45,000 square feet of clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry. I know what you’re thinking: yeah right, in your dreams. Girls, this is NOT a dream. This is what it’s like to attend a sales show for the fashion industry. Four times a year, buyers go to the show to purchase fashions for the upcoming season. I went this summer to shop for the fall. You may be asking yourselves how an 18-year-old girl got to attend such an event. Well, I work for a clothing boutique in my hometown outside of Philadelphia and I was asked by my boss to attend and help select the fall fashions! After considering the offer for milliseconds, I quickly accepted. I’m sure you can understand how excited I was!
This particular fashion show is held each year at the Javits Center in New York City. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be taking a trip to Manhattan to spend the day SHOPPING with someone else’s money! Before I went, I had a mix of emotions. I was excited, nervous, and apprehensive; I wasn’t sure what to expect. All of my feelings quickly faded away as soon as I signed in at the main desk and got my badges. (Yes, badges plural. Each floor of the show requires a different badge!) After sign in, I was off to shop!
People must have thought I was crazy because I could barely contain myself. I was like a kid in a candy shop. It was fashion heaven. If I were asked to imagine my utopia, this would be it! Every vendor was offering something special. Whether it was sweater material handbags (which will be hot this fall) or a quirky design, everything I looked at was unique. I never imagined it could be so hard to make my final selections.
The highlight of my day was being able to venture down each aisle and look through all of the designer’s newest assortments. I was able to get an inside look into the minds of my favorite designers; Free People, BCBG, J. Brand, Blank Jeans, Citizens of Humanity, the list goes on.
I felt special, as if they trusted me with their secret fall collections. Now, it was not all fun and games, I had to do some work too. There was pricing, checking delivery dates, and negotiating involved. I studied every “look book”, spoke with the brand representatives and placed orders. When I was finally finished, I didn’t think I could shop another minute. (Well, at least for that day). I know. I could hardly believe it too.
All in all, I have to say that it was a unique experience. An experience that I will never forget and hope to repeat next year! And, every once in a while, I still wonder if it was a dream too.