Moving up up
Toronto girl lands wardrobing job for Shania Twain
By SYLVI CAPELACI, STYLE EDITOR
Toronto Sun
She goes shopping with Shania Twain, helps her through quick changes backstage, adds crystals to her stage wear, presses her clothes and alters baggy T-shirts so they hug the diva's tiny wisp of a waist. Ariane Martin is wardrobing manager to Canada's most celebrated female singer. It's a dream job for the 20-year-old Toronto native, who overnight went from a struggling fashion designer and part-time waitress to styling a star.
In September, Martin joined the crew of Twain's Up! tour, and since then her feet haven't touched the ground.
We caught up with her in T.O. last week while she was on a break between the North American and European legs of the tour.
Martin says her new gig has been a roller-coaster ride travelling from city to city, doing 16-hour days and four or five shows a week. She's not complaining. She loves the pace.
"One minute I'll be mending the ripped crotch on a band member's jeans or bundling laundry for the cleaners and the next doing a wardrobe interview with a segment producer for Oprah," says Martin of her one minute of fame.
"It's a great career for someone young and starting out because you don't have any roots, you've left home and never had a serious job. Now you have the freedom to be creative and also travel."
TOURING WITH TWAIN
In any given city, her daily routine begins about 9 a.m at the venue. "I set up my work space, meet with the building technicians to get the change rooms up and running, then go out shopping for last-minute supplies like fresh flowers to brighten up the rooms and scented candles to mask odours. We usually play in dirty old hockey arenas."
There are alterations to do, steaming, pressing and laying out that evening's performance clothes for Twain and her her nine member band -- including several backup options.
During the show, Twain has three complete outfit changes that Martin must get her through in 11/2 minutes flat.
"Everything is laid out face down on a table in the order she puts it on. So when she runs into the change booth I help her rip off her clothes, pull on the new ones and make sure her jewelry is on, boots are laced and zippers zipped."
Martin says things can and do go wrong. "Shania's hair may get tangled in something, her microphone could come unplugged, a shirt might go on backwards or twisted. If she's putting on a fishnet stocking and it rips, we have to hide the rip or mask it."
Twain's wardrobe is a huge responsibility: "Her stage wear, the gowns for award shows, her accessories and over 30 pairs of boots and shoes (size 6) are with us all the time."
For the Up! tour, Twain's signature is colourful boxing boots -- most custom designed by Steve Madden -- that she wears with contrasting laces to match her outfits. She doesn't wear stilettos on stage -- only boots and platforms -- because the slim heels can get caught in the step grates.
Silk cargo pants and jeans dotted with studs and crystals, sparkly tops and Cosabella mesh tank tops layered in bright colours are a few of Twain's favourites for stage. She is also a big fan of glittering jewelry, especially chokers dripping in crystals. "We have to put extra-large clasps on the pieces so they are easier to get off and on during quick changes."
In every city, Twain sports a hometeam jersey during her show and if a city doesn't have one, Martin will buy a local tourist T-shirt and customize it for Twain.
"I'll cut it low, tie it high and add rhinestones and Swarovski crystals," says Martin of her redesigns. Her stage wear constantly evolves with "cool" pieces the two pick up along the way. Twain never wears the same outfit twice in a region where fans may travel to neighbouring cities to see the show a second time.
Martin landed the interview for this plum job with a little help from her mom -- Stacey Martin -- one of Canada's top makeup artists who has worked with Twain over the past eight years.
"At first, Shania was hesitant. She even sent me a letter trying to dissuade me. She didn't want to get my hopes up that this was a position designing her whole wardrobe and that it would just be taking care of the clothes for her and the band," Martin explains.
In the end, Martin's dressmaking skills, creative talents and relentless determination ultimately impressed Twain enough to hire her on a trial basis. The fit was right and within two weeks Twain doubled her salary.
"I'm very comfortable right now," says Martin flashing her first ever designer handbag. It's an Yves Saint Laurent with deer handles, a most sought-after style which, even on sale at Holt Renfrew, set Martin back $500.
Though Martin plans to be a successful designer one day, for now she is crazy about her new lifestyle and is learning to cope with all the day-to-day job-related pressures.
Once when the strap on Twain's battery-pack holder snapped at the last minute, they radioed Martin who had to run threading a needle in the pouring rain to get to her and mend it minutes before the show.
"That was when I knew I had made it."
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It's really interesting to read about what is going on behind the scenes....it sounds like chaos when Shania needs to change..lol..can you imagine the fun?
This girl must be the one they showed during the Oprah footage from Boston...
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