Not just clothing but a lifestyle

Contest Rules

Maid
and Butler Contest
Calling all Maids and Butlers, you think you have what it takes to "Clear the Table"? If so enter the Clear the Table Contest.
This maid is almost finished...
“Ok there are fifteen other maids in this room, what do I do to win?” Glad you asked. Here are just a few observations from previous events and suggestions that will help a maid into one of the three places in this contest. 1. Always wait for the signal from the judges to proceed. 2. Smile. Smile. Did I say smile? 3. Speak clearly. 4. Remember to bow at your presentation. It is formal but not too formal. 5. If you hated speech class in high school remember this is not the same thing. The presentation portion is just that. It is a very short presentation of yourself and your uniform. You are not making a speech to the Queen of England. This is not some long drawn out dialogue. As a matter of fact, if you go beyond just stating you name, why you want to be in the contest and POSSIBLY one more sentence that has something to do with your character…you will have points take off your score! 6. If you are trying to portray a specific maid from an anime or manga your last, final sentence may have something to do with that character. 7. If you are not trying to portray a specific maid from an anime or manga then focus more on your pose or have a prop such as a feather duster or tray. 8. What are other maids wearing? Ok this is pretty difficult because you will not know until the day of the contest. But it does not hurt to snoop around. Keep your eyes open. I hate to say it but in the past, many show up in cheesy, French maid outfits bought at local “exotic dancer stores.” BORING. Look around any of the web sites hosted in Japan and most Otaku will agree that the long, classic look from the 19th century is the best. The business like, Victorian uniform is highly prized there and the judges here will follow that lead. So what to do…bring two uniforms: one short and one long style. If you see everyone wearing the one style show up in the other… 9. A word to cross players. Please look the part. This is not a comedy act. We are not reaching for the Bubba-Moon look here. Please do all of the necessary things to create the illusion of your character. We have seen some wonderful males in the past look the part of a female. Put the time and effort into the preparation and it will pay off. 10. Judging is not pitting one maid against the other. This would be next to impossible because some will try to replicate a particular anime maid will others will try to just create a “free form” maid. We almost went to a format that had three separate “classes” but then the event would be too long. Maybe next time. The presentation judging is really about what everyone can do: how well you speak, are you confident in what you are doing and did you say something that made you stand out. 11. The Judging for the Clear the Table portion is opposite of that point 10. The maids are very much pitted against one another in this portion. The reason: move everything off one table to the other faster than any of the other maids. Each maid’s skill at moving place settings is put to the test. 12. What if I drop something? Forget it. It will cost only one second on your score and it may take longer to look under the table to get it! But if you are a perfectionist feel free to dive under the table to look! 13. I finished in 45 seconds. Good, look over the table one last time before stopping the clock. Remember placement is the key here. Having a fork not exactly parallel to the plate is no big deal but if the fork is totally in the wrong spot, that will add one second to your time. 14. What about the settings themselves? Here is a tip…move the settings one at a time and use the setting still at the table as your model. If you can memorize the settings by just looking at them that’s ok too but do not depend on that. 15. No stabbing: everything is plastic except the forks, spoons and knives so be careful! 16. No running: you should be able to bend over the table. If you have to get around to the other side fine but NO RUNNING. 17. No Jumping: maids are dignified and this is not appropriate behavior. 18. No throwing of plates: this makes people on the front row nervous.Thoughts on Winning
Last words. Yes you are going to drop stuff. Yes you are going to look silly. Yes your cap will fall off. We are not trying to make people uncomfortable but it is all meant in good fun. Enjoy.
"Hello Master...you want me to move the table where?"
