By: Marissa Keegan
1/8/16
Instagram blows up with photos of the Kardashians wearing
Balmain’s newest collection as they walk through the streets of New York. As
Nicki Minaj’s tweet appears on your screen you notice her showing off her
Givenchy dress at a fashion show. Rihanna continues to influence conversation
through her different style of clothing as she approaches her seat.
Many people interested in the fashion industry would
argue that New York Fashion Week is the most significant week every year. This
week is covered by multiple entertainment programs such as Entertainment
Tonight and E! News. Have you ever
wondered what it would be like to be behind the scenes of a show during New
York Fashion Week? Would the experience be different than you imagined it to
be?
As I stepped off the train I followed the crowd of people
outside of Penn Station on to 34th street. New York Fashion Week not only attracts
well-known celebrities but also well-known youtubers. Unlike many celebrities,
youtubers could be seen walking the streets without any body guards and speaking
to fans. While I rushed through the streets of the city to get to my hotel, I
passed Grayson and Ethan Dolan, famous youtubers, taking photos with fans. As
you walk through the streets of New York City during fashion week, you become
fully aware of what week it is. Posters of the NYFW logo line the streets as
people rush to their next show.
As I got closer to my hotel, which was located across from the venue of the fashion show that night, I could see the photographers waiting to take a picture of someone. Along with the photographers were brand representatives handing out free samples of perfumes, nail polish and even magazines. After walking down the entire street, I ended up with a purse full of new items I’d just received in the last minute. Usually when people think of a fashion show, they think of the photographers waiting for celebrities to arrive and walk in their best attire. Although this is true to some extent, the photographers not only take pictures of celebrities but also of random people’s street style. Many of the people walking on 34th street before show time were not celebrities, rather everyday people showing off their own sense of style.
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When
I finally entered my hotel, numerous photographers were sitting in the lobby
chatting about the last show they watched. I ended up in the same hotel as many
staff members from New York Fashion Week. After preparing for the night, I
headed up to the rooftop of see the beautiful view of the city. On the rooftop,
there was a group of people grabbing a drink that had a NYFW staff badge on. One
of these people turned out to be a fashion blogger while the others were the
crew of the show Fashion Police on E!. After speaking to the crew, I was
invited to watch the recording of Fashion Police the next morning at the venue.
I was let in on some information that may surprise many viewers of E! News that
day. One of the crew members told me, “Giuliana Rancic is a (offensive word).
She is so two-faced to everyone on the show and very rude.” Typically, people
wouldn’t think they could run into someone famous on a rooftop unless they were
in the movies. Although it doesn’t seem realistic to some, running into someone
important in the fashion industry during NYFW is very common.
After attending a reception, I walked down the street to
the venue of the Son Jung Wan fashion show I would be attending. Contrary to
popular belief, not only celebrities have paparazzi, but I did too! While my
mother was taking a picture of my friends and me in front of the NYFW poster,
over 30 photographers ran over. We didn’t know how to respond to the
overwhelming feeling of having paparazzi so we stood there and laughed. Hundred
of pictures later, we stopped posing to take a breath. Many of us got pulled to
the side and got asked if the photographer could take our picture individually.
Finally after we had all been tired of posing for
pictures, we went into the main entrance for the show. We were unable to go
directly into the room with the runway because the crew was cleaning up from
the last show. In the waiting area, hundreds of people talked about the shows
while watching highlights on the big screen. After an hour of standing in high
heels, a majority of the people started to get impatient and sat down anywhere
they could because their feet were in pain.
At last, people began to line up to get their tickets
scanned. Each ticket had a specific row and number for the seat followed by the
date and time of the show. Ten minutes later, my ticket was scanned and I
headed to my seat. The runway was set up in a straight line with rows of
benches on each side. Each seat had a card with the seat number on it and a
packet of each look being shown that day. Once everyone had a seat, the show
began with an instrumental introduction. Models walked down the runway while
photographers tried to capture the perfect picture. The show ended with the
designer, Son Jung Wan, walking the runway and saying a few words about her
collection and what inspired her.
Finally after we had all
been tired of posing for pictures, we went into the main entrance for the show.
We were unable to go directly into the room with the runway because the crew
was cleaning up from the last show. In the waiting area, hundreds of people talked
about the shows while watching highlights on the big screen. After an hour of
standing in high heels, a majority of the people started to get impatient and
sat down anywhere they could because their feet were in pain.
