For the first time in almost 3 years, I'm actually in New York City for Fashion Week. I have been very blessed to have been invited to two very different types of fashion previews - the first was an intimate gathering for the newly launched Á Moi Atelier's Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter 2014 Preview at designer Alejandra Alonso's Soho apartment and the second, detailed later in this post, was an invitation by The Mobile Media Lab + Tommy Hilfiger to a New York Fashion Week Instameet.
An Intimate Evening with Fashion Designer Alejandra Alonso....
This past Sunday evening I met the entire Á Moi Atelier team and perused leisurely through the collection whose beautiful prints and elegant stitching were inspired by the MRI scans that Alejandra's husband had while he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. Thankfully, he's survived through all that and the couple is doing well, along with their very cute dog, Latte, who you can see from the photo below is very active in making decisions about the fashion line with Alejandra.
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In this very relaxed gathering, I played dress-up and pulled out a few pieces from the collection to try on.
I absolutely fell in love with the Hellen Asymmetrical Shearling Vest (below on the left), a reversible vest that can be worn three ways - as a fur vest or inside out as a leather vest. It can also be turned upside down into this beautiful fur shawl - that's the way that I'm wearing it in the photo. I also love all the heels pictured here. The really sexy black and gold strappy heels were incredibly comfortable to walk around in.
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I also fell in love with the Isabel Ranglan Leather Tee below paired with leather leggings (my own) and the gold heels also from Á Moi. With a seemingly endless stream of cupcakes, croissants, champagne and pizza provided at this very special friends and family preview, I was very lucky to be a part of this coming out party for this very talented young designer.
freshtraveler's photo on Instagram
For more about Á Moi's full Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection, check out this article featuring the entire collection in Women's Wear Daily.
And Now To the Tommy Hilfiger InstaMeet....
As a fan of Alejandra Alonso's designs, I already own a pair of Á Moi leather booties with Mexican worry dolls on them from last season (pictured below) and I decided to wear them to The Mobile Media Lab'sTommy Hilfiger Instameet that I was invited to participate in on Monday along with 20 other Instagrammers for Fashion Week. I also brought along my green Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac that I love. My style is very hippie chic (I love Free People) and I don't go anywhere without all the bracelets I've collected during my travels and of course, my iPhone 5c.
Tommy Hilfiger Fall 2014 was the first time I attended a fashion show of this scale and it was very exciting. The pace of the room was very fast. Very crowded. We were shuttled quickly to and from certain areas of the floor to snap photos and the room was busling with activity.
freshtraveler's photo on Instagram
freshtraveler's photo on Instagram
I have to say that this instameet was quite intimidating. I was at one of the hottest fashion shows in the city with my cell phone and Go Pro to document it while there were swarms of professional fashion photographers with some serious cameras and lenses. As a travel blogger, I was completely out of my element.
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I was also trying to find ways to document the show that wouldn't be the same as all the other swarms of people capturing the show with their smartphones.
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I was able to get this video (below) on my iPhone, but so did everyone else with an iphone or ipad. Note the guy in the video with his ipad who has a better view than me.
freshtraveler's video on Instagram
So the Go Pro....
It was my Go Pro's first time at a fashion show and I don't think the camera's built-in fish eye lens was the right kind of lens that I should have been using to document a fashion show, but the camera itself was small (it fits right into my purse) and is very convenient. My GoPro has gone volcano boarding and zip lining with me in Nicaragua as well as kayaking in Costa Rica, but this fashion show was a completely different kind of jungle. I wasn't sure how my camera would handle the bright stage lights.
freshtraveler's photo on Instagram
But in the end, I was able to cut together a short 15 second video of my experience backstage at the Tommy Hilfiger instameet using my little Go Pro camera. I left it to the professionals to get the glossy fashion shots. I was going to stick to what this video camera does best, capturing in documentary-style the smaller and gritter details with an immediate, in the moment feeling of what it's like to actually be at a fashion show. I'd love for you to check out the 15 second video that I put up on Instagram by hitting the play button below. If you could leave me your thoughts and comments on it so I can make better ones in the future, I would really really appreciate it!
I had a lot of fun during New York Fashion Week so far. I made a bunch of new Instagram friends in person. It was such a pleasure to meet the people and learn their stories behind all the beautiful photos that I've been looking at for months, along with discovering some new instagram accounts.
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And I saw a few pieces that I'd love to add to my travel wardrobe. Totally getting this white sweater when it comes out in the stores!
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I had so much fun and I'm looking forward to catching another fashion instameet at the next New York Fashion Week or any of the other fashion weeks taking place all over the world.
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And for next time, I'll make sure to bring a telephoto zoom lens for my iPhone camera.
