After a much-delayed flight that stretched on for nearly 24 hours (whoo!), I touched down in New York on Sunday for my first Fashion Week. I promptly made my way to the Bronx, crashed for five hours and then headed out, first heading to Bryant Park before reading the sched more closely and realizing it was at Lincoln Center this season ahahaha.
I made my way to the Backstage area of Max Azria which I of course wasn’t on the list for. I called Marisa the moment models started drifting past me on the street leading to backstage check-in. So surreal. Once indoors, I made observation #1: it’s easier to blag your way into backstage of a high profile fashion show than a concert. The guy checking credentials fed me the name of the publicist I needed to drop. I just agreed with him that that was the person who I had spoken to and within moments I was whisked in. I didn’t get a wristband though and therefore they wouldn’t let me into the changing area. I made my way back to the same guy and viola! – a yellow wristband was wrapped firmly around my wrist allowing me to exit and re-enter backstage as I pleased.
So I had very little time backstage and the models were already dressed in very flow-y numbers and about to walk the runway.
Doesn't the middle one look like Peggy from Mad Men?
I shot, shot, shot and then went out to the main lobby area first to see if I could get some standing-room-only action for the show and then settled for free samples of Maybelline’s products and people watching. Who did I unexpectedly see in a matter of moments? Why Carine Roitfeld!!!
Cue more exclamation marks. I walked up her, asked for a few snaps, then took my place back by the Maybelline stand and shed a few tears. I wasn’t expecting that reaction. But seriously, she’s who brought the world Andre J. She was so nice and stunning. I’ve always thought she was interesting looking, but in person her effortless beauty was more apparent that her visual interestingness.
I also saw stylist Phillip Bloch who I remember so well from featurettes in Seventeen and/or maybe Teen People during my teen years spent dissecting magazines on the phone with my friend Jazzminn.
So there was tons of free luxury wine, so I drank my share while unexpectedly running into Dev and then making phonecalls to friends and rounding up a troupe for February shows. Then I headed backstage again, two hours prior to Custo Barcelona hoping to get a wider variety of backstage shots. I breezed back and even though I would’ve maybe had a place on the backstage list for Custo, I didn’t even need to check in with the press people due to my handy yellow wristband. And once inside, I witnessed something so wholly beautiful and unexpected that I had to catch my breath. Male models. Lots of them! And this CREATURE who winked at me:
I am so bummed I didn’t find out what he was listening to on his i-pod. What I did find out after some internet searches is that his name is Aram Gevorgyan and his homeland is Russia.
Kimora showed up. I’ve always had an affinity for her, but have always reserved my judgement due to a host of things – such as her penchant for photoshop and seemingly overwhelming materialistic-ness. Let me tell you, I love her. She was SO charming! Very real, big personality, strong, un-afraid. The first thing out of her mouth to everyone she spoke to was to let them know that her and Baby Phat are over. Even if they weren’t asking about it. She equated it to a divorce and said it wasn’t as much fun as divorcing Russell. She was also very vocal about her coat being faux fur as she didn’t want ‘anyone throwing anything on her’. When a girl asked if she had any advice, the first thing she imparted was “Believe in Yourself” and shocker alert – it didn’t sound cheesy. It was heartfelt and rang true.
Then I noticed my fair Tinsley and this is all I could think about.
Speaking of Mad Men (as I did in regards to the Max Azria photo caption – my look at this segue!), after Custo Barcelona I snuck in on a Tommy Hilfiger photo call where such lovely faces belonging to Christina Hendricks, Dougie Howser MD, Chuck Bass, Jenny from the Block (congrats on the $12 milli from American Idol), Rebecca Romijn and Lenny Kravitz strutted by. Bizarre! And by snuck in on, I mean snuck in on. I hid in the back. It was very exclusive who got to shoot it – limited to just a handful of hand-selected photogs. Repeatedly, they made everyone stand front-row in a line so as to verify only the selected photogs were the only photogs there. I remained hidden in the back. At one point another photographer asked if I was hiding. I said yes. They didn’t rat me out. So a surreal stream of celebrities drifted past to pose on their own and with Tommy Hilfiger and his wife.
And I shot on.
Omarion was totally denied access to walking in front of the backdrop, but posed in front of it once the masses of media were gone. Gotta give him props – he has a single that name-checks Kinko’s (my second home) in his songs…
Then I headed home, grabbed my laptop and set up camp at a McDonalds on 42nd to use the internet until almost 4am. Rad!
