Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to work behind the scenes at NYFW? One of our interns worked there this Fall 2018 season. We asked her a few questions to get a scoop of what New York was like.

Q: What trends do you see on the streets of New York during NYFW?

A: I’ve seen that frayed hems are a big thing whether it be on shorts, tops, pants, dresses, and even skirts. Since Fall season just started there were a lot of women wearing long cardigans. I’m also still seeing the dress and tennis shoes trend. Another trend that I have seen in New York and in California is the overly exposed ripped jeans trend. Fanny packs are definitely in too!

Q: Are there any trends that you've seen work well on the runway or the attendees that you think would be fabulous on any curvy girl? 

A: The two trends that I’ve seen very prominent among the guests of the shows and designer collections are: lace panels and insets on pants, shirts, and dresses (horizontally and vertically) and the casual and sassy look of blouses with sweats and heels. Another interesting trend I saw was straight leg pants with zipper pocket openings in the back of the knees on pants. I know for sure that any curvy girl would rock tight fighting pants with lace insets and panels. And the mixing of casual and heels trend is a definite GO!

Q: What is surprising you about working behind the scenes at NYFW?

A: It was so surprising to see actual celebrities and superstar models in person! Interacting with them in means of guiding them to hair & makeup or even to their seats in the shows was shocking to me. Some of my coworkers got to help out with dressing the models. It is was hard for me to believe that my effort and work take part in a much larger aspect of a show that designers, their teams, and the models have been preparing for for months maybe even a year. I couldn’t believe how much my presence and work ethic mattered. Anything I did affected the efficiency and time deadline of the shows. It was amazing to realize that me and others were needed to help the show go on for these famous designers.

Q: What does one wear!?

A: As employees, we were required to wear all black, from head to toe. Black blouses could not be tank tops, T-shirts,or spaghetti straps, and also could not have any logos or pictures. We could wear tight fitting black pants or dress pants, or skirts/dresses (with leggings underneath). Our shoes had to be all black, we had an exception for the soles to be a different color but other than that everything was all black. We had to make sure were were in comfortable shoes. Some employees wore heels, others sneakers or flats. It was up to us to figure out what type of shoes we would look and work best in that would accommodate the long shifts we were scheduled. Also, if we wanted to bring a sweater or jacket, it had to be all black as well.

Q: What was the fiercest thing a woman could wear to NYFW? And what's the safest thing to pack...like, when in doubt, what could a woman always wear and never look out of place?

A: Everyone that attended New York Fashion Week was expected to look their best- after all, they would be in pictures and in the runway videos. Some of the fiercest things I’ve seen some women wear are bold colored dresses with huge bows at the top and huge combat boots that were tall, bold, and even bedazzled. The safest thing a woman could wear at NYFW is a pair of jeans with a cute top/jacket and complimenting heels. The cutest and most comfortable thing I saw a guest wear was a pair of sweats, a tube top with a bubble jacket and red heels.

Q: Did you see any shows? If so, what was one stand out trend that you're loving right now?

A: I saw 4 shows during NYFW, they were Christian Cowan, PRISCAVera, Claudia Li, and JUST IN XX. The trends from each show that I love are:

Christian Cowan: checkered prints, clear(see-through) coats, tops, and dresses, half print/half solid garments, feathers, half solid/half sequin

PRISCAVera: shiny leather and polyester fabrics, asian-inspired sandals

Claudia Li: flower petal lace fabric and print, soft watercolor flower prints on purse/pocket on shirt/dress

JUST IN XX: grabbing hands, circle openings, symbol/special character accessories, diamond cutouts, printed images textile, top of sleeve openings

Q: Can you describe what you did each day?

A: Each day I clocked in we would go to either Gallery 1 or 2 to start setting up the benches and spacing them out properly by the desired number of sections and rows as requested by the designer and then we would tape the seat numbers to each bench. Most designers would have programs/pamphlets for their guest and front row got gift bags or some type of goody so we helped make the bags and place them under or on top of the benches. We would make sure that the benches were aligned perfectly straight and then bring the section signs out. Once the signs were out and each person was standing next to one, security would start letting guests in. Out job then was to make sure everyone got to their seat and could find their seat number. Once the show was beginning to start, we allow standing guests to take any open seats and make sure there are no guests standing in the aisles. After the show, we take off all the seat numbers and throw away whatever trash is on the benches or floors. Then we head to the hair and makeup room to clean up all trash in there, replace the paper on the tables and make sure all of the lights on the mirrors are working and in the right positions. Once we are done with this, we go to the gallery to rearrange the benches again, it is a repetitive cycle. Other duties might be lobby workers, elevator attendees, and even walkie/radio stations. If some designer teams needed more help then that’s where some would help dress the models and attend to any needs the designer team needs. Others called “floaters” would be with our head supervisor for most of the day and if anyone needs assistance or a break covered, they would kind of float off to wherever they are needed.

Q: What's been your favorite part of each experience?

A: My favorite part was setting up for the shows by putting the designer programs and seat numbers on the benches. I am a very organized and precise person so this was very fun and efficient for me. While we were doing this, the models would be rehearsing. This was also my favorite part. I was not able to watch each show that I set up for but I always got to see what models each designer had during rehearsals. My last two days working I got to physically watch 4 shows. That was the absolute best experience for me. I’ve always wanted to go to a fashion show and for the first runway show for me to actually see was in New York, it just made my life honey!

Q: We've heard no one eats during NYFW, is that true? If so, how did you get through the day?

A: It is true! As far as employees, you can either be working a 5.5 hour shift or an 8.5 hour shift and you would only get 30 minutes as a lunch. I had to realize that there are a lot of people working in the venue and hour lunches would be super detrimental to the process. This is not the type of job where you would be doing nothing and waiting around for more than 3 minutes. You are always doing something or preparing for the next thing. It is very fast paced in every aspect. I asked some full-time employees that work 12 hour shifts and they don’t really get much of a lunch either. Everyone has a job duty. No one gets their own individual break. When we do get our lunches we are usually sent in groups of 5 or 10. Imagine everyone going to lunch for an hour? All of the work that could be done is lost. This is also not the type of job wear you can put a snack in your back pocket and eat because, as I said before, you are always doing something. And plus, our break room where we keep our items is on the second floor, most (if not all) of your shift you are on the 5th/6th floor. This is not the type of job where you can have a light breakfast in hopes that you will eat again after 2.5 or 3 hours of working. You should definitely come on a full stomach and be prepared with money or a lunch made already for your break. Even though you would be starving sometimes -especially if you didn’t eat breakfast- time goes by super fast.

 

Our intern had a great time in New York for NYFW. If Poetic Justice had a fashion show, would you go if you were invited?