Benefit organizers, model reflect on 2022 show

The large gym came alive on Saturday, April 23, as a buzzing audience watched a spotlit catwalk during the annual Benefit fashion show, a student-led charity event that was back in person again after a one-year hiatus. 

Over the course of the evening, over 130 models walked up and down the runway in a wide variety of outfits. The retro-influenced show was divided into 11 themes: Fun in the Sun, Country Club, Cultural, Music Festival, First Date, Design Your Own, Vintage, Girls’ Night Out, Bromance, Streetwear and Prom.  

Benefit co-commissioner Grace Hsu said the show, despite being the first in-person runway show since 2020, was an overall success. Although the show had to be pushed back by nearly a month, Hsu believes the preparation was well worth it.

Because school was not yet back in person, the annual show was unfeasible last year. Commissioners decided to reformat Benefit into a fashion magazine, featuring photoshoots taken at home or in scenic locations around Saratoga of models wearing outfits they designed and curated. 

Hsu said that the transition between working on the magazine as a junior commissioner last year and organizing the runway show as a head commissioner was challenging. However, the experience of a live fashion show was worth the initial difficulties the commissioners faced. Hsu worked with her co-head, senior Tiffany Wang, senior commissioners Amarangana Tyagi and Chris Liu, and junior commissioners Haley Marks and Avani Kongetira

“I had a lot of fun with the magazine, because editing it allowed me to express my creative freedom and learn a lot of new skills relevant to design and presentation,” Hsu said. “But I definitely loved the show much more because I got to work with the models and theme heads, see audiences in person and being a part of a live production is what really excites me about Benefit.” 

Hsu said that after the majority of the plans were finalized, the only last-minute problem the commissioners faced was missing the customary stage backdrop when setting up in the gym. To fix this, they had to improvise by setting up a makeshift Benefit-themed backboard. 

Apart from that minor mishap, the show ran smoothly. The silent auction and ticket sales were both extremely successful, and Hsu estimates that proceeds, which will be donated to the Audrie Pott Foundation, exceeded $2,000.

To senior Sadaf Sobhani, the Benefit fashion show was a “perfect way to close out senior year.” Sobhani served as a Music Festival theme head, modeling for both the Prom and Music Festival events. As a theme head, Sobhani’s responsibilities included organizing and preparing models at the time of the show, as well as approving the models’ outfits prior to the show. 

Though eventually running successfully, the event was pushed back by over a month because of the difficulty in sourcing clothes. Eventually, the models had to put together their own outfits instead of being styled by the organizers like in previous years, giving them more creative freedom this year. Despite the initial setbacks, she noted that everyone came together in the end to create a memorable fashion show.

“It was an amazing experience because I was able to walk down the runway with my best friends,” Sobhani said. “Having the lights shining on us when we were walking made us feel like superstars. It was something we had been dreaming about for a long time.”

For sophomore Michelle Wan, this year was her first as a Benefit model. She said that the show did not go as well as she had hoped, attributing her experience to her own procrastination when it came to planning her outfit and her walk.

“I personally pushed the fashion show to the last minute because I chose my outfits three hours before call time,” Wan said. “Additionally, my partners and I thought of poses while the show was going on rather than even a few hours before. It was very chaotic and my entire closet was picked apart, so I could have been more prepared with the whole event.”

Wan decided to participate in Benefit after seeing her brother, Class of 2021 alumnus Isaac Sun, walk with his friends before the pandemic. She did not take part in the magazine last year, so she entered Benefit with no prior knowledge or experience. 

Regardless of her procrastination, Wan felt that Benefit was well organized and a fun experience. She still plans to participate over the next few years and learn from her mistakes for the future.

“Initially, I felt incredibly nervous and worrisome about my walk, but once on stage, everything came very naturally and I began to experience the real fun of the event,” Wan said. “I think I did alright, but I hope to improve my walk and poses in the coming years.”