Showing posts with label backstage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label backstage. Show all posts

Monday, February 24, 2014

New York Fashion Week - Autumn/Winter 2014 Overview


          I'm finally writing about my second New York Fashion Week experience! Needless to say, a week full of fashion shows and events was followed by a week full of deadlines and catching up on sleep.

            I had so much fun in the city and have really begun to feel more at home there. Surprisingly, my affinity for NYC has taken a little time to unfold. Of course, it wouldn't be as enjoyable without the hospitality of my cousin and best friend, Maddie. She's shown me some great places and we've already made a lot of unforgettable memories, such as the time we tried meeting at a ferryboat party and ended up on opposite shores of Manhattan! But more on that later. Here's a little overview of the fashion week events I attended, people I met, clothes I wore and food I ate. I'll be posting about specific shows and designers soon.

Monday



What I wore: A gold, vintage blazer and green sweater layered over a blue button down, dark blue tuxedo pants, authentic Greek fisherman's hat, Badgley Mischka Julia Nappa satchel, and Superga sneakers (later had to change into winter boots due to the high snow banks and heaps of slush).

By Misha
Where I went: I attended the By Misha presentation at the Lali Lali Gallery in SoHo and met some very wonderful people. I interviewed the three designers featured and I met some fabulous fashionistas and bloggers. More details to come! 
That night: I was in pure euphoria. It was my first night in the city, I'd already met inspiring people, and seen beautiful clothes.
Beverage of the evening: Owl's Brew Tea with rum


Tuesday
William Okpo
What I wore: A new satin, floral dress I just ordered from Victoria's Secret. I was so eager to wear it that I didn't consider how light it would be on the coldest night of the week! It was insufficient even with leather accented leggings, Cole Hann ankle boots, a Cynthia Rowley cowl scarf, a beanie and a leather jacket.

Leather Japan
Where I went: I got lost in SoHo and missed my first show by ten minutes. Who knew exiting from the subway in the wrong direction could veer you so far off course? That evening I went to the William Okpo show. Just as I was gaining more confidence in my sense of direction, I forgot half of the address to the Leather Japan gallery opening and took two cabs to get to there.


Maddie and Daniel
 That night: Complimentary shuttles took everyone from the gallery to the after party that was to be on a ferryboat. I invited Maddie to meet me there and gave her the address we both thought was at the Chelsea Piers. Half an hour later, my shuttle stopped on Wall Street. Maddie was almost "there" but I wasn't leaving on the boat without her. I called her and we soon realized she was on the coast facing New Jersey and I was on the opposite facing Brooklyn. It was time to scratch plans and figure out new ones. I ran into the nearest Duane Reade to keep warm and charge my phone, got a cab, and finally met up with Maddie. At that point, all we wanted was warm pizza and a relaxing drink. So we ended the night at a cozy bar with her boyfriend and some delicious BBQ chicken pizza.
Beverage of the evening: Blue Moon

Wednesday




What I wore: A vintage, angora sweater dress on top of a printed skirt with fur winter boots, leather jacket, and a floppy, felt hat. Of course, I also carried my Badgley Mischka bag. 

Mega Mega Projects' AW14 Preview
Where I went: I stopped by the AW14 Preview by Mega Mega Projects and interviewed a couple budding jewelry designers. It was a very intimate event that focused on small collections of high quality craftsmanship. 


Zink Magazine fashion event
That night: I met Maddie at B & Co. in midtown for Zink Magazine's fashion event party. We had fun taking pictures of our outfits and catching up on our day.
Beverage of the evening: Cranberry and vodka.

Thursday



What I wore: A red cable-knit sweater on top of a white button down with leather pants, fur boots, ruffled scarf, beanie and a wool, vintage coat. 

Doughnut Plant
Where I went: Late that morning, Maddie brought me to the Doughnut Plant to try what she told me were the best doughnuts ever. She was right! We had hazelnut, chocolate, chocolate chip and their Valentine's special, rose. Since we were fairly close to the next fashion week event I had on my agenda, she accompanied me to KOTUR's AW14 preview at the Standard hotel. It was quite the journey! There were puddles and slush at every intersection and it was impossible to get to the next block without stepping into eight inches of water. On our very wet way back to her apartment, we grabbed Mexican at a nearby food cart. My tacos were so delicious they made me forget all about those treacherous puddles. 


Maddie was invincible in her solid rain boots!
That night: While I'd been wearing my "waterproof" winter boots, they were no match for NYC puddles. I learned that a good pair of rain boots is an absolute necessity in this city. Maddie lent me hers for my last event of the week, Samantha Pleet's AW14 collection film premiere at the Wolverine store. I was really excited for this one because I'd covered her last collection in the fall. There was no way the weather would stop me from covering my first NYFW followup! More details to come!
Beverage of the evening: Red wine. 


