Sunday, February 22, 2015

New York Fashion Week

In the midst of showing everyone we care for them and needing our own reassurance from others, we sometimes forget our #1.....ourselves. 

If there's one thing we have learned over the past few years of living, experiencing, and practicing medicine, it is that no one can make you feel worthy, loved, or special if you cannot do that for yourself first.  

So on this recent Valentine's Day, we took a moment to acknowledge ourselves by putting ourselves first and treating ourselves with a lifelong dream- attending the NEW YORK FASHION WEEK (NYFW) in NYC!!!

It all started off with a checklist:
1. Decide to attend New York Fashion Week 
2. Wait for few years to find some time on your schedule to plan it.
3. The one year that both of us have the time and money to possibly plan the event, just happens to fall on one of us’s wedding anniversary. But no big deal because: obviously spending time with your bestie on valentine’s day and ditching your hubbie is totally alright.
4. Find out WHEN NYFW is occurring 
5. Find out WHERE exactly in NY is NYFW held
6. Inform employers you have to bounce for a few days
7.  Get tickets to the shows. 
8.  Figure out how the hell you are supposed to get said tickets.
9.  Call everyone you know, dated, heard of, and networked with over the past decade to see if they have connections to any shows. And we mean EVERYONE. 
10.  None of that worked.  So we decided to call the Concierge service of every Credit Card. 
11.  Hello Visa Signature Concierge service, our new best friend. 
12.  Wait 3 weeks for the list of shows to be released and send in requests to the top shows we want to attend....Monique Lhullier, BCBG, Carolina Herrera, etc. 
13.  At some point, we need a place to stay....so we researched and booked the closest hotel to the Lincoln Center....The Empire Hotel. 
14.  Cue in the Jay Z/Alicia Key Song "Empire State of Mind."  
15.  As time gets closer to the NYFW dates, start putting together a wardrobe for the week. 
16.  Nothing like a shopping trip at "A la Mi Closet"  (my closet), other people's closets, and running around like a madwoman at every other store to put together memorable ensembles. 
17.  Let the excitement build, but be cool.  As a grown woman, control yourself! Cool as a cucumber on the outside, shrieking like a 6 yr old girl on the inside. 
18.  FLY OUT TO NYC!!

We arrived in style at LaGuardia and took our respective rides to the Hotel Empire.  Check in and find out that our confirmed tickets for the events are not present-only to find out later the tickets were dropped off earlier in the day.  The result?  We missed out on our first event- the Water Charity Gala displaying the works of International Designers. 



Despite the initial hiccup, we were able to get back on track the next day.  With our obligatory work out (the only one done during the whole trip) done, 





we moved on to attend our first fashion show ever by designer ASAF GANOT (courtesy of a family member being close friends with the designer),


followed by our second attendance at the Monique Lhullier show. 



The vibrant jewel tones of the Monique Lhullier collection can only be upstaged by the sparkling bedazzled stockings we fell in love with. 

Seriously. Sparkling Stockings. The eyes are naturally drawn to the legs' winking lights walk by. 

However, nothing could compare to the magical hours known as the Herve Leger show and beyond!

As the two of us sat side by side a few rows back from the runway, we took a moment to savor every aspect of the room: the lights, the runway, the journalists, celebrities, the who's who of the fashion industry, us. 

We worked hard. Worked long.  Worked resiliently to get here- in life, in our careers and to a point to achieve a personal dream. 

With anticipation, we held our breaths as the lights turned low, the music came on and the show began.  As the models glided across the runway, we let our imaginations kick in. 

As the show ended, music simmered down and lights lifted, the collective awe of the audience got us out of our seats and heading towards the "Herve Leger" sign.
After we both captured the moment for each of us with the “Herve Leger” sign, we see the backstage area.

So we did the next obvious same thing to do.

We tried to get backstage.  

The left side security said No.  We were not important enough. 

So we decided to try out our luck on the right side. 
We just strolled in and illusioned ourselves into thinking that this side was friendlier. 
Actually, they were more "Real Housewives of Atlanta" friendly.
We realized we had just walked in them and their entourage and thus were allowed in.

With nothing to lose, we went around backstage meeting various entities from the world of BCBG, fashion, and their loved ones asked to be present. 

The vibe was positive.  We got to meet Katie Ellis brand ambassador of Diane Von Frustenberg and Crystal Batson, a cool NASA scientist. They introduce us to Max and his wife Lubov Azria, who had her assistant put our names down for the BCBG Afterparty RSVP list.  








There's nothing like hearing a fashion mogul say, "You are invited to join us at the Boom Boom Room at The Standard Hotel tonight."  

Then there's nothing like being escorted to the Private area reserved for the Azria's at The Boom Boom Room. 


After that, we can say it was a night to remember.  The skyline, the views, the people, the music, the dance off with Madonna's back up dancer.....wait. A Dance Off?  Yes. The Dance Off. With one of Madonna's back up dancers.  Obviously, we know who won (in our minds only). 

As we left the party in the early morning hours and had the cold harsh winds of NYC wake us up from our reality, we had to pinch ourselves.  

We did this.



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