Some Thoughts About Poses For Runway Shows - Part 2

It's been a while since I was able to post last and I apologize for leaving the posing topic half way up in the air.  I do take this blog very seriously and I don't like to post unless I know I can focus on this until I can get a post up.

So a lot happened during this time.  A new BLVD Agency was created to replace the original Boulevard Agency and as our first show, we had the BOSL Fashion Week where the new BLVD Agency had 9 shows plus one more by the Miss Virtual World finalists which was also their first public presentation as 2012 finalists.  So I'd been rather busy.  XD

So going back to the topic where we left it in the last post, which is some of my personal thoughts about poses we use for runway shows, part 2, I will continue to write about the remaining "no no poses" to shed some light into why they were banned and whether they were really that bad?

3.  No arm pit poses.
These are sometimes referred to as "deodorant poses" because they look like poses you'll see in deodorant commercials.  *laughs*  The reason why these were banned in the first place was because they tend not to be "very elegant".  Again, think about RL.  Would you stick your arms up to show your arm pits if you were wearing a gown in RL?  The answer is most likely no.

However, if the reason for these poses getting banned was because they are not elegant, how about outfits that are not meant to be so elegant?  For example, how about fun, playful outfits or more role play type outfits?  How about street casuals?

Of course, these poses can be used. :)

But again, don't forget the basic rule.  Poses have to be chosen to draw out the best of the outfits you are modeling.  Also don't think about each individual pose as separate poses.  In other words, the poses have to flow naturally.  So if you will look like you have abruptly thrown out your arms and if that looks unnatural as a flow from the previous pose you will be using, then it may not be a good choice.  This, of course, applies to all poses however.  So after you have chosen some poses that seem to work with your outfit, it's always a good idea to run through them to see if they flow naturally.  If not, you may need to swap the order of some poses or chose different ones altogether.


4.  No animated poses.
Finally I am seeing less of these poses being used, which I believe is good.  It's not so much that the commercially available animated poses are bad, however.  It's just not my favorite poses because it means somebody else can run through the same animation by using it and most likely a lot of people will even recognize where you bought it.

We all try so hard to be unique.  Why compromise with poses?

If you absolutely want to use an animation, then try to create your own.  For example, you might want to show how an outfit flows.  Some outfits look really gorgeous when they move.  So why not show this?

You might argue "but I can't make poses."  Right.  Neither do I.  But you can still create your own animated pose by grouping a set of still poses and hitting them one after another so that they flow as if it was an animated sequence.  You just need to be patient and find which ones work well together.  Usually this will be a sequence of 3 to 4 poses.  Of course, you can use more and make it a longer sequence.  However, as I briefly wrote in Part 1, you do need to give some good "standing still time" so people can see you well and also for any photographers out there to take a nice picture.  So you don't want to be moving constantly.  So after taking that into consideration, usually a short animation using 3-4 poses seem to work the best.

It might also be a good idea to keep a memo of the names of poses that work together.  Or even keep folders naming them something like "Animation 1", "Animation 2" and in each of these folders, keep some still poses that you have found that work together well.  Don't forget to rename them with sequential numbers so you will know in which order they should be played.  Then renew these folders from time to time so you won't be using the same sequence over and over again.

Finding poses that work as animated poses are tedious and need patience.  But when you do find a set that works great, it's a big pleasure also.  Besides, it's fun!


5.  No back poses (poses where you turn around to show your behind).
I must say, I am not sure at all why these poses have to be banned.  Mind you, not all show directors ban these but I have seen some that do.  I am assuming they were banned because they thought you shouldn't be showing your behind to the audience guests.

But hey.....we are models!  Not actresses or singers on stage.  Our job is to show the outfits and not ourselves.

So if we see any value in showing our behind, such as when an outfit you are modeling has some interesting back view, why not show it?  Just make sure you don't end the posing showing your behind.  It will actually look odd if you suddenly walked away after a back pose, right?  So make sure it's used in between frontal poses so you have a bit of time to go back to a frontal pose before walking back.

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 So these were my thoughts on poses and also on some banned poses issues that I generally hear in the SL fashion industry.

If and when you are in any doubt, always think what it will look like in RL and also why some poses were banned in the first place.  Then think if your case applies.  That should give you a good idea on how to judge different cases and situations.

And to any show director who might be reading this, don't ban poses without thinking of the reasons why.  Don't just chant "no" because somebody else told you "no."  Be prepared to give your reason why you want some poses out..

Have fun posing!!