Posts tagged nyfw

Herein comes a monster of a blog post recounting the time I spent in New York City for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2012. It’s late I know. I’m running behind on everything right now and working hard to catch up while also trying not to succumb to the crippling exhaustion I’ve been facing for nearly a week now. In order to keep from spewing all of the details of the story around in no particular order, I’m grouping up everything under headers to try to keep it a bit more organized. Because this weekend was absolutely crazy. Lots of highs. Some lows. I thought a lot and came to some conclusions too. I’m not totally sure what it all means yet.

In a hipster perfect world I guess I would say that I’m a person going through the struggle of life and balance and not understanding why I can’t have the life inside of my head match up to the life I lead right now and that I accept the love I think I deserve. No wait, that last bit was a line from The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

In the real world I’d just say I worked myself to the bone to get (and still keep getting) to where I’m going. And sometimes when you work to the bone, it delivers on giving you what you want and never thought you might one day get. Or at least get so soon in life.

The Backstory

I had known I would be attending NYFW since last December and kept it quiet from nearly everyone I knew outside of my editors for a long time. The website I freelance for had originally invited me to attend in September but at that time I wasn’t totally ready to go in terms of taking time off because I had just gotten back from a trip home over the summer. When I renewed my contract with the site, it was heavily implied I would be going to the Fall/Winter February 2012 shows.

I thought about whether or not to go for the longest time. You’d think this would be an easy no-brainer for me, an immediate “yes!” because I am the same girl who once aspired to attend college on the East Coast and become her own version of Carrie Bradshaw. 6 years later and instead of giving in to my heart’s desires at once, I rationized everything instead. This event would mark the first time I would go to New York City and my first visit to the East Coast. Financially, it would be an expense (duh) and my editor was kind enough to offer me a place to stay at her apartment to save on dinero. What made me decide I would for sure attend was a tiny, nagging voice inside of my head that said I may never get this chance again. I would be attending New York Fashion Week at 24 and the age aspect was another big push in the direction to say yes. There is no guarantee in life that you will be able to be successful at all junctures of your existence and certainly no guarantee you’ll always get priority standing room for couture designer shows either. So I went with that gut feeling but turned down my editor’s room and board offer. I am often adamant that when I go travelling, I do it on my own terms which means everything from the hotel to the flight to the eats is funded by myself. Since I now have a job that pays me a sufficient amount of money to not have to settle for tiny cramped quarters and cheapo foods (like college did) I can splurge to a degree and not feel as pinched. Before I left for New York, I worked like crazy to ensure that my interns were all settled work wise and that I tied up all other loose ends. I am THAT kind of manager- you will never catch me abandoning ship without assigning the crew instructions for a smooth sailing.

I need to point out one other thing. I was not in New York for fun and sightseeing and touristy stuff. I went there for work and work I did. I had a blast and went out for lunch and coffee with several awesome people but I did not get a chance to meander around aimlessly and explore. Despite my hotel’s proximity to Central Park and Times Square, I didn’t have time to go to either. I spent almost all of my time at Lincoln Center, Milk Studios, and backstage at Lincoln. On the morning I left to go home, I woke up at 6 AM just to be able to quickly run down to Fifth Avenue and see the stores there before my airport shuttle came and got me. There will be time for sightseeing in another trip. Just not this one. And that’s not the purpose of this trip anyway.

For my first visit, this was strictly fashion.

*For the next set of headers, they will be grouped up by The Shows, The Presentations, and Backstage. Altogether I attended 10 showings in 2 days (this is A LOT to do). 5 were shows in which you sit there and the models proceed on the catwalk- the standard ones everyone knows about. 2 were presentations which is where models pose in a big room and you can walk up to them and take photos- not as high energy as the shows but definitely allows the viewer to take a photo without blur and catch the detailing on the couture. And 3 were backstage in which you watch everyone get made up for the shows. Generally backstage is 2-3 hours before the show begins. For all of these shows, there is a lot of waiting around because absolutely nothing ever starts on time. I’m not going to discuss my favorites or least favorites either because each show was pretty awesome in its own right and I liked at least one thing about each one… though if they had to be ranked in terms of favoritism Mara Hoffman would be last and Falguni and Shane Peacock would be numero uno.*

*Also, I took over 500 photos and over 30 videos- clearly not every single one will be included here but I will be including some of the choice ones.*

The Shows

Ruffian

You always remember the first act and this was the only show I saw that incorporated concerto music with the clothing collection. Ruffian was all about ’40s noir meets Marlene Dietrich- lots of plaids, tailoring, structure, and hats, lots of jewel tones too. It was also very short- about 20-30 looks presented. Most shows feature a minimum of 30-40, and in some cases 70 or more (Venexiana). You can watch a very, very short snippet of the show here- when I did filming, I tried to film every runway show’s opening, close, and a very seconds/minutes of the actual show’s middle. The rest of the time I was taking notes.

You can read the article I wrote about Ruffian here.

Son Jung Wan

A pairing of Lana Del Rey songs alongside models in knitwear. I had mixed feelings about this collection. There was gorgeous detailing on some of the dresses and I loved the furs but the opening looks looked like a bunch of potato sacks on the stage. Not feeling the beige man, I am all about color, spark, and embellishments.

