How to walk like a model from the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia 2014

As Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia 2014 draws to a close, I was thinking about what practical tips could I share with my fellow blog readers? I’m sure the fashion magazines and bloggers would have already covered the styling trends from the runways at the show in some depth. On reflection, I might have appreciated some Australian designs and not others but there are some practical things I learnt from a model’s ‘walk’ on a runway from observing a few at my first international fashion show last week.

Why do you want to do that? Well, your walk can say a lot of about you. A woman that walks with purpose knows what she wants, has confidence, a commanding presence and beauty. You want to make a strong first impression with whoever you meet for the first time. Here are a few tips from observing the models on the runways last week.

My photo from the New Generation runway. Notice the posture

#1 Posture is everything. Gather up every inch of yourself and act tall, even if you aren’t by imagining a taut string threaded from your spine through the top of your head. Drop your shoulders and hold your stomach in. “There’s a certain quality that you immediately feel when you see a girl,” so my male friends say to me, “It has to do with her personality and her posture.” For those who want a little training, Sydney Dance Company’s jazz classes, have a technique component of the class that teaches you to ‘walk’ in different ways for dance – all of which focus on controlling your core muscles. I’ve heard the techniques in these classes have also been used to train models.

#2 Lengthen your stride. Small steps makes you look timid so lengthen your stride and put one foot in front of the other, which is what will give your hips the seductive swing that models are famous for.

Photo from the New Generation runway. Good posture & relaxed arms

#3 Rhythm: Get into a rhythm and let the loud music (or pretend there is loud music if you’re on the street) be your uplifting motivation. When a natural bounce to the beat happens add to it by thinking about holding your head high and keeping your shoulders back.

#4 Arms: Let your arms swing naturally. Take care they are not too stiff or have big movement. The clothing you have on will help you decide what to do with your hands, you may need to hold something or stick one or both in a pocket.

#5 Eyes: You should never look down. Always look straight ahead at the cameras or pick a spot on the wall ahead of you so you won’t get distracted.

There’s a lot there to remember. And don’t forget: if you fall, pick yourself up gracefully and walk on.

Check out some of my clips live from the runways on the See.Taste.Do Facebook page.

Anna Quan runway
New Generation runway
Bei Na Wei runway