An Unforgettable Valentine's Day

I don't even know where to begin with this post because there is just too much to talk about and I still can't believe what happened! I guess I should start off by telling you how it all began. If you have read my previous posts, you may know that one of the things I love about my school is the amazing opportunities that we get; not too long ago it was getting tickets to see Kinky Boots, this time it was tickets to a fashion show!

To be more exact; they were tickets to the Fashion Relief show at Lincoln Center hosted by the one and only Naomi Campbell!  It was a charity show that would be held to help raise money and more awareness for the fight against Ebola. As soon as I got the email about there being tickets, I texted my friends and we got really excited. Of course, there were only a limited amount of tickets available, but luckily we got there really early and were three of the first 40 people online which is the exact number that they had. We had to wait in line for about 2 and half hours but believe me when I tell you that is absolutely worth it!

The show was on February 14th at 8:00 p.m. at the tents at Lincoln Center. I was particularly excited because I had only ever been to a fashion show there as a backstage volunteer, but this time I got to be there as a guest and just enjoy the show. In addition, I was most excited to see Naomi in person!



The Outfit
I was really looking forward to dressing up for the show so I spent the night before trying to come up with the perfect outfit. My favorite designer is Diane Von Furstenberg, but since I can't quite afford her clothes yet, I decided to come up with an affordable outfit that would be inspired by her brand. 
  • Dress: The dress was black and white with a zig zag print. The sleeves were 3/4 length and the neckline was a crew neck; the back of the neck had a knot for decoration. I got it from Target on sale for $12.00! 
  • Shoes: I chose a classic pair of black pumps to go with the color scheme. These were from DSW which I got for $40.00. The thing I liked most about these shoes was that the heels weren't too high so they were a bit easier to walk in. 
  • Accessories: I had the perfect clutch for the occasion and that was a small bag with the caption "Fashion Is My Boyfriend". My friends got it for me as a Christmas present and I love it because it is so true! The dress was already gorgeous with just the zig zag print but I felt that I needed another color than just black and white. So, I decided to pair it with a gold statement necklace from a store called Six which I got for about $10.00. I also went with a pair of rose gold pearl earrings from the same store. Those came with another pair of pearl earrings and cost about $6.00. Finally, I added my DKNY gold watch because I cannot leave my house without it. 



Getting There
Unfortunately the weather wasn't exactly on our side that day: it was cold and it was snowing! We weren't going to let that us stop though. We all know that sometimes you have to make fashion sacrifices so we were more than determined to beat the snowy day with our fabulous outfits and 3 inch heels ;) When we got to Lincoln Center, we felt super important because we just had to show our ticket and we were let in through the main entrance. We walked around for a bit looking around at the stands and taking pictures of the set of E! News of course! Then, we realized that our spot would be on a first come first serve basis so we decided to get in line. I must admit that it was a little overwhelming (and a bit claustrophobic) because there were a lot of people, whom like the three of us wanted the best spot. I wasn't giving up that easy though; sometimes being short has its perks ;) I managed to squeeze through the crowd and get my friends and I in the first batch of people to be let in. When we got inside, it was such a rush of adrenaline. It was hectic, but it was amazing. The space was big, there were spotlights everywhere, and so many photographers, but most of all we were excited because we got actual seats! We honestly thought we would be standing in the back somewhere, but instead we got seats in the 5th row! 



The Wave of Celebrities
Okay, so we knew that Naomi Campbell was definitely going to at the show because she was the host; however we were so not expecting to see all the celebrities that were there not only as guests but also walking in the show! The first celebrity we saw was Frankie Grande (Ariana Grande's brother) and of course like the freak I am, I excitedly waved at him when he looked in our direction. He was nice and smiled and waved back. I thought just that was sweet; however a few seconds later he walks over to us and asks if we wanted selfies!! Of course, we said yes! He was so nice and told us we were cute (I wanted to scream of excitement but thank goodness I contained myself). We were on the lookout for more celebrities and we actually did see a few more in the audience: there was Miss Jay from America's Next Top Model, Vivica Fox, Christina Milian, and Zac Posen. Then, just when we thought that was it, we see Justin Bieber walking in and sitting a few feet from us! We were definitely starstruck. Unfortunately it was too hectic to track them down and take pictures but I did manage to get a somewhat blurry selfie with Christina Milian. 



Showtime!
The time we had been anxiously waiting for was finally here! The lights dimmed and the spotlights emerged. The atmosphere was set by an amazing remix of all the hottest songs of the moment. They started it off with a really nice remix of Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. The music was loud and it gave you a rush of excitement. Models started coming in gorgeous garments donated by designers such as Tom Ford, DVF, and Zac Posen. After several came out, Naomi came out to strut down the runway followed by Paris Hilton and the audience went crazy. I liked the set up of the catwalk lineup because it was several models then a celebrity and then more models and so forth. What also made it exciting was that we never knew which celebrity would come out next. We were always surprised; other celebs that walked down the runway included Kelly Osbourne, Michelle Rodriguez, Nene Leakes, Kelly Ruterforth, Mary J. Bleige, Rosario Dawson, and Tyson Beckford! They all modeled amazing clothes as well. It was all just such an exciting experience and I never wanted it to be over! 







After the show was over, we walked down to the runway to take a couple of pictures to keep for our memories. It was so cool to know that all these amazing people stood exactly where we were. Everything was an absolutely success and the cause that it was for was even better. I truly enjoyed every second of it, not just because of the celebrity and excitement but also because being there helped to reassure me that I have chosen the right career and that I can't imagine doing anything else. Being there was like getting a little glimpse of my future and everything that I could possibly imagine wanting. The best part of it all was that I got to share the moment with two of my best friends who share my same passion. I hope I get another opportunity to do this again because I had the best time of my life. 

                                                                                                                                                - Diana :)


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