This Tuesday a long line wove out of a pop-up tent in front of the University of South Carolina Thomas Cooper library. This event, sponsored by Nordstrom, included a free $100 shoe gift certificate for seniors, free customizable tote bags, and the opportunity to see a fashion model in the flesh. Karlie Kloss is one of the most known former Victoria’s Secret Angels and is BFF’s with Taylor Swift. On top of those two major accomplishments, she’s a freshman at NYU.
The event came to USC after a student group of hospitality and retail majors won a Snapchat contest which promoted Nordstrom shoe sales. There was even a runway competition, which was partly judged by Ms. Kloss, and the finalists were given shoes from Nordstrom. The tent provided a chic yet comfortable atmosphere even though it got extremely packed full of USC students.
As Karlie’s appearance and the amateur modeling competition came to an end, people began to file out of the tent. I followed suit with my camera ready in my hands as I made my way towards the back door, where I knew Karlie was bound to exit from. Despite the crowd forming, I was determined to snap one final picture of Karlie Kloss.
All of the sudden, a man comes up to me with a female Nordstrom worker following closely behind him. He points at me and says, “This girl.”
I looked at the woman, scared that I broke some unknown rule of taking too many pictures of Karlie. I figured they were going to confiscate my camera. Instead, the Nordstrom worker pulled me aside and said, “Okay, I need you to not make a big deal about this because not everyone is getting to have this opportunity, but Karlie wants to meet you.”
Immediately I started shaking. I was speechless. The woman smiled and brought me towards the backstage area. She told me they would take the pictures for me and email them to me later, since Karlie was on a tight schedule to get back to New York.
Another woman called me into the room where the famous model was and all I noticed was how short I felt. This is an uncommon feeling for me considering I am 5’8, which has always made me feel tall for a girl. Karlie then smiled (yes at me) and asked if I would want to have pictures taken with my camera as well. It sounds cliché, but she was honestly so kind and was complimenting me on my camera along with other things. It is safe to say I have the biggest girl crush now. Seriously though, getting a compliment from a person who not only looks like an angel but literally was one would make anyone speechless. After a couple of more pictures and conversation that I was far too nervous to contribute enough to, the luckiest moment of my life ended.
Overall, it was a classy, well-organized, and successful event. The University of South Carolina needs to thank Nordstrom and Karlie Kloss for all they did to make the event as great as it was.
HCXO,
Katie