20 Feb Relive New York Fashion Week With Me
A lot has happened in the past week.
My brain still has unprocessed memories but I want to share these precious moments with you. So here I am reflecting on all that’s unfolded during my fashion week.
This fashion week was different because I was sharing behind-the-scenes with Love Magazine. In collecting these snaps, I became more present in the otherwise ordinary tasks.
Before we begin, I want to acknowledge that this is my 5th year in the fashion industry and living in New York. I moved here in March 2015, and omg was that a journey! I am at a point where I have learned so much that it’s time for me to share it with you all as we continue onwards.
Since this is around my 10th season, I am glad I only go for selected castings and not the endless castings from when I first started. Phew! It’s great since I get to focus and have more time to myself.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, fashion week does not finish in a week for most models. We go from a week in New York, to a week in London, another in Milan, and finish off in Paris. That’s a fashion month! And… it happens twice a year. In my experience, I always lose my center towards the end. When things are very hectic around me, I try to balance things more.
Holding myself centered already calms half the storm.
I’ll let you in on how it all rolled out.
One thing to understand is that there’s no set routine. Some days I may get an early call time for a show while other days I’ll have a chill morning. One routine that I do like to keep is that before I step down my bed and my feet touch the ground, I meditate.
When I wake up, I still feel remnants from the day before so I like to let go of anything that I am holding on to.
It’s another day and I always feel like everyday is a gift to me — I can live, breathe, and feel the things around me. When I first started modeling, I was very inspired by Blake Lively’s Allure Magazine cover story video. She said, “it’s the choice that you have to wake up everyday and say, there is no reason today can’t be the best day of my life.” This stuck with me for some reason. I feel like there is energy that flows throughout the universe which we are all connected to and what we put in it affects our surroundings.
Another one of my morning routines is… coffee! I love the process of making coffee. You ground the beans, extract the espresso, and froth the milk – then bring it all together.
I enjoy taking the time to take care of my skin and hair, that’s especially the case during fashion week. You can’t imagine how much heat and products they go through. My recent skincare favorite is Purearth’s mitti raw honey mask, it’s very organic and does wonders. The product has Ayurvedic elements and makes me feel connected to my cultural roots. For my hair, I apply my recent favorite Rodin by Recline hair oil once a week — which I got sold from a goop article, but it works, I love it.
Then I am all set to go. Oh yeah, looks! I like color on me so I tend to match different colors and textures together, it also makes me happier. Now off I go to my first show with Brock Collection. I am a big fan of the romantic era and Brock Collection’s clothes transport me there in a refreshing way so I always love walking their show.
Brock Collection
This season was even more exciting because we got to wear a veil.
Once the music starts, the dance of shows, fittings, and more shows begin. With all the fittings, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s all part of the process. The gorgeous hair, makeup, and nails along with the beautiful pictures make me feel very special during fashion week. I mean, maybe all year round, but more in fashion week.
I have always wanted to wear a full gold look on the runway and Zimmermann made that dream come true.
Zimmermann
I do not need to say more because hello? Gold, full stop.
Then I walked in the picturesque New York Public Library for Oscar de la Renta. There is something about marble that just elevates the entire picture, and we were walking right in it. NYPL is one historic place, I love visiting but doing a show there was like the cherry on the top. Talking about top, I was wearing a pink one and couldn’t be feeling more beautiful.
Oscar de la Renta
Picture says it all.
Did you know that Prabal Gurung is also a singer? I just got to know that! We had so much fun in the fitting and the show because we both love bollywood movies. He is a hilarious, honest and talented designer.
Prabal Gurung
His show reminded me of how fashion is celebrated and how every moment felt.
Before the show started, he said to everyone, “be yourself, I don’t want to see mannequins walking down the runway, we want to feel you, be yourself.” I resonate with that, the person wearing the dress makes it alive and not the other way around. I find that if I like a person’s personality, no matter what he or she wears, I always tend to like it.
Being based in New York, the fashion week here always holds a special place. To conclude this beautiful season, I want to share one of my favorite places – the Brooklyn Bridge. I love the view of the city from here and it’s been a way for me to reconnect with my journey.
And now I have all these pictures to share my memories.
