In which our intrepid contributor Michelle infiltrates New York Fashion Week and lives to tell.

Day One At Bryant Park — by SF Indie Fashion Contributor Michelle Ruiz

Today I am going to see two shows at New York Fashion Week and am excited to spend all day in the tents, even with nine shows going on and only two invites! I still can’t believe I have been invited but, it just goes to show you, writing a nice article makes the right PR people think of you and, a couple of months  later, you are inside the tents at Bryant Park. I wonder who I will see.

10:30 am: I enter into the tents showing my Georges Chakra invitation on my iPhone  to the security guard. I’m let right in — hmmm easy enough.

10:35 am: I head to a folding table labeled  “Georges Chakra” in the middle of the foyer and show them my invitation for standing room.

10:39 am: I am given a white postcard with an “S” on it and shoved to wait in a long, long line. I see Tim from Project Runway talking with some designers (I can’t make out which ones) and would feel too much like a stalker to take photos, so I just watch from the line.

10:45 am: We are let into the Promenade Tent. I am standing with some other girls who are not celebrities, most likely assistants to PR people or something like that. I tell the lady usher that if a seat should become available, I would be so grateful to get one!

10:50am: Score! I’m sitting in the fifth row, section C, next to a blond girl who looks like she’s from Laguna Beach. I ask her. She is  not. She’s a writer from HollywoodLife.com named Jenn. She asks me if I see any famous people. We become friends.

11:20 am: The show starts, and I am trying to see over everyone’s heads. I have a pretty good view of the runway and think the clothes are beautiful, but more in an artsy way, not in an everyday wear kind of way.

11:25 am: I love that they list all of the names of the pieces! Brilliant so I know what they are called, and what they are made of. My favorite is “look21” Black Crepe Cocktail Dress with laser cut ruffles.

11:35 am: The show ends and everyone rushes to the runway and backstage to see the designer, but I am still with my new friend Jenn, and we walk outside the Promenade Tent to the hallway to see if we can get any pictures of famous people.

12:15 pm: Jenn invites me to be her guest at The Academy of Art University show at 3! Yay! We take a break to go outside and see all of the people walking in and out of the tents.

2:30 pm: Jenn and I are in line for one of the smaller venues simply called “The Tent.” We have seats and still have to wait in a long, long line to be let in. She is snapping photos left and right, asking me if I see any celebrities. I do not.

2:50 pm: We are let into the tent and seated in second row, section A. Great seats!

3:10 pm: The show begins, and it is far different than the Georges Chakra show. There are a lot of long coats, sweaters, grays, blues and the fabrics drape to the floor. The music is much artsier, like the kind you would hear at an art exhibit. A little distracting.

3:30 pm: The show ends, and I loose my program with all of my notes and the names of the looks. Damn. Everyone rushes out of the tent. Maybe they are going to the next show, maybe they are going to the front area to mix and mingle.

3:45 pm: We go to the bar inside the foyer and get two free cosmopolitan-type concoctions. They don’t card us. Hmmm, I have seen some 14-year-olds running around, but most are escorted by their parents.

4 pm:  I meet a writer who is not given a press pass because of her age. She’s 14. Her name is Maggie, and she writes and produces her own zine in Pennsylvania called Maggie-zine. Age-ism? Maggie feels lucky to be there after befriending Fern (creator of MBFW) last year outside the tents. She doesn’t appreciate Fern’s harsh criticism of her zine, though.

5 pm: I go to check in for the Twinkle show, and it’s packed. I am carrying my coat around because a coat check is out of the question unless you are Mena Suvari or Julia Stiles.

5:30 pm: Still waiting in line for Twinkle and can’t wait to be let in!

5:45 pm: Finally let into Twinkle and am sitting in row four, section A.

6:00 pm: The show starts on time. I love every single look that comes out, particularly look 34, the “Everglade long-sleeved dress with lace yoke in mustard.” I love that all of the models are petite and look to be in their teens.

6:20 pm: The show ends, and I head out to the foyer. I go back to my friend’s apartment and then return at 9:30 pm for the QVC Rachel Zoe  party. I haven’t been invited, but decide to go anyway.

[Photo by Michelle Ruiz]