I've said it once and I'll say it again: You just never know who you'll meet or where you'll end up during Fashion Week.
I walked into the Tents around 4 today, hands shaking with excitement. I took my time and walked around, taking in the sights, sounds and sponsors. Unfortunately, the last show of the night started at 5, so the Tents were pretty dead after that. But there were still people milling about, trying to snag their last free drink. I sat down at one of the tables and met Terry, a fabulous Webzine editor and soon-to-be new best friend.
Laurie got to the Tents around 5:30, just in time for everything to be wrapped up. But at least she got to see the inside and knows how it works so she'll be more prepared tomorrow. I introduced her to Terry, and we proceeded to leave the Tents in search of stores participating in Fashion's Night Out — a sort of fundraising event featuring various celebrities, discounts and free drinks at stores to promote spending and the economy. Of course we were only looking for celebs and free drinks.
We get to BCBG when Terry realizes he has a show to get to in 45 minutes over in Chelsea, and asks us if we want to come. Laurie had a dinner she had to go to so couldn't make it, but of course I jumped at the opportunity. Thus commenced the long journey to Chelsea. Not that Chelsea is far away at all, but transportation became an issue.
There wasn't really any subway stops near the show and the subway was too far away anyway, so that was out. Everyone was leaving the Tents, so there were absolutely no cabs available. So after many failed attempts at getting a cab, we decide to try to catch a bus. We jump on one and almost sit down when a woman tell us it was an express bus to Brooklyn, so we run out just in time before it leaves. That would've been horrible. While waiting for the right bus, we decide to go into Lord & Taylor for some free champagne and saw a famous photographer who I forget the name of now.
We finally get on the bus and make it to 28th Street, but now we have to get over six avenues, which is about a mile. Again, there were no free cabs in sight, so we start walking. The show is supposed to start at 7, and now it's 10 minutes till. So I throw off my heels, throw on my flip flops and we book it. Mind you, I don't have a ticket so there's really no guarantee that I'll even get it, but I figured the worst that could happen is being turned away and I didn't have any plans anyway so who cares. Plus, Terry and I were having a blast joking about everything under the sun. He also taught me many things, like never leave home without a bologna sandwich.
We got to the show 10 minutes late, but luckily they were also running late and there was still a long line outside. They finally let the rest of us in and didn't even check if we had tickets. Everyone was already seated and the show was about to start, so we had to scramble to find a place where we could actually see, which was no easy task. Thankfully, we found a really good spot on some stairs where we had a clear view. Here's the finale:
After the show, there were several extra swag bags that people left in their seats, so I swiped one. It had so much awesome stuff in it! From there, we decided to go in search of other Fashion Night's Out stores in the Meatpacking District. After a long walk, we stopped in Hugo Boss and DVF. Then it started drizzling, so we decided to part ways and call it a night.
Befriending an editor? Check. Sneaking into a show? Check. Getting free stuff? Check. And it's only Day 1! At this point, the rest of the week could be horrible and I would still count it as a success. I've been confirmed for the Baby Phat show on Tuesday and there's a chance Laurie and I could get into the Badgley Mischka show, so keep your fingers crossed!
I'm still spinning from what an amazing night it was, and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
