Backstage & more at Carolina Herrera FW13

Out of all of the shows I went too during New York Fashion Week, Carolina Herrera was definitely my favorite. The experience was an overwhelming one, both physically and emotionally, but in the best ways possible Monday morning I set a 5am alarm in order to make it from my Brooklyn apartment to the Lincoln Center Theatre for a 7am call time. It is a rarity to see me wake up that early without struggling, but for Carolina Herrera I managed to do it. Going through four check points to finally make it backstage, I found everyone surprisingly very welcoming, which is something I honestly did not expect. 

Backstage forty models, Carolina Herrera's dressers and regular employees, Essie's nail team, Moroccan Oil's hair team, MAC's makeup team, and numerous backstage reporters and photographers were hard at work. Crazy enough with all that was going on at a fashion show post blizzard at 7am Monday morning, everyone was having a pretty good time. Maybe it was the lively models that Herrera casted including young stars: Karlie Kloss, Lindsey Wixon, Cara Delevingne, Daphne Groeneveld, Jourdan Dunn, Hilary Rhoda and more. I witnessed Karlie's endless smiling, Cara's funny faces and her reading excerpts from Cosmo out loud, and Lindsey watching doe eyed laughing at them both. It was a great atmosphere and one that I had not experienced at most of the other shows. People were having fun and excited for the presentation.

The actual show is what had the most powerful affect on me. After listening in on an interview with Herrera backstage and sneaking my way into the center of the photography pitt, I witnessed poetry in motion. Beautiful classical music played as I saw the most elegant and sophisticated looks glide down the runway. Beautiful floral print gowns, fur trimmed skirts, luxurious velvets and classic 40's inspired feminine cuts. The collection was ornate and immaculate. I caught myself almost tearing in the middle of at all. I never imagined I would ever be this close to the beauty I admired in the pages of Vogue since I was a young teenager. Matter of fact, I never thought I would even be as close to the editor-in-chief and creative director of the publication, both seated in Herrera's front row. It was a show I will never forget, both with it's beauty and it's meaning.

Look out for more backstage and show photos on my tumblr.

Backstage and Front Row at Helmut Lang FW13

When most New Yorkers started bundling up at home watching as Blizzard Nemo began to run it's course, the fashion industry was patiently awaiting the start of Helmut Lang's autumn/winter 2013 collection show. Set at DIA in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, space was plentiful in preparing and presenting Helmut Lang's attractive geometric print and neural toned collection. I had an amazing time watching as models were made up to give off an incredibly natural look and dressers were preparing the amazing new collection for them. There were special appearances backstage, including one from social media mogul and model, Coco Rocha. I also happened to find a treasure trove of sweet goodies that gave me a fashion themed fortune cookie informing me that this collection "will be exactly the same as last season." I watched as interviews took place and learned everything from the nude colored essie polish used on the models' nails to what Hanne Gaby Odiele would rather be doing then walking a show- playing in the snow with her ski goggles. It was fun watching the show come together back stage and luckily I had the opportunity to sit front row with Rumi Neely, Bryan Boy, Pamela Love, and Coco Rocha. It was an amazing opportunity and a fantastic show. Stay tuned- I'll be posting more pictures of the event on my tumblr.

Swag by Hood by Air FW13

If you follow me on instagram then you've probably realized that I've taken a huge liking to menswear shows. It's not just because I've been backstage witnessing beautiful men getting undressed and then redressed in amazing clothing (although, that's most definitely a huuuuge plus), but more of the overall vibes that come with presenting a menswear collection. Backstage at Hood by Air, the guys knew how to have fun. Kanye West hits were bumping, we were rapping over him, and dancing to the beats. The models knew the job they had to do and did it well, but didn't take themselves so seriously and had a good time while doing it. Everything about the behind the scenes setting of the show was much more laid back then any womenswear show I've attended.

The actual show however was definitely to be taken quite seriously. The space in Milk Studios was packed and clamored in excitement. The models, although most were conventional, were joined by some interesting characters. Boychild, a completely white eyed, short, scary looking model walked down the runway multiple times having mini seizures in the royal blue lights and soft fog. Many models walked in pairs, sometimes more than once. The music was also solemn and powerful as was the crowds reaction to it all. The consistently cool collection, with it's interesting cuts and shapes was paired with full turbans, diamond earrings, and very feminine hairstyles and eye glitter. All of this together created a very interesting show and to close it properly, hip-hop star, A$AP Rocky, joined the show in it's finale- a surprise that no one saw coming. It was a very successful show and overall cool collection. I can't wait to see what Shayne Oliver conjures up for next season.

Partying with Wildox FW13

I kicked off this season's New York Fashion Week with a bang, generously provided by the fun-loving Wildfox Couture crew. To present their autumn/winter 2013 collection, the popular Los Angeles based knitwear brand brought the party to Capitale in New York City's Chinatown neighborhood. The massive and elaborate space built in the 1800's by famed architect, Stanford White, was filled with hundreds of fashion industry persona excited to see the latest Wildfox collection and the Chairlift performance that promised to follow. I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the collection and performance that evening. Here's a recap of the night's events:

Out of all of the fashion week shows and events I've been too this week this one was the only one that made me feel like I was at some sort of High School reunion. It seems like Wildfox may have invited the fashion masses to this one. I saw editors I used to intern for, stylists and makeup artists I've worked with, and even popular New York DJ's and promoters I've partied with. Obviously, that made it a really fun crowd. Spent a good portion of the night bumping into PMc Magazine's Jillian Mercado, makeup artist Te$$ Money and model and writer, Stella Rose (all pictured below). It was great seeing them!

Ran into some old friends, made some new ones. Those new friends are not the ladies pictured below. However, I did pull a little bit of a reaction project with Ashlee Simpson. That photograph was taken as I was asking her what it was like to make babies with a Fallout Boy. No comment on that one. Along with Ashlee Simpson and Victoria Justice was another Disney favorite, Vanessa Hudgens. People went cray for her.

Of course the reason we were all really there was for Wildfox's exciting autumn/winter 2013 collection. It was the funnest presentation of a collection I've seen all season. Models made up like 1920's flappers in Wildfox clothing dancing to jazz classics and drinking champagne. Everyone couldn't help but dance along with them. As for the collection it was just as fun- sparkling skirts, tops and dresses and Wildfox's usual clever t-shirts. I can't wait for it all to be released. I really loved it!

Last, but certainly not least was a highly anticipated performance by Chairlift. I love the easy going tunes of the band and sang happily along with them. It was a very intimate setting and I don't think I would ever gotten that close at one of their concerts. Overall, it was a great performance and a wonderful way to end a really fun event.