O Hai Fashion Week
After a much-delayed flight that stretched on for nearly 24 hours (whoo!), I touched down in New York on Sunday for my first Fashion Week. I promptly made my way to the Bronx, crashed for five hours and then headed out, first heading to Bryant Park before reading the sched more closely and realizing it was at Lincoln Center this season ahahaha.
I made my way to the Backstage area of Max Azria which I of course wasn’t on the list for. I called Marisa the moment models started drifting past me on the street leading to backstage check-in. So surreal. Once indoors, I made observation #1: it’s easier to blag your way into backstage of a high profile fashion show than a concert. The guy checking credentials fed me the name of the publicist I needed to drop. I just agreed with him that that was the person who I had spoken to and within moments I was whisked in. I didn’t get a wristband though and therefore they wouldn’t let me into the changing area. I made my way back to the same guy and viola! – a yellow wristband was wrapped firmly around my wrist allowing me to exit and re-enter backstage as I pleased.
So I had very little time backstage and the models were already dressed in very flow-y numbers and about to walk the runway.
Doesn't the middle one look like Peggy from Mad Men?
I shot, shot, shot and then went out to the main lobby area first to see if I could get some standing-room-only action for the show and then settled for free samples of Maybelline’s products and people watching. Who did I unexpectedly see in a matter of moments? Why Carine Roitfeld!!!
Cue more exclamation marks. I walked up her, asked for a few snaps, then took my place back by the Maybelline stand and shed a few tears. I wasn’t expecting that reaction. But seriously, she’s who brought the world Andre J. She was so nice and stunning. I’ve always thought she was interesting looking, but in person her effortless beauty was more apparent that her visual interestingness.
I also saw stylist Phillip Bloch who I remember so well from featurettes in Seventeen and/or maybe Teen People during my teen years spent dissecting magazines on the phone with my friend Jazzminn.
So there was tons of free luxury wine, so I drank my share while unexpectedly running into Dev and then making phonecalls to friends and rounding up a troupe for February shows. Then I headed backstage again, two hours prior to Custo Barcelona hoping to get a wider variety of backstage shots. I breezed back and even though I would’ve maybe had a place on the backstage list for Custo, I didn’t even need to check in with the press people due to my handy yellow wristband. And once inside, I witnessed something so wholly beautiful and unexpected that I had to catch my breath. Male models. Lots of them! And this CREATURE who winked at me:
I am so bummed I didn’t find out what he was listening to on his i-pod. What I did find out after some internet searches is that his name is Aram Gevorgyan and his homeland is Russia.
Kimora showed up. I’ve always had an affinity for her, but have always reserved my judgement due to a host of things – such as her penchant for photoshop and seemingly overwhelming materialistic-ness. Let me tell you, I love her. She was SO charming! Very real, big personality, strong, un-afraid. The first thing out of her mouth to everyone she spoke to was to let them know that her and Baby Phat are over. Even if they weren’t asking about it. She equated it to a divorce and said it wasn’t as much fun as divorcing Russell. She was also very vocal about her coat being faux fur as she didn’t want ‘anyone throwing anything on her’. When a girl asked if she had any advice, the first thing she imparted was “Believe in Yourself” and shocker alert – it didn’t sound cheesy. It was heartfelt and rang true.
Then I noticed my fair Tinsley and this is all I could think about.
Speaking of Mad Men (as I did in regards to the Max Azria photo caption – my look at this segue!), after Custo Barcelona I snuck in on a Tommy Hilfiger photo call where such lovely faces belonging to Christina Hendricks, Dougie Howser MD, Chuck Bass, Jenny from the Block (congrats on the $12 milli from American Idol), Rebecca Romijn and Lenny Kravitz strutted by. Bizarre! And by snuck in on, I mean snuck in on. I hid in the back. It was very exclusive who got to shoot it – limited to just a handful of hand-selected photogs. Repeatedly, they made everyone stand front-row in a line so as to verify only the selected photogs were the only photogs there. I remained hidden in the back. At one point another photographer asked if I was hiding. I said yes. They didn’t rat me out. So a surreal stream of celebrities drifted past to pose on their own and with Tommy Hilfiger and his wife.
And I shot on.
Omarion was totally denied access to walking in front of the backdrop, but posed in front of it once the masses of media were gone. Gotta give him props – he has a single that name-checks Kinko’s (my second home) in his songs…
Then I headed home, grabbed my laptop and set up camp at a McDonalds on 42nd to use the internet until almost 4am. Rad!
So far I’ve got one gallery on Jezebel.com – check it!
I’ll be uploading the plethora of digital shots to my flickr sometime soon…