Military servicewomen take to the runway during New York Fashion Week

Models took a back seat during the kick-off of New York Fashion Week when military servicewomen took to the catwalk on Thursday.

Servicewomen worked the runway as a part of Salute the Runway, which is the fashion world’s way of honoring the women who serve in the United States military. The women were a mix of both veterans and active duty military; they were of all ages, races, and sizes, Refinery 29 reported.

The ladies got the full fashion week treatment before the show, getting fully done up with hair and makeup, and they were able to hit the runway in little black dresses by some of the hottest designers. The ladies wore dresses by Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and Betsy Johnson.

The show was sponsored by Little Black Dress wines and Fatigues to Fabulous, which is also a campaign that honors servicewomen.

Many of the women were overwhelmed with the task of walking the runway, despite their many years of battle. According to the Daily Mail military pilot Kelly Smith said 'You want to be able to serve your country, as a service member, as a veteran, that's something that's in your heart, but that doesn't mean that you always want to have slicked-back hair and no makeup and boring fingernail polish.”

Many of the women models served in Iraq and Afghanistan.