I totally meant to write this blog post right after I got back from NYFW in February.
Now that I’m SFH (student-from-home), I actually have time to blog all I want yippeee!!!
SO! Without further ado, here’s a recap of my time at NYFW FW’20!!
Even though I had already gone to NYFW once before, I was still so nervous going into this season. It’s always so surreal to me that I get to go, and I think a large part of the nervous-ness comes from not knowing what to expect. Each season is so different because of the people you meet and work with, as well as the different shows you work (+ the celebs you meet!!).
Just a little bit of transparency, my parents were not totally on board with me going to NYFW a second time. But they did leave the decision up to me, saying that I had to take responsibility for my own decisions, which is totally valid. I really really wanted to go, but wanted my parents’ blessings, so I made a powerpoint presentation basically addressing their concerns, giving reasons for why I wanted to go, and listing out steps I would take to let them know that i was safe during my time there.
My parents were very amused when I showed them the presentation and ultimately gave me their blessing!! I still wanted to take responsibility for my decision though, so I covered every expense this trip would take (SIDE NOTE: I think every person my age should fully cover at least one trip they take, it really reveals to you how blessed you are to have parents who can and are willing to cover your expenses). But knowing that this was money that I had worked my butt off all year for made this trip so much more meaningful!!
Alright, NOW on to what you came for.
DAY 1 - Thursday (2/6) - NYC BABY!! & boujee restaurants
Similar to last time, this was when my nerves were at their peak!! Being at the airport always makes it 10x more real that you’re actually going. This time, I flew with 2 of my friends, Kelsey and Rachel, so that was fun!! + it made the Lyft into Manhattan so much cheaper whew! After we got settled in our hotel, we went to meet our other palz at this uber-fancy + expensive restaurant called Catch NYC. Y’know those movies set in New York where all the young working professionals go to bars on a Friday night- girls dressed in super glittery short dresses and guys in halfway-buttoned shirts + heavy cologne??? Yep that’s exactly what it felt like. I was so out of my element in that crazy-loud restaurant but on the other hand, I felt so cool to be just hanging out with my friends at a place like that. I ended up just ordering a simple veggie roll cuz that was the cheapest thing on the menu at $9!!
DAY 2 - Friday (2/7) - Free day + chillin w/friendos in the city of dreamz
Today was our free day, meaning we had no shows to work, so most of us took the day to walk around NYC. I started the morning off eating bagels with a few of my friends. If you know me, you know I looooove bagels, and New York bagels are a whole ‘nother specimen. These babies were HUUUUGE and they STUFF it with cream cheese. I wish I had taken a picture but I guess I got too excited and accidentally ate before my phone got a chance to hehe he he. Then we just started walking. We didn’t really have a set itinerary and were just walking until we hit a landmark/touristy spot. We hit Washington Square Park and tried to walk on the Brooklyn Bridge, but it started raining and was super windy, so we went back to our hotel.
I done goofed and only brought my heeled tall boots, and my feet were really tired, so while a few of my friends went to the Oculus, I decided to stay in and rest. BUT THEN!! My friend Hunter made a surprise appearance! (Hunter was UFG’s VP of comm last year and he recently moved to NYC!). And so I ended up hanging out with him and a few of my other friends for the rest of the night, which turned out to be my fave night of the trip!! We went to a bar/cafe thing to hang and then went to our other friend, Kelsey’s, apartment. (Kelsey was UFG’s VP of production last year and is working with Eyesight Group in NYC!) We ordered pizza and just chillaxedddd and ended up not leaving until 12:30am. It was such a good time though!!
DAY 3 - Saturday (2/8) - Claudia Li + Hellessy
Today I had two shows!! The first was Claudia Li and it was at Spring Studios!! Spring Studios is always cool to be at cuz that’s where all the paps wait with their cameras for models, designers, and celebrities. So I always feel low-key v important when I go there. Not to mention it’s NYFW HQ!! For Claudia, we were responsible for dressing the models. Imma be honest, it’s not my favorite thing to do, but it’s still cool getting to see and touch all the garments up-close as well as interact with the models!! It was kinda sad though, because that’s where I also saw more of the harsh realities of being a model during fashion week. My model, Tomy, was sick with a sinus infection, but she told me she still had to attend all her fittings and walk all the shows, even though she was miserable, and it made me really sad. Fashion is not always glamorous, folks.
After Claudia, I got bagels again (surprise, surprise) with my friends and then I took a quick power nap before I had to head to the Hellessy show. Hellessy was at The Flat, which was a smaller, more intimate venue with exposed brick, so that was cool! For this show, I was helping guests find their seats. We also got to watch as the set came to life, but it was honestly really stressful to watch. They were running really behind schedule I think, cuz they were still trying to drill together walls, and the lady in charge was really frustrated and kept pushing the set builders to go faster. In the end, I think they were only able to finish building a part of the set, but it still looked good dw!! my favorite piece in this collection was a velvet emerald-colored ensemble, and I think they made a terrific casting choice by putting a model with pale skin and bright blond hair in that color. Also, the designer low-key gave me Victoria Beckham vibes.
