NYC fashion week re-cap

The last 8 days (9^th - 16^th) have been one of the most intensely exhausting yet incredible experiences I’ve had here...and ever. I was a volunteer working in the runway venues at the Lincoln Centre, so I got to see most of the shows over the week, making it one of the most surreal experiences of my life (however is became pretty clear fairly quickly that my body finds 13 hour days standing up hard to handle…cue midnight calf cramps).

My first ‘OH MY GOD is this actually happening’ moment being when Heidi Klum walked through the lobby near me with a hoard of photographers flashing cameras in her face, with her standing so tall and elegant in an electric red tailored suit, striding ahead like nobody was watching.

The first night’s final show, Popluxe by Richie Rich (images below), was the absolute most exciting moment of the week. Just the audience was a show in itself, picture a hat in the shape of 2 large cherries, drag queens about 10 feet tall (one in particular with lush brown hair and a bushy black beard…) and a crazy mosh-pit outside the venue with people pushing to get in. With Ellen DeGeneres closing the show following cute sixties barbie dresses evoking Austin Powers fembots, the sexiest bikini’s shown beside evocative dominatrix wear on male models (including ass-less chaps) and body con Pamela Anderson-esque evening wear, it was like a big party. The room exploded when Ellen walked out and posed with the head designer Richie Rich (who used to be the designer for Heatherette). My mouth was open in awe the entire show, particularly at how incredibly sexy the models bodies were! Too bad most of the men in the audience were gay...

Celebrity spotting got old pretty quickly, but the constant excitement of seeing the fresh collections for Spring/Summer 2011 was a never-ending visual feast. Seeing the clothes on models walking down the runway with such bright, glowing lighting and all perfectly styled allowed me to see clothes presented in a way I had never seen before. I think it is the ideal way to view the clothes. There is nothing quite like when the lights go down, a piece of music with an incredible bass comes on and the opening model turns the corner onto the catwalk.

I am dying to see how fashion editors photograph the collections in upcoming fashion spreads, how celebrity style icons will add their own attitude to the designs, and which pieces will be bought to be sold in Bergdorf’s or Macy’s!

photos: Imaxtree, ny fashion week.