Eleganza: 'The drunker you are, the better we look'

Unseasonably warm spring weather beckons dozens outside to sunbathe partially clothed, where onlookers can gawk for free. Tomorrow night students will pay $7-$10 to ogle their half-naked peers at the eighth annual presentation of the Eleganza fashion show.

To get ready for the conveniently-timed pre-frosh event, which is notorious for its scantily clad models and generally inappropriate gyrating, the bevy of hard-bodied models kicked personal preparations into high gear.

The models, an elite 27 whittled down from more than 100 applicants, are pumped for the show, and are preparing (or not, as the case may be) with passion. Alex Soltren ’03 looks forward to “representing for the Latinos” on campus while catwalking tomorrow. He’s working most on practicing his “mean, serious face,” he says. “I’ve gotta stop smiling.”

Marian H. Smith ’04 auditioned because she liked the show from previous years, and says she isn’t doing anything drastic to prepare for the show. Her words of advice for the audience: “the drunker you are, the better we look.” Vida C. Harvey ‘04, a member of Expressions as well an Eleganza model, says that her practice for the dance show, held last weekend, did more than enough to keep her in shape for the event, while Erika M. Jungblut ’02, is really working on practicing her walk. Many models wouldn’t detail preparation secrets because their confidence is unshakable. “I’m an athlete, so walking around with my shirt off isn’t a problem,” says Nii A.K. Ofosu-Amaah ’04.

Sheila S. Akbhar ’02, who will model lingerie and bathing suits, knows that practice will make perfect and boost her confidence.“ When my roommates are out I lock the doors and walk around in underwear,” she says. Andrea H. Li ’04 has a somewhat similar strategy except she and her roommates acclimate themselves to public half-nudity together. She says she has performed numerous shows for her roommate to try to overcome her nervousness. Not that the attention should focus solely on the female lingerie models, she points out. “It’s not just about girls in underwear,” she says. “There are guys in boxers too.”

One such soon-to-be objectified male, Andrew M. Fried ’02, a member of the football team, is making use of his post-season free time to model for the show. He says that he hasn’t changed his weight lifting schedule, but, in the cocky trash talking mode that certainly mirrors backstage banter at most fashion shows, is sure that many of the other models have definitely increased their visits to the gym. “I’m just doing my own stuff, but I know a lot of other guys who are going to the gym more often,” he says.

Preparations may be intense, but all are sure it’s worth it.

“We wanted to show that there’s more than studying at Harvard. Not a whole lot more, but there definitely is something,” says Harvey. “[It’s] important and something that I’m proud to be doing.”