This weekend, I flew up to Buffalo, NY on Sunday morning to shoot with new clothing company, Blur Custom Dezigns (http://www.blurdezign.com/).
Blur is the brainchild of Tiffany Jones (MFC Top 5 Finalist- Season 2):
and her manager Miss Jay (I couldn't find a photo of you love...apologies!). I have seen this line in shows quite a few times and have always been impressed with what they do with Denim...(They deconstruct then RE-construct it to make new designs....way cool ya'll).
I came up to do the shoot because we are friends but also because Tiff and Jay promised me a custom made design a while ago and I was determined to get it...lol. I arrived in Buffalo at around 8am (Uh...my homies booked me on the big 6AM flight - I had to be up at 3AM and then spend 50 bucks to catch a cab to JFK....because my monster said it was unsafe for me to be on the Subway at 3-4 in the morning, and although I HATED wasting money like that...I had to agree.) and as I made my way into the terminal - I was surprised to see a good friend of mine waiting to greet me...my brother Will Price was catching a flight out to Florida at the same time and because his flight was delayed-he was able to greet me before he left. It was good to see him and although I was bummed because he wasn't going to be able to show me around his city, It made me feel special that he took the time to find a way to holla at me anyhow. Will walked me as far as he could with out exiting, we said our goodbyes and I headed down to baggage claim to get my bag and find my ride. After a brief wait and some convo, I collected my bag and hopped in a van to take the short ride to the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
It was bitterly cold, still early and I was still half sleep when I arrived and attempted to check in - I was already irritated because home girl at the front desk kept calling me "Sir" (even after I corrected her), so the confusion that came along with checking in just pissed me off more. After some back and forth phone calls between the front desk, Miss Tiffany and Miss Jay - I finally got checked in stopped off briefly for a bite to eat and then headed to my room for some much needed sleep! I found out that I would not be needed until 2-3pm for my first fitting and that made me happy because I could arrive at the fitting refreshed and rested. I had a "special" room on the 15th floor that required a room key for access to my floor (Kewl!) and I was in that room long enough to turn on the heater (I like my room toasty), take off my clothes and jump under the covers before my head hit those pillows and I was out.
I arrived downstairs in the ballroom and the fittings were in full swing - Tiff and Miss Jay had brought in models from all over the country - one of the makeup artists came from Seattle, Washington!! The ladies seemed surprised to see me and I realized that Tiff & Miss Jay had not revealed that I would be there. I got fitted into 2 outfits for their new "Blur Mature" line - one soft mauve colored dress and the other was a long denim skirt and a shirt-vest (this was the outfit I was taking with me and it made me very happy!). The fittings went off with out too many problems and then we were whisked off to the movie theater where the shoot would be taking place. After getting all the logistics for the next day's shoot, we headed back to the hotel - dinner wasn't scheduled until 7pm and it was only like 4pm and I was STARVING!!! I walked around (it was Sunday and the downtown area seemed like a ghost town to me) until I found a little place called "Joe's Steakout" and ordered a 6 inch steak sandwich.
After stopping briefly back in the ballroom to chat with Tiff & Miss Jay, I headed to my room and absolutely INHALED my sandwich - it was DELICIOUS family!!! And it might be one of only two reasons that I EVER need to come back to Buffalo (sorry folks!). I just chilled and watched tv until dinnertime and then I headed back downstairs to meet the group. When I got downstairs the small room that dinner was held in was packed - everyone was seated at 2 circular tables and their were about 18 models & staff in total who were eating with us. I took a seat and then got in line to fill my plate.
Well, the steak sandwich was still with me, so I wasn't actually too hungry - After realizing this would probably be the last time I'd eat all day, I managed to snarf down some grilled chicken and some salad. I went around the table asking everyone who they were, what they did and what their dreams were. The answers were interesting indeed. The ladies used the setting to pick my brains and I didn't mind in the least. I tried to give out positive answers for everything asked but in my usual style - I was reluctant to sugar coat the truth. It was definitely an eye opening conversation for me and probably for the ladies too! We sat in that ballroom for what seemed like hours getting to know each other better. The shoot was scheduled for the next day and hair and make up began at 4am - at this point folks began to trickle out of the ballroom because they KNEW they had that 4am call time. My own call time wasn't until 8am but I knew I needed to sleep too AND I wanted to catch the last of the Academy Awards (because my boy Tevin Thomas was nominated in the Best Song Category and I wanted to see it!).
I got back to my room, got some ice to chill my Pepsi's and pretty much watched the broadcast on with the TV on mute. Was it me or was this year's broadcast by far one of the most boring yet??? Anyway, once the announcement was made for the winner in the Best Song category (it wasn't my friend), I turned off the TV and tried to get some sleep.