Mara Hoffman

This one took place in the stage and the crowds were huge. During this show I was seated next to a writer named Lloyd who was very amusing and we bonded over our mutual distaste for Alison Brod PR (long story for another time, has nothing to do with NYFW). It was nice to talk to someone who wasn’t taking themselves so damn seriously too… which is one of the biggest downsides to fashion week. It’s the ego, the air of self-importance that fills the air of every corner of the room to a choking point. It comes with the territory of creating this fantasy world that only a handful of the earth’s population will ever be able to inhabit and even then they’ll still be forced to alter their self image for each season.

I won’t get into it any more than that. I like fashion quite a bit but I have a love/hate relationship with the people who work behind the seams so to speak. Some of them are very nice and awesome and hard-working cool people. Others are assholes who will not deign to speak to you unless you’re swathed in Westwood or come with a title of sorts such as being Grace Coddington’s distant niece. You can always tell the ones who are stuck on themselves because they do not laugh or smile or exhibit human emotions beyond this very bizarre smirking that comes with seeing someone who is somewhat important and attempting to register on their horizon…. but I’m getting off topic. Mara Hoffman was all about muted shades and draping and a mix of cowgirl cool which I feel like I see everywhere and therefore didn’t feel challenged by the collection.

Venexiana

AKA the collection that was at the end of the night on Saturday at 9 PM but worth the wait. I wanted to wear EVERYTHING in it. This video will never, ever be able to do it justice. From the moment that that ivory blouse popped out with so many crystals stuck in it you’d never need jewelry accessories again, I was hooked. There was such a punk rock vibe during this show- it was excessive with the crystals everywhere, ridiculous (one dress had a sequined serpent on the shoulder), gaudy with bright colors, and full-on attitude. It was all about a girl who had decided to embellish her personality onto hand-me-downs from her mother’s wardrobe and didn’t give a fuck who saw it or liked it. Despite the fact that only one model had boobs that could hold her dress up, it was a visual feast. Kati Stern, ya did good.

You can also see a model trip in the video. Not the first or last time that happens…

Falguni & Shane Peacock

Why did I love this line like I did? One word: eyebrows. The eyebrows in this show were damn good. The tragedy in filming the show, much like filming all of the runway shows, is that the lights and cameras are so bright that it makes it impossible to clearly see the faces of the models. But the eyebrows were fucking insane, the ponytails were long and sleek, the heels were spiked, and the dresses were tight and graphic printed. Couture martians crash landing on earth. And whoever DJ’d this did a seriously sick job.

The Presentations

Erin by Erin Fetherston

I interviewed Erin right before the presentation began (who bears such a striking resemble to my good friend Melissa it startled me) and she was cheerful and friendly. The entire collection was stunning. Lots of sequins, floral prints, some furs. The enchanted forest was the theme here and it was captured effortlessly. There was a woman in the room playing an actual harp. Not a recording, a full-blown harp.

Lorena Sarbu

Have you ever seen a model pass out during a show? I did and it was scary. The Sarbu presentation was filled with dresses and gowns that were just stunning and in some ways, reminiscent of Elie Saab’s work (the flow in particular was fine and much like liquid). One of the models collapsed after I had finished taking her photo and had to leave. From there on out, a manager went around to make sure the rest of the girls standing there posing were alright.

The girl on the left who fainted about 5-10 minutes after this photo was taken.

You can read the article I wrote about Lorena Sarbu here.

Backstage

Tibi w/Bobbi Brown

The beautiful and super talented Kimberly Sloane, director of global artistry for Bobbi Brown, hard at work on creating a defined eyebrow, the signature look of the Tibi show. This was my first backstage show and I quickly learned that for many of them, you watch a demonstration with a group and take fast notes. Sometimes you get to interview the makeup/hair artists after but not always- they usually have more models to get through and are caught in a time crunch.

You can read the article I wrote about Bobbi Brown here.

Beauty products from the show, on the other hand, you never have to fight them for their attention!

I got to wander around and check out other interesting going-ons during this one. One in particular was quite harrowing to watch- a nail polish expert who was hard at work pulling off the fake fingernails on a model for the Tibi show. The model was almost in tears and had her hand in a little paper cup of water so I had to investigate and see what was up. The verdict? Apparently the show prior to Tibi that the model had been in, the nail artist had glued on her fingernails which you are never, ever supposed to do. It makes them impossible to pry off and then you have to scrap all of the glue off before you can even get to the polish portion.

Jesus Christ. Everyone backstage at this show deserved a metal for their tireless work. Never enough credit that can be given.

Joy Cioci w/Marie Robinson Salon & Tommy Buckett

I got to interview Tommy Buckett from the Marie Robinson Hair Salon who was an utter joy to chat with, albeit I had to do it extremely fast because there was a group behind me. I watched him create a waterfall braid with the model’s hair and we discussed the disheveled look (very in) and his deepest desire for all girls to be daring and get their hair cut short.