In the evening, my friends and I went on a dessert tour ahahaha yes it’s as fattening as it sounds whoops. We started at a vegan restaurant called by Chloe so we could get some healthy stuff in our system. I had some brussel sprouts to prepare me for all the incoming calories. The first dessert place we went to was DO, Cookie Dough Confections. It is exactly what it sounds like. It was SO delish but we were all so full after that. BUT! We still made our way to the next dessert destination, Ample Hills Creamery, which actually had SUCH good ice cream.
Beyond all the yummy food though, I really enjoyed this night because it was the type of fun I like to have- pure + innocent + meaningful. My love language is quality time, so just spending time with ppl talking is enough for me, nothing too crazy. And I really appreciated that my friends were willing to have some innocent fun with me in NYC and I thoroughly enjoyed all the convos we got to have + I felt beyond blessed. Afterwards they even looked for a CVS with me, even though it was freezing outside, so that I could find a box of band-aids for my struggling feet (again, totally my fault) :’).
DAY 4 - Sunday (2/9) - Jason Wu my boiiiii
Today was the day I was most excited for because I worked JASON FUHREAKING WU!! Since this show was so big + major, I was onsite the whole day- 12pm-7pm!! When I first got there, my first task was to walk the model walking path so that the producers could see if they needed to change anything about the path for the actual show. I like to think that Jason Wu was also watching (he honestly could have been). It was so cool cuz I actually felt like a model when I was walking and I did my best model walk. For the rest of the time, I helped set up some stuff and then did check-in for PR/models/HMUA/media+press. Check-in is probably one of my fave things to do, because it brings you face-to-face with top models (aka models I see on Vogue’s model diaries aka Cara Taylor at this one!!), big editors from big fashion mags including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Elle. I remember once I was like, “Hi! Can I have your name and who you’re with?” The guy was literally like, “Hi! I’m so-and-so and I’m a writer for Vogue.” I was literally like, … , … , ur kidding right. I READ VOGUE RELIGIOUSLY!!! And check-in also exposes you to all the possible career options within the fashion industry.
Right before the show, the production coordinators found that guests were having trouble walking down the stairs because it was so dark. The show was being held in a basement-type of room so there were like no lights. So they asked me to hold a flashlight on the stairs for guests. This meant that I could see each and every guest who came, and if you know about Jason Wu, you know that he has some of the biggest clients, which means very!! famous!! guests!! Among the guests I saw were Patrick Starr, Martha Hunt, Eva Chen, and Phillip Lim. I literally made eye contact with Martha as she walked all the way down the stairs, but I didn’t recognize her at the moment, which she thought was probably weird (sorry Martha!). Eva also said hi to me again!! But she probably didn’t recognize me cuz it was so dark. But you guys! This is my second in-person encounter with her eek!! The show was beautiful… of course, and we got to take pictures with the set afterwards. It was amazing cuz it was basically made of flowers and it felt like an enchanted forest, to me at least. Also, can I just say, I think Jason would make such a cool + fun friend!! AND he knows how to cook Taiwanese cuisine!!
One last note about this show, we worked with Eyesight Group again for this show, and honestly, they’re always my favorite to work with. They are the kindest souls and they always make me feel so valued, even though i’m literally just a volunteer. They always thank me for my help, which makes me feel that I did something important to help them. Ok, gratitude note over.
DAY 5 - Monday (2/10) - Just In XX & going home
Today was the final day boohoo :( Our final show was Just In XX. When we got there, I found out it was actually a Taiwanese brand, so that made me really excited and proud!!! :’) Our task was to set up the guest benches, seating cards, and VIP bags. The production team seemed a little stressed, I think cuz there were some last-minute changes that had to be made, so there were a lot of times when we would set something up, but then we’d have to take it down and rearrange it. When the guests started coming in, we would show the guests to their seats and fill in the empty seats. I absolutely adored the models for this show and thought they had such unique looks!! They all looked androgynous in one way or another and were not your stereotypical top models, which was very refreshing. We even saw a model that looked like Timothee Chalamet, so that was p exciting!! The garments were also super cool cuz they were more streetwear/hypebeast-esque, but with an added Western element. It’s so interesting that Western elements are increasingly being incorporated into fashion trends. It makes me wanna actually buy boots, which I have never desired in all my years of living in Texas.
After the show, Kelsey and I grabbed some brunch, then headed back to our hotel to pick up our luggage. Then we embarked on our journey home.
IN CLOSING…
I recognize that I am so blessed to be able to go to fashion week, and I can only say that it’s because God opens doors for me, that I’m even able to go to things like this. Golly, it’s only because of God, that I’m even in this industry- something I never fathomed.
If I’m being totally honest though, before the coronavirus, I thought for sure that God was opening doors for me to pursue a career in this industry. Now, I’m not sure if it’s just out of fear or anxiety or my summer plans not panning out the way I planned, I question if I read God’s signs wrong, and it scares the heck outta me, suddenly questioning everything I’ve been pursuing for the past year. It feels like I’m so close, yet so far, ya feel? Every day I pray for a rock-solid faith in the middle of uncertainty, but it does get really hard sometimes, and I’m sure I’m not the only one going through this.
SO! As the situation seems to get worse and worse with each passing day, may we continue striding forward in FULL faith that our God is almighty. It can get pretty scary, trust me, I know, but imagine how much scarier it’d be if we didn’t have a rock-solid God,
Always praying for you, my friend!
xoxo, JO