Alexander McQueen SAVAGE BEAUTY at the Met

On July 16th, the FIDM NY Alumni Chapter organized a sort of "fieldtrip" for NY-based alums to see the acclaimed Alexander McQueen "Savage Beauty"exhibit at the Met. I went and I must say I am SO GLAD they did this for us... because just weeks later, the waiting time and line for this particular exhibition was literally out the door and around the block! By the last day, it was reported that Savage Beauty attracted over 600,000 visitors, a record for a fashion-related exhibit!! INSANE.

In my attempt to write about my experience at the Met... I came to the conclusion that it is hard, if not impossible, to put in words just how AMAZING it was. For those of you who were fortunate enough to see it, you should know what I mean... it was a completely indescribable experience. I will try to summarize though....

Our wait wasn't long... between catching up with old schoolmates, meeting new ones, and admiring the beautiful interiors of the Met, we got to the exhibit fairly quickly. From the moment you walk in to the very end... you are taken on a journey... one that I believe was a glimpse of Lee McQueen's mind. It felt like a dream... to be THIS close to his masterpieces. The ominous soundtrack in the background, the different eras... and the CLOTHES.... my god, I was at lost for words. From the impressive tailoring to the showstopping gowns to the sculptural corsets to the fantastical headpieces and accessories... oh and the hologram of Kate Moss was cool to watch and various videos from his runway archives brought everything to life. I completely drooled over all the one-of-a-kind, never before seen pieces from the Isabella Blow collection (on loan from the Hon. Daphne Guinness). Everything felt like a fantasy. A dark, gloomy yet beautifully crafted fantasy. My jaw was on the floor the entire way... my eyes wide... my heart beat-fully ran... and I gasped at almost every step. Here was a man who changed the way we look at fashion--even beyond fashion...every reference was something deep, a piece of history, a piece of ancestry, something that meant a lot to him. I admired the way he looked into the ugly of things and made it beautiful. He saw things and knew things we often overlook. He made fashion come to life again.


Towards the end as I stared deeply into his final collection, I couldn't help but get emotional. Lee is no longer here with us, I instantly remembered to myself. He was an artist. That is no question. Savage Beauty... what a way to commemorate a legend, the presentation rightfully honored him the way it should. I will never forget how moved I was and I am grateful for such an experience. Many thanks to the curator at the Met for putting on such a presentation... it not only praises a genius of our time, but affirms once again that FASHION IS ART.

#LongLiveMcQueen

Check out Natalie Alvarado's coverage from the exhibit with great candid photos right from her iphone!

Life has been a whirlwind. That line alone is a complete understatement.

Let's rewind. Remember when I talked about Fashion September? Well, now let's fast-forward... 5 months later and there I was having lunch with my fashion icon. *pause for reaction* Yes, you heard it. UNREAL? I know... even I still cannot believe it. So exactly WHO is this "fashion icon"? Let's just say she's quite the fashion rockstar. Trust, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you.

But I will tell you this: People aren't always what they seem. As amazing and unexpected and surreal and mindbogglingly magnificent as it was to be sitting across from someone that I've admired so wholeheartedly, I couldn't help but wonder how exactly I got there. "What's going on? What's happening? IS THIS REAL LIFE?" Here, next to me, sat a completely genuine woman, with all her authenticity, integrity, style and humor, sharing with me some of her craziest finds and stories. "AM I DEAD?" She was everything I imagined her to be... and MORE.

It is all a blur now, but it was one of the most pivotal moments of my life. My heart, to this day, still soar to the moon and back. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. For a fashion girl, I think I am.

I love Fashion September

...in New York City!

In a matter of 3 weeks, I've had the honor of meeting some of my favorite people in fashion and seeing in person some of the greatest, iconic fashion idols EVER.


That honor came a couple weeks back when I met Nina Garcia, Fashion Director of Marie Claire magazine. I didn't tell you all this before but I actually interviewed with MC for a fashion editorial internship--one that I had to turn down because I couldn't dedicate more than 3 days due to a full time job. However, I loved meeting Nina. Despite her catty, zero-tolerance attitude on Project Runway, this woman is so charming and sweet in person. She's so modest, too. I'm so much of a bigger fan today after meeting her!

Then Fashion's Night Out in September: I was a lucky attendee of FNO: The Show--an event that took place at Lincoln Center and brought out some of the biggest names in fashion. It was the night I stood next to Anna Wintour. Yes, THEE Anna Wintour and I nearly fell over. There was a single, special moment when she looked over at me and I swear I was going to DIE. I could almost feel her death stare literally piercing through her dark Chanel shades. After mingling with other fashion aficionados, I had the privilege of meeting so many great industry insiders including: the fantastic Grace Cottington, the very cute designers of Proenza Schouler, Michael Kors, Jason Wu, Style.com's Candy Pratts Price, and Diane von Furstenberg. It was a night to remember and a FIDM girl's dream...The runway show itself, if you saw in live-streaming, was just AMAZING. Sorry, I have no other words to describe it. Every key trend for fall was right on the beat. Hats off to Anna and the Vogue team. My jaw was on the floor outfit after outfit.

Then came New York Fashion Week: Although I wasn't exactly in the tents (or the "studio" / "theater" now that it's been moved to Lincoln Center), when FASHION WEEK is going on in your city, how could you not stop by and watch? :) I sure did!

It was such a surreal moment for me... just people-watching. I couldn't help but think to myself: Here is where it all happens! Fashion is so alive here. I was so inspired. I felt like I was in fashion heaven!! Fashionistas wearing Balenciaga, Balmain, Celine, Louboutins, Birkins... all walked by as eye-candies for me.
Then I spotted Sarah Rutson walking out. Sarah is the Fashion Director of Lane Crawford, a store in Hong Kong that I've admired, researched, and studied thoroughly and did countless projects on during my FIDM years. Of course, my immediate reaction is "OMG OMG OMG! Is that...?! STFU! NO WAY!" But instinctively, I got up and ran after her. I didn't know what to say when I reached her but thankfully she was sweet enough to stop and talk to me. AHHHHH!!! :)

You know the feeling of not wanting to meet an idol or a celebrity because of fear that they won't be as pleasant in person as they are in your head? Well, this wasn't the case. Sarah was genuinely kind and as I stupidly ranted about her career and blah blah blah blah... she stopped to ask me my name, what I wanted to do, and if I'm studying fashion. Trust me, I'm still dying. What a DREAM!

Others spotted at Lincoln Center: Rachel Zoe (celebrity stylist), Linda Fargo (Berdorf Goodman), Robbie Myers & Joe Zee (Editors of ELLE), Joanne Coles (Marie Claire), Simon Doonan (Barney's), Carine Roitfeld (Paris Vogue), Virgina Smith (Vogue), Miss Jay (ANTM), Karl Lagerfeld, and Daphne Guinness (she almost gave me a heart-attack...I LOVE her).

As I'm still living off this Fashion Week's high, I'll tell you this much... Don't sit around waiting for things to happen. They call it "chasing your dreams" for a reason. For me, it was a dream come true to be in the presence of many fashion's greatness. But you won't be seeing me holding my breath or waiting for something big to happen next. If I want to get to where I want to be, I have a lot of work to do. The best is yet to come because I'm still very new in this industry and there's still SO MUCH to learn. In the meantime, with all my new material, I'm able to keep my style blog up again!

Until next time.
xoxo,
FIDM Blog Girl from thefidmlife
(& FIDM grad!)