Four days, seven outfits; that’s definitely my kind of life, and my weekend in New York was truly one to remember. As a fashion merchandising major, it has always been a dream of mine to attend New York fashion week and to be surrounded by beautiful people in beautiful clothes who share the same passions and ambitions as I do. Thanks to Philadelphia University and the New York Immersion program, that dream came true. The New York Immersion program is an amazing opportunity offered to a select number of merchandising and design students during the fall of their sophomore year. If you are a freshman, I would highly recommend studying hard and keeping your GPA high so that you can take advantage of this chance when the time comes. Not only did we get to watch five shows, we also got to take a tour of the Lincoln Center and walk around the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The shows we attended took place at the Prince George Gallery and the Affinia Manhattan hotel. I have worked behind the scenes at shows during Philly fashion week, but being a member of the audience is a completely different experience. Both are rewarding in their own way. When you work a show, you have more of an opportunity to meet people and network. When you watch one, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy all the beautiful clothes. We were lucky enough to be seated at most of the shows we went to, but for two of them we were in the standing section, and if I could do anything differently, I would go back in time and tell myself to wear comfortable shoes!
Not only did we get to see womenswear, but we also got to see menswear and childrenswear as well. I was blown away by how professional and charismatic the childrenswear models were. Another great thing about the shows were the gift bags – we all got about four of them, and although there was a lot of repeat swag, they were a fun memento of the experience. The content of mine was mostly travel mascaras, lipstick, nail polish, water bottles and bottles of Monster Energy drink (which really kept me going when I thought I was going to crash).
Some of the major trends represented for the spring and summer 2017 season were mesh, pastels, feathers, and lace. The above picture is a beautiful representation of the pastel pink trend, which is huge right now and will continue to be huge when the warmer months come around again. It was great to see clothing on a runway that was so wearable. A complaint that is often made about high fashion is that it can be too outlandish for the everyday woman, but I did not see that as frequently here. So many of these shows were showcased the work of emerging designers, and their lines were so creative and artfully made that I’m excited to see what they will do in the future.
In my opinion, the best show of the weekend by far was season 6 Project Runway winner Irina Shabayeva’s collection. The above dress is one of my favorites. Her designs were centrally a black, white, and red color scheme with the beautiful feather detailing, which is totally my aesthetic, and would be gorgeous looks for a night out. She also did hats, like the one pictured below.
Overall, despite the fact that my feet hurt, and I was in desperate need of sleep afterwards, Fashion Week was totally worth it. Until next time!
Photography: ASHBY STEEN