the Showpiece or Showstopper.
While creating a fashion line up, the strategy is to include pieces that are exaggerated, outrageous and unlikely to be worn in real life or sold in retail shops.
So, why is that?
Why include in a collection pieces that nobody will wear?
Why invest in such designs to begin with?
Here is where the RAISE piece of working your creative thread comes in.
By raising their creative expression to achieve a showstopper, fashion designers are raising their voice. They catch our attention big time and create a mega memory. Their message, brand name, and signature come across clear. Strong. It’s impossible to ignore. It makes a statement. Or it shocks. In any case, whether you like it or not, it’s unforgettable and unmistakable.
The showstopper is what people will talk about after they leave the show. And those that will eventually buy the little black dress from that collection, with it, they also get the added value and glam that the grandiosity of the showpiece brings. That one extraordinary garment, passes the fairy dust to the rest of the runway.
How do designers come up with such concepts? They bring in their imagination and allow themselves to be completely free. To grand every wish, however out of the box that is. The rules, don’t apply here.
What can you take from this?
While it may be difficult to try and meet the standards of “completely free” on a day-to-day basis – expressing that freedom-fantasy even once, can be game changing as you get an opportunity to voice your desires, to get a glimpse of the ways you can bring up your showpiece, your way.
Can you imagine what the idea of a showstopper can do to your definition of being alive? To the work you create? To the impact you want to make? and of course you don’t have to be a big fashion brand or to walk the runway with spikes under your armpits…
Take a minute…. think or journal…
Have you ever used or thought of using a showstopper in your work?
How do you remember or imagine that effect??
What could you next showstopper be??
How can you make a “larger than life” statement?
No need to think grand! The creative thread takes you far by keeping you close…
Answer to this instead:
What would you WEAR / SAY / DO / CREATE if you were completely free??