Fashion Week Madness

IM BACK! I feel terrible because I haven't been able to write a single blog post in months because school literally took over my life. But now, school is done for a month and I can finally get back to it. There are a few things I want to post about that happened during those months that I was MIA so I would still like to share them with you even though they happened a while ago. The first one is one of the most exciting one which is Fall New York Fashion Week!

Being a bit of a fashionista, there's nothing I love more than being around amazing clothes, accessories, and of course shoes. Especially when they are created by designers that I have been admiring for a long time. So, every year I try to sign up to volunteer for at least 4-6 fashion shows (2 or 3 per season). This year was no exception; I have been working with a fabulous styling team for 2 years now and every season they have a list of great shows that we can work for. This year I got the amazing opportunity to work for 3 incredible designers: Sophie Theallet, Christian Siriano, and Marchesa. I honestly can't even put into words how surreal everything felt. The fact that I got the opportunity to help these incredibly successful and well-known designers put their show together is something that I will never forget. There is so much to talk about and so many fun stories and moments to share so let me get to it! :)

Backstage is probably the second best spot in the house (sitting front row being the first obviously ;)). Of course being backstage and preparing the clothes and dressing models is also always hectic, but let me tell you, every single second of it is so worth it. You get to see all the clothing and accessories up close and personal and you are able to admire all the amazing details. Not only that, but you also get to interact with the designers and their team while getting to hear them talk about the inspiration for the collection and the styling of the looks.

There are plenty more other great perks of working backstage, but one of my personal favorites is seeing all the celebrities! Everyone knows that I get starstruck pretty easy, so it was quite a challenge stopping myself from running up to my favorite celeb and asking them for a picture. Nevertheless, I managed to stay professional and just admire them from (literally) just a few inches away.

Christian Siriano
The first show on the agenda was Christian Siriano. Not only did he win season 4 of Project Runway, but he managed to create a successful career and is now a world-known designer. This was the first really big/well-known designer that I worked for so naturally, I was a little bit nervous, but very excited nonetheless. 


The show was held at the ARTBEAM art gallery near the highline. It was a bit of a walk from the train station but as I was about to walk in, a photographer asked to take a picture of me and that was pretty cool. 


This is the outfit that I chose to wear. All the dressers are required to wear all black, but I still wanted to look nice so I went with this long sleeve dress that I folded over to make it into a 3/4 sleeve. What I liked about was that it was light and you could tie a bow on the part of the neck. I added a belt to add something fun and to spice up the look. Finally, though you can't see it in the picture, I wore a pair of black flats with good detailing that were part of Christian Siriano's collection with Payless.


The gallery was huge! Even the backstage area (shown above) was pretty big. All the clothes and accessories were located on the lower level. The dressers would stand next to the racks and would help the models get dressed. This was also where the press would be. At the beginning of the show, there were lots of photographers around taking pictures of the clothing for publicity purposes. There were also a few celebrities and bloggers walking around looking at the clothes (keep on reading to find out the specific little stories ;) ) The second level is where we left our things and where people would come and hangout before the show in a little lounge area. 


This area was where the models would get their hair and makeup done. This was towards the beginning of the show so it loos pretty calm but it was insanity when the models and makeup/hair stylists came in. 

Celebrity Spotting!

So as I previously mentioned there are always a bunch of celebrities at these fabulous shows. I think this was the first show where I saw really famous movie and TV stars. Here's the LIST:
  • ManRepeller - She is a famous and well-known fashion blogger that has become incredibly successful. What was amazing was that I actually had a bit of conversation with her. As she was walking around looking at the clothes, I just casually asked her advice on how I should tie one of the tops on one of the models. She was so cool about it and it was great because we essentially styled something together (or at least I like to think of it that way lol).
  • Joey King
  • Olivia Holt
  • Jared (from JustJared): All three of them were walking around in a little clique looking fierce and fabulous taking selfies and what not. 
  • Laure Prepon: I can't even put into words the excitement I felt when I saw her. I was literally freaking out to my best friend who was with me and I was on the verge of tears because of how much I love her. I am totally obsessed with "That 70s Show" and "Orange Is The New Black" and Donna and Alex are of course my favorite characters. She was wearing this gorgeous black dress and she looked absolutely stunning in it. She was just perfect and I hate myself for not taking the risk and just asking for a picture. At least I got to see her in person though so I'll take it. 
  • Alicia Silverstone: Yes! You read that right. I was breathing the same air as Cher from "Clueless." At first I didn't recognize her because I only remember young Alicia Silverstone from the movie but she looked beautiful. She was wearing a white dress and her hair was parted down the middle and it was wavy.
  • Christina Hendricks: I literally walked right next to her and our shoulders touched. It was pretty cool lol. She also looked gorgeous as always. She was wearing this beautiful red dress and went well with her gorgeous red locks. 
  • Maddie Ziegler and her mom Melissa: Little Maddie looked adorable and she is such a beautiful girl. I had had the pleasure of meeting her a few week prior and she was really sweet.