Zac Posen w/John Frieda & Luigi Murenu

From the moment I walked backstage into this show, the entire mood and vibe was radically different from Joy Cioci and Tibi, both of which had been much more playful. Zac Posen was very serious, quiet, and concentrated. Even the entrance was different- no tent behind the box or stage to enter, you had to go in through the David Koch Theatre downstairs entrance and I and an intern with Vogue were shuttled down through a labyrinth of hallways to get downstairs to the right room.

Posen’s show was going to include several big guns in the style world (including my lady love Dita Von Teese) in attendance and the show reflected it, not going with messy, effortless chic updos but highly structured ones that were inspired by Japanese architecture. I took a lot of videos and photos here. What killed me was that I literally had to RUN out to a show after and couldn’t stay for as long as I wanted to but this is true of so many of the events of NYFW.

Before I ran out though, I met the lovely Coco Rocha…

… and got to keep my pass backstage!

Conclusion?

So… do I love New York? Do I want to be a part of it and have you start spreading the news that I’m leaving today?

I have a lot of feelings about New York and writing them down sounds stupid every single time. Even thinking them makes me feel like an idiot because I can’t convey how they make me feel properly. And I have tried. I really have.

There were a lot of misconceptions I had about New York City prior to being there.

1) It’s dirty.

It’s not actually, it’s surprisingly cleaner than I thought it would be.

2) People are rude.

That one was complete and total bullshit. Never before have I had so many people actively want to talk to me- and I’m not just talking about the Lincoln Center bloggers/writers/photographers. People are more in a hurry in New York than anything else but who could blame ‘em? I was one of them that weekend, running around hailing cabs and dashing from building to building in 20 degree weather. There’s a lot to do, a lot to see and a world at your feet that won’t wait.

3) Probably no guys will hit on me.

This one I created inside of my head because I know the ratio of women to men in NYC is considerably higher. I face issues in California when it comes to finding guys. Like a lot. I do not fit the mold where I live because I don’t have big tits, refuse to act like I’m an idiot who wants to get insta-famous, and I’m not rail thin (you’re talking to the girl who ran like she was on fire when she saw the Dunkin Donuts sign on her walk back to the hotel one evening). I thought this mold-issue thing would probably translate to the East Coast as well.

MY GOD WAS I EVER WRONG. Men of every single nationality hit on me like there was no tomorrow. One man asked me to marry him. It was a joke but sweet Jesus what was going on here?? I’m not so shallow to say that I felt appreciated just because these guys were all grinning and waving to me and not making lewd comments in my presence but it certainly made me smile a lot more. There’s something I didn’t anticipate I’d do there- smile. But I did and I did a lot.

I met up with my favorite old professor Don while I was there. The last time I had seen Don, I was still in college and about to graduate and he was about to move to NY with his wife to teach. Now it’s nearly two years later and he’s the proud papa of a six month old baby and I’m working within the field of my dreams and writing every single day. We’re different people now than we were then but nothing has changed- we were able to immediately jump right back into easy conversation within seconds of seeing each other.

Don asked me if I could see myself moving to New York and I blurted out no right away and then backtracked, saying I wasn’t sure. It’s impossible for me to answer this question in any capacity because I literally don’t know. Circumstance will be the only judge of knowing where I may go next in life- that, and the people that come into my life and present me with opportunities. I can steer myself there if I want to, but knowing my history of steering, my boat tends to go in better places than the ones I originally aimed for.

When I got back to California, I was happy and resentful all at once. Like New York I loved and hated where I was simultaneously. There were a lot of feelings to swallow and being me, once again I don’t have much time to touch on them. Too many other responsibilities screaming my name to pay attention to.

For as much as I smiled in the city, since getting back I have felt the overwhelming need to cry.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to live in a place that will fulfill all of my needs and that in itself scares me because sometimes I don’t even know what all of my needs are. Sometimes I tell myself that it’s like a puzzle with missing pieces and I just need to collect them all to create a whole. But I don’t think it works that way anymore. You can create the picture and it can be beautiful and complete but there is still an emptiness left over. You’re done. When I do this with puzzles, I look at them for one moment in their full form and then pull them apart and shake it all up and start over again. Sometimes I buy a new puzzle or keep working on the same one until the pieces become familiar.

Ultimately, what I think will happen with me is that I’ll just always keep building and looking for what I need. To say I will find it is not for me to know though. What I do know and what I have always known is that no matter what happens, I will write it all. Through the writing, not a single memory or moment may ever die or end.

The boat always sails in the direction it’s meant.

Love,
HT

There will be a very, very long and photo-filled blog post on this coming up but in brief:
-This was my first visit to NYC and my first time covering NYFW.
-I went to 10 shows.
-These 10 shows were all in the span of 2 days.
-3 were backstage.
-Over 500 photos were taken.
-Over 15 videos were filmed.
-I met Erin Fetherston and Coco Rocha.
-I discovered that I do not like listening to my voice on tape.
-Whitney Houston died and I got bummed out and missed California a bunch.
-Deli sandwiches are obscene in the best possible way.
-The best part of the entire visit was getting coffee with my favorite old professor Don.

xo
HT