College Fashion Week is every fashion girl’s dream. Take it from somebody who has attended both CFW and New York Fashion Week, that the Her Campus rendition of a night on the runway surpasses any fashion or beauty event by far. CFW is all about inclusivity and feeling good without a care in the world.
I was super excited to get dressed up in my most fashion-forward outfit and head out to the city with my Her Campus Montclair ladies. Everybody looked aaamazing beyond belief and it was fun to get a glimpse of our team’s inner fashionista! We all met up at the local MSU bus stop in our fabulous getup and within twenty-five minutes, we were in the Big Apple. The night was a bit chilly but that wouldn’t shake our spirits and high hopes for the rest of the evening.
As we neared the venue, right across from the piers that hold actual fashion week events, we joined the line outside and decided it was the perfect time for a photo-op. Our team was serving looks left and right, getting ready to slay the night away. While we waited, security went around to check ID’s in order to hand out wristbands for the cute little bar inside (sigh, I have a few more months to go). While that was a bummer for a few of us, our night got exceedingly more interesting as we waltzed through the door. We were greeted with gift bags filled with goodies. Mine contained a mini straightener, blush, a scarf, decorative napkins, and the book, Power Your Happy by Lisa Suga founder of POPSUGAR. If the night ended right then and there, I still would’ve walked away just as satisfied.
Once we entered the main floor, to our right was a super fun photoshoot station that planted us straight into the heart of Tokyo and other major fashion capitals of the world. They used a green screen and an iPad to achieve this silly little feature. After the pictures, we headed over to the Primark mini “showroom” which featured adorable outfits from the sponsor that’s been taking the fashion world by storm. As is tradition, everyone was snapping shots of the beautifully styled racks of clothing and accessory tables to be Instagrammed immediately.
After we ooh’d and aah’d over the clothes, the fashion show began to start. The models who walked the runway (shoutout to HC Montclairs marketing director Mackenzie McCoy and Amina) were fierce and styled in the latest trends featured by Primark and three other up and coming designers. The fashions were ready-to-wear and us onlookers were able to shop the runway straight from our phones as we pleased.
During the shows intervals, I was able to hop on the line for a free hair consultation from Bedhead by T.I.G.I. This was pretty awesome because when the weather starts to get colder my hair does a whole bunch of crazy things that no product can seem to conquer. The woman I spoke to was very attentive and informative which made the long wait less painful. I could tell she was passionate about her job and she really gave me helpful and honest solutions to my biggest hair problems. She proceeded to hand over two free, FULL sized samples of Bedheads products. Yet another item to add to my gift bag. I picked up a few other freebies throughout the night: a compact mirror, fashion essentials kit, sunglasses and some chapstick.
There was another station with Ulta Beauty professionals who were doing hair and makeup for those interested in getting a quick little makeover. Unfortunately, I didn’t try this out because I had already put a lot of heat and product in my hair prior to the event and I didn’t feel like having my makeup re-done. On the bright side though, there was lots of snacks and ice cream handed out by Shake Shack and sparkling beverages from Spindrift.
Although I trekked home with shoes in hand, the night was tremendously successful. I had a great time with the HerCampus team and was glad I got to spend my Saturday night with really great people. I can’t wait for next year and hope to see some fresh faces involved with Montclairs HerCampus chapter in future meetings and especially at CFW!