The next morning I was up at 6am, I got myself together, grabbed my bag and made it down to the ballroom by 8am. Upon my arrival I was told that things were a little behind schedule and if I liked, I could go back to my room, get some more sleep and await a call telling me when I could come down for make up. From there I went downstairs to grab a leisurely breakfast. I joined a few ladies who were already sitting at a table and ordered the delicious looking pancakes that I saw another model eating. I should have KNOWN better....lol...food ALWAYS looks better when it's on someone else's plate. While my pancakes (that took forever to come) LOOKED delicious - a few bites into it and they were soggy and yucky - the syrup only made it worse. Needless to say, I didn't finish them but went on to have like....lol...12 cups of coffee (just kidding). There was some big meeting of Firemen at our hotel and the cuties were everywhere!!!! After hanging out for a while, I decided to return to my room and see if I could indeed get some more sleep.
I slept until I got a call at 3pm telling me to come back down stairs. I got redressed and made my way back to the ballroom. I found out quickly that confusion ensued when several makeup artists & hair people had to be pulled off the shoot and sent home. I offered to do my own makeup but I was told not to worry - someone would be doing my face....but it would have to get done on location. After we all congregated in the ballroom, we all headed back to the movie theater to shoot. First thing I noticed was that it was Monday morning and the streets were STILL devoid of people - Buffalo still looked like a ghost town and half the businesses lining the streets seemed to have gone out of business....how was this city operating? I wondered to myself.
We arrived at the theater where, the photographer was setting up and Tiff & Jay were busily getting everyone prepped and dressed. The first shots involved the concession stand at the theater, with standard size & plus sized models creating drama revolving around popcorn, nachos & soda. It was an interesting concept and I wish we had more time to do even more shots. My first shot was in the Mauve dress and it was in one of the theaters - I love how people expect me to just "Go for Broke" in front of a camera and pull a million poses out of my butt- I swear on a stack of bibles, I can't do it - Folks always laugh at me when I say how uncomfortable taking pictures are for me....I really don't like it too much - I am just lucky enough to be able to take a good photo. Well, we got the shots, broke for lunch before we had to head back to the hotel for the second half of the shoot.
Tiffany had taken the liberty of preordering something for us to munch on as we worked - she ordered pizza and a large sampling of wings that included, Mild Buffalo (should have been hot ones...these were thisclose to being bland), Barbecue (the only OTHER reason for me to come back to Buffalo), Cajun (interesting) & Honey (which Tiff loved but I hated...lol). After FINALLY convincing the house manager that he should give me some Junior Mints to relive my childhood (thanks!), we all got our coats and headed back to the hotel. The second half of the shoot involved shooting individual pieces for the catalog and I was scheduled to shoot LAST....AGAIN!!! It was nearly 9pm when we got the final pieces shot and broke for dinner - it was a LONG day for everyone and we were all famished when we sat down to dinner.
After conversing over Chicken Parmigiana, Bowtie pasta, fresh broccoli & chocolate fudge cake for desert - I announced that I would be leaving since my flight was at 5:50 am and I needed to catch the 4am shuttle to make my flight back to NYC AND Buffalo was expecting a MAJOR Snowstorm at around 7am. It had already been snowing for several hours when I got up at 3:30am - I was very nervous about being snowed in and I knew I had to be at work at 10am. Fortunately everything went off without a hitch and we made our flights on schedule and I got back to NYC at around 7am.
I took the skytrain to the Subway and hoofed it on the train back to Harlem (I wasn't trying to give up another 50 bucks for a cab ride home), The E Train was crowded (since it was rush hour) and as soon as I stepped on the train, I saw a brother that I met at a dinner party for my longtime friend Craig Bannister - lol...he is Craig's cousin and his name is Craig Bannister too! He offered me his seat, which I very stupidly declined (don't know WHAT I was thinking), dropped off my bags to my monster and then got back on the train to head into work.
I was exhausted and cranky when I got to work and I spent the entire day wishing I could be home in my bed sleeping.
Will Price, I am hoping that you will be able to change my mind about returning to Buffalo......
Thanks Tiffany & Miss Jay for the outfit - I will wear it with pride, and I hope that you got all that you needed from me - I had a blast!
Sidebar: Normally, I would write as many names as I can remember in my blogs but I don't want to slight anyone (because my memory ain't what it used to be - forgive me in advance ya'll!). Know that it was a pleasure meeting each and everyone of you and I look forward to seeing you all again in the near future.
"Flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success."
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