Finally, we got to take a picture with the man himself, Christian Siriano and part of his own team. They were all really nice and it was such a pleasure working for them. It's definitely an experience I will never forget. 


Sophie Theallet

This was actually my second time working for Sophie. The first time was back in Spring or Fall of last year I believe. Her clothing is absolutely beautiful, but I have to be honest I didn't know she was as big/ as known in the fashion industry because I had never really heard of her brand before; however, I was SO wrong. Her gorgeous clothes have been on magazine spreads like Vogue and a lot of celebrities have worn her clothing to various events.

Her theme this year was African/Safari inspired and it was actually one of the coolest themes I have seen. I didn't get to take many pictures but the show was absolutely amazing.

Celebrity Spotting!

Veronica Webb: She is a model, actress and TV personality who has appeared in movies such as Zoolander and Malcolm X.
Lindsay Ellingson: A lot of you may recognize her because she has been a Victoria Secret Angel. She is absolutely beautiful and perfect and I absolutely adore her.

Now the next "celebrity" I saw/met has nothing to do with the show but it happened when I went to grab a bite out to eat with one of my best friends right after the show was done. We were starving and we wanted something cheap and quick so we decided to walk to Eataly. As we were walking through the isles, I saw this beautiful tall boy and I immediately recognized him: it was Jerome Jarre! He is one of my favorite viners/snapchatters. I called out his name and he came over and embraced us as if we were long time friends. My friend and I couldn't believe that we were meeting him. He was so sweet and nice. He took pictures with us and was even on my snapchat story. We talked for a bit and then we hugged goodbye. He is even more handsome in person ;). My friend and I then proceeded to buy some focaccia and sat down at Madison Square Park and freaked out about what had just happened for the rest of the day. 


Marchesa

The last show of the season for me was Marchesa. I was so excited when I got booked to work this show because I've been in love with the brand ever since I saw Olivia Wilde wear this beautiful black gown with gold glitter sprinkled all over it at the 2011 Golden Globes. I also happen think that Georgina Chapman and Karen Craig are total beautiful geniuses and working for them was a total  dream.  I was also really excited because I got to do it alongside my amazing besties. Below is a picture of us outside the gorgeous St.Regis hotel, which is where the show was located.




The Outfit


So I decided to keep it very classy and professional for my outfit since it was Marchesa after all. I went with a black chiffon top with a black blazer over it. I like to roll up the sleeves because for one, my arms are short, and two it's a great and simple way to spice up a look. I went with leggings because I knew I would do a lot of running around and be moving a lot to grab garments and dress models. I also chose my favorite pair of boots to complete the look. As for accessories, I just wore my gold DKNY watch and a gold statement necklace to add a bit of color. 

The Show

The show was everything I could have dreamt of and even more. The gowns were jaw dropping gorgeous and they had amazing handmade/hand sewn details. It was absolutely incredible. If I was rich and was buying a brand new wardrobe, I would want even single piece from the show in it. As we were preparing for the show, Georgina and Karen came over to check in on us. They were so sweet greeting people with a smile and not to mention absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't help but be a little starstruck. The show was hectic and a little crazy as with any other show but thankfully it was a  total success!

Celebrity Spotting

As my friends and I were making our way out, we got to stop by the runway area where celebrities and other guests were still hanging around and talking to the designers. There were a few celebrities there, some I got to actually see in person and some I didn't get to see but later saw on the fashion sites that they were there. Some celebrities we saw were Bella Thorne and Gregg Sulking and Julianne Hough. Apparently Bette Midler was there too which I am very upset I did't get to see because who does't love Hocus Pocus!  Other celebrities were Christina Hendricks, AnnaSophia Robb, Olivia Holt, Alyssa Milano, Sabrina Carpenter, and Jennifer Hudson. It was honestly incredible and I wish I would have gotten the chance to see them but to be honest I was more excited to meet the designers. So, I was determined to get through the crowds and thank both Georgina and Karen personally for letting me be a part of their show. I was successful in getting a few seconds alone with them. They were both so polite and nice and it made me love them even more. They were kind of busy gretting their guests and all but I managed to take a picture with Georgina Chapman and to me that beat out taking a picture with any other celebrity. 


Though I have done many fashion shows ever since I started college, I am always so very grateful every time I get the opportunity to do a new one. For me, it never gets old because although the experience is pretty much the same, there is always something about each particular show that makes every one of them so special.

I can't wait to see what shows I'll get to work for next season and I can't wait to take you guys on the journey with me.


- Diana :)

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