Backstage New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week (also known as Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week) comes around twice a year in the United States. It’s the nation’s biggest show and one of the four major fashion week shows around the world (London, Paris, and Milan being the other three). Over the last week, hundreds and thousands of major fashion figures and icons flew to the Big Apple for the seven-day event to showcase, photograph, capture, and attend the world-class phenomenon.

I’ve been dreaming of photographing NYFW since the day I picked up a camera– and even more so, since the last fashion show I photographed in Chicago — Macy’s Glamorama at the Chicago Theater. There is truly something beautiful about capturing a stunning Marc Jacobs outfit on the runway that gives me the chills. It’s a complete thrill.

Finally, last week I had the chance to experience my first NYFW.

I booked my ticket five days before the show started and read as much about who’s who in the fashion world as I possibly could. I packed up my camera, a back-up camera, my computer and enough clothes and accessories to move to NYC if I really decided to stay. Everything happened so quickly, and before I knew it, I was on a train to Grand Central Station … on my way to one of the most exhilarating weeks of my life.

Having been in contact with Refinery29.com, an established online fashion magazine/blog, I was offered the opportunity to photograph street fashion and a few shows for their site. My assignments ranged from shoe stalking to photographing stylish bags to checking in as press and documenting behind the scenes of fashion shows. For street style, the challenge was always trying to get the person’s name and to list each item he or she was wearing, and the designer label. Everyone is truly in a scurry in NYC and most people are running to their next destination with no time to stop and talk. Not to mention spelling out the foreign names and crazy designer labels. I found myself constantly hunting down interesting looks and trend spotting.

One of my favorite repeating trends during NYFW were the fur vests and coats. It’s not a popular look in Milwaukee, but I wouldn’t oppose at all if people started bundling up in the winter with these stylish, furry (and faux fur) pieces. It was freezing cold for a few NYFW days, so the look was functional and fashionable. I call that a win- win! Below are a few of the photos I captured showing the fierce fur look.

I was assigned to photograph backstage in the Erin by Erin Fetherston show. I also went backstage at the Chris Benz show. It was unbelievable to see how the magic comes together piece by piece. Dodging hundreds of stylists, models, designers, artists and studio managers felt almost like a circus show. Upbeat music is keeping the adrenaline of the teams going. People are shouting left and right.

VIPs are generallying lounging and drinking champagne next to the gourmet snack table. The tech geeks are double checking computers, cameras, lights, equipment so thoroughly and quickly, it’s as though they were preparing to take off into space. Every model is getting tossed to and fro from this chair to the next, and the stylists are dressing them from head to toe. I’m not quite sure where the label designers were during the backstage time, because I only saw them at the end of their shows for finale pictures with the models. Watching the creative team — the infamous European TIGI haircare gurus— backstage is like seeing a vision come to life before your eyes.

Every artist is composing their part to contribute to the grand masterpiece. I’m buzzing around as quickly as I can with two cameras around my neck, a backpack, and my fully packed camera bag on my side making sure I don’t trip over anyone while maneuvering to get the best shots. Yes. That was a challenge.

And yes. You MUST look good while you are working. It’s fashion week. No excuses.

The trip opened my eyes to a whole new level of thinking on my feet and certainly inspired me to dress even more creatively. I bumped into some of America’s fashion leaders in the industry, from the online fashion editor of the New York Times to the senior editor at Cosmopolitan Magazine. I learned tricks, tips, and life lessons from fashion photographers that came across the globe. I can’t wait to shoot another show and work my way up to Vera Wang on the runway and fly to a show in Europe some day, but first I need to go through the 7,000+ photos I have on my computer!

Style on.

Eye makeup notes for the makeup artists.