EVENT: AFRICA FASHION WEEK NY | DAY 1 + 3

Day 1 - [12-7-12] - Ah! Day one of Africa Fashion Week, was not at all what I anticipated it to be. In fact, I barely anticipated it. I arrived at the venue and I was immediately consumed by the energy lingering in the air. I was greeted by the smiles and overwhelmingly beautiful warm words by faces who recognized me from here and there and so on. As I made my way through backstage, I knew immediately hard work and thrilling fun laid ahead. I found myself going from rack to rack, speaking with some designers, commending their work as well offering assistance where needed. In my doing so, I got the opportunity to peruse what each designer had constructed and I was deeply impressed, to say the least. My absolute favorite collection was by Carolyn Long of Fienes Couture. Her brilliant pairing of fur + leather is what captivated me most (the feathered white blouse was part of her collection. Wish I photographed more). In addition to her, the women behind Messanga, Kachi Designs and Kibonen absolutely blew me away with their use of textures and pattern. As showtime drew near, the air grew thick. The ushering of volunteers back and forth, the heightening sense of urgency as models came off the runway and were immediately undressed and redressed for the next collection, the lineup of makeup Artists, eager to retouch and tweak bits of the models prior to unleashing them unto the runway yet again - it was all new to me. I have been a part of fashion shows (nothing of this magnitude, of course) in the past, but I'm usually amid the slew of guests, photographing. Never have I been hands-on with the production of anything so grand. It thrilled me so. Mind you, this was my first major styling-debut. Can you imagine the excitement?

PHOTO-DIARY x AFWNY | FITTING DAY 2

[3-7-12] - So, as some of you fashionably-aware bunch may know, AFW New York just took place this past week. Last year, I attended day 2 of the shows, but as guest. This year, however, I took on are more hands-on role by applying for the position of stylist/creative coordinator. For those of my readers that are unaware of the procedure, I'll provide a condensed version. As for the visuals, my position did not permit the taking of a slew of pictures of the actual set, but here are some(of the many) I took on said day.
The scheduled shows are usually preceded by what is called a "fitting" - this is where designers, stylists, event coordinators and of course, models meet and greet in an effort to create for lack of better words, the big picture. The designers, assisted by stylists, fit the models, establish who will wear what in devise an order (usually the designers have already constructed an order prior to the fitting). Excitement filled the air along with sights of myriads of African-inspired culture; garments, hairstyles and demeanor, roared the longstanding presence of African pride. I roared with African pride. Peace.

EVENT: AFRICA FASHION WEEK | AFWNY 2011

I heard about AFWNY last year, I'm not certain when it began, but at the same time, I'm not necessarily filled with enough enthusiasm to consult with Google. Eh. Forgive my laziness. Like I've previously stated, I have been preoccupied with summer classes and what not, but all that is over. I'm currently at my parent's place upstate recovering from oral surgery along with other ailments; I had two wisdom teeth extracted last Monday. I've been here since Wednesday, but that's besides the point. I was especially excited about this year's AFWNY for many reasons. One of them being my little cousin and big sister playing key roles in it; my little cousin modelled, while my big sister was one of the stylists backstage. Being put on my cousin's guestlist for 2 out of the 3 days was beyond um...awesome. Can I just add that AFWNY conveniently fell into the last week of school? Amazing, I know. Anyways, back to the show; I only attended one day out of the three. I can only tolerate being in the company of fashion-loving-individuals for so long. I love fashion. I don't love fashion-lovers. Well, most of them. The shows took place Thursday-Saturday, my older brother and I arrived early on Friday 'cause we apparently had the time mixed up. I came mostly for the visual stimulation, hence, I did not pay much attention to the names of the designers. I enjoyed the collections for the most part. The models were beyond beautiful. Have you ever seen a beauty so immense, it sent shivers down your spine? Yeah, it was that brand of experience. I took A LOT of pictures. I sincerely wish I could find it in me to stain these photographs with a watermark of some sort, but unfortunately, I cannot. Feel free to share these photos as you please, just do not forget to source/credit it correctly. Otherwise.....yeah.






I'll post the rest on my photography page so stay tuned.
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