behind the scenes at NYFW.

“Every year the women of New York leave the past behind and
look forward to the future… this is known as fashion week.” -Carrie Bradshaw

If you’re like me, you spend most of Fashion Week behind your computer, drooling over the amazing presentations and having the worst case of FOMO you’ve had all year. This year, my fabulous intern Madalyn followed her dreams to work the Dona Karan show, and I loved being able to follow her on her whirlwind NYC adventure! I’m so sad that Madalyn’s now back at school for her Junior year, and I know she will be greatly missed by myself and CS readers! A HUGE thank you to Madalyn for all her hard work this summer – we miss you already!

Below’s a taste of Madalyn’s amazing NYC adventure! Hope you enjoy a little taste of fashion week as much as I did 🙂

Fashion week is an event that is marked down on the calendar
months in advance because, well, it is fashion week and it also determines the
style, trends, and moods for the next season. Like most, fashion week is an
event I have always fantasized about attending. I typically watch the shows via
Style.com during class and consume every show detail on all forms of social media.
However, this year I had the amazing opportunity to jet set to NYC and work
with Paul Andrew backstage at the Donna Karan show. I think I’ll take fashion
week over classes any day!

Before I share my experience, it is very important to thank
the fabulous Maya for setting

this opportunity up for me as well as Catherine and the
entire Paul Andrew team for letting me come intern for the weekend. Countless thank
yous to you all! (CS: This girl’s a wiz, and totally deserving!)

Friday was my free day so I made sure to check off a couple
of my NYC bucket list items. My first stop was the legendary Bergdorf Goodmans.
The window displays are a masterpiece in and of themselves. The entire
department store is filled with luxury goods and designer items but the shoe
salon was my favorite part. Paul Andrew even had his very own section! Next, I
was off to Laduree for some coveted macarons. Yes, their macarons are everything
I have ever hoped they would be and more. I wish I could have brought them back
for everyone but I had already spent way too much on the tasty little treats!

All day Saturday and Sunday were spent prepping in the Donna
Karan studio. It was

interesting to watch Donna Karan in her element and making
design decisions and draping on the models. I also got to see Nicoletta
Santoro, a renowned fashion stylist, who has worked for just about every Vogue
and major fashion magazine. She would accessories where she felt needed and
also made sure to pick the best shoe for each look.

Everyone put in twelve plus hour days which shows just how
much work goes into a fashion show and the dedication of the team members. My
job was to help fetch shoes in different styles and sizes and organize them according to
model and look number. It definitely was more involved than it sounds!

The highlight of my trip was meeting Karlie Kloss. She has been
one of my favorite models ever since I first saw her on the 2008 February Teen
Vogue cover. Karlie is even more gorgeous in person and one of the sweetest
people you will ever meet.

Monday morning I had the chance to spend some time at the
Paul Andrew studio, which was amazing. The studio space is beautiful and all
the team members were friendly and welcoming. I even got to meet Mr. Paul Andrew himself! I was
sad to leave but it was time to start prepping for the Donna Karan show. For me,
the most inspiring part about being backstage was seeing all the models up
close (I even got to touch a couple of their feet while helping put shoes on!)
in addition to viewing the garments in person versus on a computer screen. It
also was crazy that Donna had four of the September Vogue cover stars walking
in her show (Karlie, Imaan, Fei Fei and Vanessa). Another highlight was seeing
Kendall Jenner and also Charlotte Tilbury, a famous makeup artist, whose work I
admire very much.

The models were all ready and dressed and within fifteen
minutes the show was over. It was astounding how much preparation and hard work
goes into a show for it to only last a matter of minutes. It definitely gave me
a greater appreciation for fashion shows.

{Catherine & Madalyn}

Although my trip was only five days, I learned so much during my stay. I met so many inspiring people who shared valuable industry advice and helped me confirm that fashion is truly my passion. I look forward to hopefully working with some of them again in the near future and eventually moving to New York

Charmingly Styled

The Perfect Fall Sweater Dress

having a 70’s moment

…and we’re back! welcome to the new charmingly styled!

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