To say attending London Fashion Week was amazing would be an understatement. I have been fortunate enough to be interning for a fashion PR firm, Bryan Morel PR here across the pond this semester. This PR firm works with well known brands here in the UK such as MANGO, Oliver Peoples, Mosley Tribes, Intimissimi, Calzedonia, Lucza, Moka, Pantherella, Debenhams, and many more. This PR firm also does work for two famous high-end designers, John Rocha and Maria Grachvogel, both of which I was lucky enough to attend their shows during London Fashion Week.
I got to experience all of the hard work and effort first hand that goes into planning such an epic event. The past few weeks have been absolutely crazy at work with organizing the hundreds of invitations that we sent out, making the guest list and seating chart for the shows, and of course; handling the press and PR. There was even a day when I was in the office from 9 a.m.- 9 p.m.! There were a lot of tedious tasks and my hands were ready to fall off after sealing over 400 envelopes, but it was actually fun getting to know all of my co-workers so well and not to mention being treated to an amazing dinner and a few bottles of white wine while we worked (our boss insisted).
The week prior to the show, our daily morning meeting consisted of all of us memorizing names and faces of famous guests and members of press that would be attending the shows. Our boss wanted to be sure that we would make a good impression by recognizing who our important guests were right away and it would make it faster for us to seat them upon their arrival. The list included British celebrities, editors and stylists from British Vogue, Glamour, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, GQ, Vanity Fair, and many more. I would definitely say that I was starting to feel quite a bit like Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wear’s Prada when I was expected to recognize over 150 of the guests who I had never seen before when all of my co-workers already knew most of them from previous shows.
The show on Saturday, Feb. 16, was John Rocha’s for his Autumn Winter 2013 line. He is known for designing beautiful pieces that have elaborate floral and ruffle looking embellishments. Hair pulled back and in my new black leather dress and my favorite pair of pumps, I hustled off of the tube anxious to reach The Somerset House. I was in fashion heaven. There was a bright blue sky and everyone surrounding me was trendy in their fashion show ready outfits.
There was press and photographers everywhere. When I stepped through the gates, I had a woman come up to me and ask me what I was wearing and what organization I was with. After a few snapshots, I walked toward the back to the BFC tent where I was meeting my co-workers.
I flashed my badge and was suddenly backstage with all of the models getting their makeup and hair done for the show. It was absolute chaos, but I loved every minute of it. My co-workers and I organized the press releases and labels for all of the seats and went over a briefing on our VIP guests who were attending and how we would be seating them.
Before I knew it, the doors were open and there was a mad rush of hundreds of people coming in. There wasn’t an empty seat in the whole venue. After making sure my section was seated properly and greeting all of the faces I was now seeing in person rather than on my flashcards, it was time for the show to begin. The music was upbeat and the lights were beaming.
The models strutted down the wooden runway fierce as could be. I could not believe I was actually watching a high fashion catwalk show during London Fashion Week! His line was mostly dark colors since it is for his Autumn Winter 2013 line with a few bright contrasting ones. Almost every model was wearing on of his signature hats, which were absolutely gorgeous.
When the show was over, our boss handled the press and interviews while we went back stage to answer questions and celebrate a fabulous show. John Rocha himself came backstage to thank everyone. I was within four feet of the couture designer himself! Our boss then asked a few of us to go to an exhibit next door that features up-and-coming future designers. The exhibit was set up so each designer being featured had their own room. The idea behind this exhibit is that the designers featured are going to be the future of London Fashion Week. Even though they didn’t have their own shows this year, they are very likely to in the next few years.
Tuesday, Feb. 19 was the Maria Grachvogel show. The whole preparation was the same with getting press releases and gift bags organized. This time, we were briefed on celebrities who were going to be there. Some included Mollie King of popular band, The Saturdays, Laura Whitmore MTV Europe’s presenter (she would be like our Giuliana Rancic), Priscilla Presley, and several other British celebs. I was within two feet of Mollie King and even got to meet Laura Whitmore!
Mollie King of The Saturdays
Laura Whitmore MTV Europe Presenter
Maria’s Autumn Winter 13 line featured a lot of floor length slender fitting dresses with crazy nature-esq patterns and elaborate jumpsuits. I couldn’t believe all of the TV cameras and interviews that were going on at the show live interviewing all of the celebrities. Getting to attend London Fashion Week is something that will definitely stick with me for my entire life and is experience that I know will be useful to me in the future!