THERE might have been a hurricane outside, but it was business as usual backstage at the Bill Blass fashion show yesterday.

Amidst the frantic whir of hair dryers, and last-minute makeup changes, Courtney, a stunning blonde, sat blow-drying her feet.

“My legs and toes got soaked outside earlier this morning,” she laughed, “I guess I shouldn’t have worn open-toed shoes!”

Two chairs down, Emma, a brunette with eyes the color of toasted almonds, flicked off a spare rain drop that somehow managed to drip through a crack in the (supposedly rain-proof) tent.

“I hate this weather because it makes me so tired – I almost couldn’t get up this morning,” she sighed, adding as her make-up got touched up. “But what can you do?”