Samantha Pleet

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               My boyfriend came into the city for the weekend and I stayed until the following Tuesday. We had a really nice time together and between my internship work, we visited the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History, had giant slices of pizza with Maddie and Daniel, took a slippery walk through Central Park, and ate lots of yummy bagels!


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

NYFW SS14: Backstage at Mordekai by Ken Borochov


           Until New York Fashion Week, I've experienced two sides of fashion shows. I've watched numerous presentations from the audience and I've worked as a stylist and PR assistant backstage. But it was really cool to add another perspective to my career as one of the members of the press with a backstage pass at Mordekai.

            Through my internship, I received a press pass lanyard and got to witness the pre-show chaos at the The Standard hotel. I met Ben Borochov and asked him a few questions about his first collection to show at NYFW before he was whisked away to tend to his models. The hair and makeup tent was crowded, so it took a bit of squeezing behind stylists to get close up pictures. Then, the PR agents banished all the reporters from the tent while the models got dressed. I felt like a true fashion journalist, seeing the jewelry laid out on tables before anyone saw it on the runway and watching the models do a walk-through in their "off-duty" outfits!

To see more about this show, go to my post for Papercut Magazine here: 






























Monday, July 15, 2013

Backstage with Shea Rose


     This weekend was the kickoff to Boston's first annual Outside the Box festival. Three days in, it's already featured some amazing artists, including the very talented Shea Rose. She performed in Saturday night's "Rythm of the Universe" concert, a 150 piece ensemble celebrating music around the world.

      The show was spectacular and Shea was my personal favorite musician. She rocked the stage with an R&B set including a cover of The Cranberries song "Zombie," a mashup of "Suit and Tie" and "Mr. Nice Watch," as well as her own songwriting. Her sister sang backup vocals and her brother rapped with her.


       Aside from her singing and rapping skills, her style really caught my attention. She wore leather pants, sky-high heels, and an edgy harness, very similar to something my favorite girl Rihanna would wear. Shea definitely has her own style though. She rocks her hot hairdo just as effortlessly as her dance moves and she doesn't need a lot of stage makeup because she's naturally beautiful. The confidence she exudes on stage and in person isn't overwhelming, but rather approachable. When I tracked her down after the show she was extremely down-to-earth and friendly. After I told her I was totally girl-crushing on her, she took a few minutes out of  her busy post-show night to answer some questions. 

J: Where did you get everything in your outfit?

S: This [harness] is from BCBG, this belt that I attached to it is from Arden B, these [shoes] are from Bakers, and this top is, I believe, H&M.

J: Is this how you normally dress everyday? 

S: Oh, yes when I roll out of bed! Haha. You know, I try to stay as close to how I am in everyday life so that I feel like when I'm on the stage, it's just a natural segue. Because sometimes I feel like when you put on a lot of makeup and a lot of stuff, it puts you in a different physical space and you're not quite as free. I like to integrate a little bit of things, high-heeled shoes, that's different from my daily, eyes pop and lips pop.

J: Where are you originally from?

S: I grew up in Braintree, Mass! So I'm a Boston girl! I just graduated from Berklee in 2011. When I decided to go to Berklee, I moved into the Back Bay area. This is my home town, which is why this is so significant for me. It's historic! For this to be happening in Boston, for me to be a part of it the first time we ever have a music and arts festival.

J:When did you start singing?

S: I started taking it seriously when I went to Berklee. I went in 2007, and that's when I was like, 'I think I want to do this as a living! Crazy!'.

J: And when did you get into the rapping?

S: I was not always a rapper. I was singing first, and then I started rapping in about 2009. I did this contest with Queen Latifah and Covergirl and they wanted someone who raps...and I just started rapping!

J: How did you start performing these concerts?

S: Emir [Cerman] and I met in school and he told me about this Rythm of the Universe. I didn't quite know what it as but everyone was doing it. That was the amazing part! So I was a part of this monumental performance they did in Symphony Hall. So I had a chance to rap in Symphony Hall! This is the first of many for them and I'm jut so happy to be a part of it!

J: What's the best part of being on stage while you're performing?

S: Oh my gosh, the best part is when you have those moments when you're just completely connected to everybody, not just your band members, but the audience, everyone is connected. It's like a reciprocal experience. The audience is giving to you, you're giving to them, so when those moments come you're like 'This is why I work so hard!'.

       If you missed Saturday's concert, you still have a chance to see Shea perform! She will be doing a solo performance for Outside the Box this Thursday, July 18th at 1pm, at City Hall Plaza.

       Make sure to check out Shea Rose's music on her website at www.shearose.com and watch this awesome video of one of her recent street performances.



Photo has been removed as per request of subject.