By Nicole Ferrito
At first, I felt like I was thrust into a scene from The Devil Wears Prada as I was running across streets, wearing the all black dress code to fetch 10 complex Starbucks orders, including the designer’s request.
But after a few quick errands, I began to help out with the more interesting aspects of the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. On Saturday, September 1st, the weekend before the BCBGMaxazria shows, Max Azria’s wife, Lubov, came in with her corporate team from LA.
This was the first of day of model casting for the shows. About 400 models came in and out of the office. Tall, slender, and wearing little to no makeup, the models lined up waiting to be called into the casting room. It was interesting to hear them chat amongst themselves, as they each had unique accents. They came from countries all over the world, such as Kenya, Japan and France.
Once in the casting room, they were told to show their “walk” to some of the top executives. I watched as some strutted gracefully and confidently in six-inch heels across the floor, while others stumbled awkwardly.
They were then sent to have their photos taken – a shot of each side of their bodies. The models they felt would best fit the vision of the Spring 2014 collections were then sent to the next room, the styling room, to be further judged by Lubov, herself.
BCBGMaxAzria had its Resort and Runway show on Wednesday, September 4th. On Saturday, it had its Herve Leger by Max Azria show at the Lincoln Center Theater.
Arriving at the theater early, I saw a team of people rushing to build a runway in the center of the theater. Surrounding the stage were hundreds of seats waiting to be filled by some of the most influential people in today’s fashion world. To name a few well-known stars who made up the crowd were singer Nicki Minaj and E! Hollywood reporter Giuliana Rancic.
Minutes before the show, the volunteers rushed into the crowded theater in hopes of catching a glimpse of the designer’s Spring 2014 collection. Even though I was standing on my tippy toes in the back of the theater, I was still able to see a good portion of it.
Each model walked out to loud tribal beats complementing the chic Polynesian look the collection seemed to be inspired by. The crowd loved the designs and applauded at the finale.
It was an unforgettable experience and amazing peek into the crazy world of the fashion industry.