Nineteen-year-old Tran Thu Huong carefully applies a thin layer offoundation and powder to her face, adds some pink on her cheeks andbrushes her eyelashes. She finishes the make-up process with a touch ofcoral-red lipstick, then selects a twinkling evening dress and puts iton.
Huong is now ready, not for a crowded evening party, but to stand in a downtown Hanoi clothing store as a living mannequin.
TheHanoi Tourism College student started her job in April. She arrives atthe Catwalk for Ladies shop on Hang Bong Street at 7pm every day andstands in the window until 9pm. According to Huong, it was the shopowner who suggested that she be the mannequin.
"I had heard aboutgirls who acted as the human mannequins at the shop, but I was a bitsurprised when I was offered the job. I intended to apply for a positionas a salesgirl."
To prepare for being a living mannequin, whichhas been considered a "strange" job in Hanoi, Huong studied poses fromfashion magazines and TV programmes. She found posing came naturally toher.
"Unlike professional models, we don't have to pose in anyfixed position. We can stand, sit on a platform, chat to each other,even can answer the cellphone. Anyway, whatever we do, we still rememberwhy we are there: to show off the dresses."
Huong can also leaveher place to take care the shop's clients. She helps them to choosedresses suitable for their bodies as well as for the events they plan toattend.
Quach Minh Hang, a 12th-grader at the Phan Huy Chu HighSchool, said the reason she decided to become one of the shop's livingmannequins was to earn a salary of her own.
"Instead of hangingout with my friends every night, I lock myself behind glass at the shop.However, it is quite nice that I have some pocket money during thesummer holiday," Hang said.
Both young women consider the mostmemorable moments of their job the occasions when they amazepedestrians, including many foreigners. "It's like a scene of the TVseries Just for Laughs. Some people were petrified when they saw themannequins suddenly moving, but when they realised we were real peoplethey kept smiling," Hang said.
Huong reminisced fondly about oneday when some foreign tourists jumped into the shop to stand next to thebeautiful mannequins for some photos.
According to the shop'sowner, designer Tran Huong Ly, the idea was inspired by the models sheworked with when she studied fashion at a university in Hanoi.
Whenshe opened the shop in 2009, Ly decided to have such specialmannequins, aiming to create something different and attractive for hershop. So far, the Catwalk for Ladies is the only fashion shop in Hanoithat has human mannequins.
"I don't have enough money to promotemy label through media, so I chose a different way and hoped it wouldbecome effective through word-of-mouth."
She seems to have been right.
The human mannequins attract dozens of passers-by every night, some of whom patronise the store.
Overthe past two years, many women have worked at Catwalk for Ladies, sincethe shop changes its mannequins every three months. "New faces bringfreshness to the shop as well as for the people who pass by," the28-year-old owner said.
Ly doesn't have many requirements for hermannequins. Any young woman with "fresh facial features" who is tallerthan 1.65m can apply to be a mannequin at Catwalk for Ladies./.
Huong is now ready, not for a crowded evening party, but to stand in a downtown Hanoi clothing store as a living mannequin.
TheHanoi Tourism College student started her job in April. She arrives atthe Catwalk for Ladies shop on Hang Bong Street at 7pm every day andstands in the window until 9pm. According to Huong, it was the shopowner who suggested that she be the mannequin.
"I had heard aboutgirls who acted as the human mannequins at the shop, but I was a bitsurprised when I was offered the job. I intended to apply for a positionas a salesgirl."
To prepare for being a living mannequin, whichhas been considered a "strange" job in Hanoi, Huong studied poses fromfashion magazines and TV programmes. She found posing came naturally toher.
"Unlike professional models, we don't have to pose in anyfixed position. We can stand, sit on a platform, chat to each other,even can answer the cellphone. Anyway, whatever we do, we still rememberwhy we are there: to show off the dresses."
Huong can also leaveher place to take care the shop's clients. She helps them to choosedresses suitable for their bodies as well as for the events they plan toattend.
Quach Minh Hang, a 12th-grader at the Phan Huy Chu HighSchool, said the reason she decided to become one of the shop's livingmannequins was to earn a salary of her own.
"Instead of hangingout with my friends every night, I lock myself behind glass at the shop.However, it is quite nice that I have some pocket money during thesummer holiday," Hang said.
Both young women consider the mostmemorable moments of their job the occasions when they amazepedestrians, including many foreigners. "It's like a scene of the TVseries Just for Laughs. Some people were petrified when they saw themannequins suddenly moving, but when they realised we were real peoplethey kept smiling," Hang said.
Huong reminisced fondly about oneday when some foreign tourists jumped into the shop to stand next to thebeautiful mannequins for some photos.
According to the shop'sowner, designer Tran Huong Ly, the idea was inspired by the models sheworked with when she studied fashion at a university in Hanoi.
Whenshe opened the shop in 2009, Ly decided to have such specialmannequins, aiming to create something different and attractive for hershop. So far, the Catwalk for Ladies is the only fashion shop in Hanoithat has human mannequins.
"I don't have enough money to promotemy label through media, so I chose a different way and hoped it wouldbecome effective through word-of-mouth."
She seems to have been right.
The human mannequins attract dozens of passers-by every night, some of whom patronise the store.
Overthe past two years, many women have worked at Catwalk for Ladies, sincethe shop changes its mannequins every three months. "New faces bringfreshness to the shop as well as for the people who pass by," the28-year-old owner said.
Ly doesn't have many requirements for hermannequins. Any young woman with "fresh facial features" who is tallerthan 1.65m can apply to be a mannequin at Catwalk for Ladies./.
