Fashion magazines will gradually assess in their trend reports the Week had on offer. [break]
And most probably, the A/W collections will go down into fashion history books for quite a few reasons, such as the introduction of two new fabrics presented during Y3’s collections.
Yet the Fashion Week also had other fascinating aspects off the runways and on the press risers.
Usually, high-end fashion magazine editors and writers are sighted in the front rows along with socialites, actors, and influential style bloggers.
Others adjust to the spaces behind them or endure in the standing room. Then there are photographers and videographers representing several press and media houses; most of the time, they are seen cramped in the booth facing the runways. Life there can go berserk at times.
Most of them are accessorized well – cameras, heavy tripods, flash, and boxes with several other add-ons stuffed inside.
The work at times just seems impossible to the casual eye. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see how these visual documenters maintain their sense of style despite the trials and tribulations which they are accompanied by.
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Photographer Katy Winn, who is associated with Getty Images and The Associated Press, was often sighted in her almost six-inch platforms.
The effort she put into her outfits was apparent—black platforms to match her black ensemble and her camera kitty.
This was also the case when she was in her white ensemble.
“As I see all the people who flow through the gates dressed so beautifully, and most in their personal styles, I feel it’s the least I can do out of respect for the fashionistas who put some time and thought into their daily dressing,” she shared.
Winn informed that she equips herself with two cameras for the Fashion Week.
“They weigh 10 pounds each with the lenses,” says the photographer, who is in her 30s. Not to forget, she also manages space for her photo equipment store and quick fixes in her bag.
“Yes, the cameras and bag can get very heavy! I feel like they push me down a few inches,” she added, “But this is one area where I would like to say less is more.
I need everything I carry, so I just adapt to the weight.” According to her, she lifts weights at her local gym to keep up with the profession.
Prior to a week of the event, Winn consults stylist Jimmy Webb to prepare her wardrobe. A few attendees at the fashion event were seen responding to her style. They wanted to get photographed with her.
Were it not for those equipments, she would be easily taken for a character from a rock concert rather than a photographer.
In fact, Winn, who has been shooting NY Fashion Week for the past eight years, also shot rock concerts and still does. And its influence can be felt in her style—a lot of leather.
However, there is more than meets the eyes when we talk about her platforms. “Whenever I am in the riser or shooting events, it gives me a height advantage. And the best part is they’re comfortable,” says the freelancer, who has been in photography since the age of nine.
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Another woman photographer, Irina Kulik, shared a similar experience. Showing her platform boots that were hidden behind fur leg warmers, the Runway Chic magazine photographer said, “It’s all about being practical in my case.”
Her coat matched her warmers and also drew compliments; but more than that, they have been a lifesaver in the windy, bone-chilling winter of New York.
Kulik’s leather gloves were also something to envy.
Apart from adding to her style and warmth, “the gloves help me while holding the camera and protect my palms as they are sensitive.”
Still, for this Russian photographer, fashion was not her primary concern until she started fashion photography. “My husband puts a lot more effort into my styling than I do,” she added.
Kulik, who has shot 30 seasons of NY Fashion Week, informed that she is more into photography than fashion. “Being able to see what’s there and getting those shots is an experience in itself.”
But when it comes to fashion photography, she is more interested into the details that runs through a dress.
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Thomas Barnes of Fashion Windows echoes a similar thought. For the ponytailed photographer, who has shot Paris Fashion Weeks, fashion came after he started shooting runways.
“At the end of the day, it’s what you can afford, but it’s also about you,” opined Barnes. And after more than 12 years of shooting fashion, for him it is a living art and an animal that lives and breathes.
Though a dominant number of men can be seen in the riser shooting the runways, the number of women is not so far behind, either.
This can be especially fascinating and encouraging for someone from South Asia, since such female shutterbugs are a rarity in our world.
This, coupled with how some of them maintain their styles despite the tripods and camera boxes they lug throughout the events, just adds to the respect one has for them, as does their determination and energy at work.
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All in all, one can only gaze on in wonder and appreciation for the amount of the efforts and details that go into making the NY Fashion Week, one of the premier events of its kind in the world.
And it is all for the love of the fashion.
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