Dancing, Designing, Dreaming: NYFW 2019

Dancers, it’s that magical time again! I’m sure you know it, that time twice a year when all the newest fashion trends come to life on runways and in front of the cameras. It’s Fashion Week Season!

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
-Anatole France

Peace out, California! See you later! Last month, I was jet-setting off to my favorite city–New York. Follow me as I take you along, a day in the life of being a dancer amidst the craziness of New York Fashion Week!

A day in the life of NYFW in the middle of September looks like hot subway rides to different castings and fittings with designers across Manhattan. It looks like warming up quickly and breaking out my pointe shoes for photoshoots where dance meets fashion on city streets. It looks like grabbing quick bites to eat at different bodegas in midtown and looking out at the sunset over the city skyline. Really, it looks like trying to keep my composure while I freak out about how excited I am for the magic that’s to come later! This uncontrollable excitement of mine usually happens while I get ready in the hair and makeup chair after a runway rehearsal and right before a show or presentation starts.

Then? Time for sleep. I have to be ready to live this dream all over again tomorrow!

When I have an afternoon free in The City That Never Sleeps, I am almost always out looking for somewhere or someplace that will give me inspiration for my own projects. New York is undeniably one of the most artistic cities in the world! During New York’s  September Fashion Week this year, I visited the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East Side.

One of the world’s largest art museums, The Met is home to my favorite exhibit, the Costume Institute. I made my way over to see the 2019 exhibition, “Camp: Notes on Fashion” a few days before it closed. Just in time! The exhibit, made possible by Gucci with additional support provided by Conde Nast, was a pure fashion wonderland featuring works from all the top designers across the globe and over 250 pieces from dresses, to drawings, to headpieces, and jewelry. It was a fashion feast for the eyes, and extremely inspiring for a young designer like me! (Plus, there was so much pink.) Even if you aren’t designing your own clothing like me, the “exuberant aesthetic” is certainly something to think about bringing into your wardrobe.

One of my favorite parts of Fashion Week is meeting so many new people. It’s easy to forget how many people are involved when you’re just looking at photos of the week’s outfits. Models, designers, makeup artists, hairstylists, producers, musicians, coordinators, and more all work together with a shared passion for fashion and bringing it to life in a show, photoshoot, or presentation. People with different passions and skills coming together to create art is something so beautiful to me! It really showcases how sharing your passion opens you up to new opportunities in unexpected places.

This NYFW season I was lucky enough to work with some magical artists, international designers, and local New York designers! It’s super special when you meet a designer who encourages the worlds of fashion and dance to collide. For dancers, there is no greater feeling than being on stage, and to me, the runway is exactly like a stage, an extension of the most amazing feeling and unmatchable adrenaline rush of performing! Showcasing art through movement and wearing designers’ works of art feels like a dream come true every time. Every moment is inspiring.

“Every single day is a new fashion show, make the world your runway!”
– Coco Chanel