Beyond Beauty Basics was lucky enough to obtain some press passes for Fashion Week, and I was lucky enough to get to be a press correspondent.

After a long morning, I made it into the tents. Displayed in a circle at the center, there were enough gorgeous red shoes to make Dorothy (and probably even Toto) jealous. As a sponsor of Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz also had several of their luxury cars on display. The scene seemed to change completely every few seconds as the busy people buzzed about the tent.

Armed with my press pass, I decided to walk around and talk to people. I have to admit that the idea of talking to such fabulous strangers terrifying, but nearly everyone seemed willing to dish their opinions on the event. Kyle Anderson, Accessories Editor of Elle Magazine, sat down on the bench next to me, and it became all to natural to ease into a conversation about his stylish outfit.

It was great to just sit around in between the DKNY and Leela Rose shows and talk to people.

I decided to talk to some of the other workers. I noticed that the women working the event were all wearing black outfits with a bright array of tights. The bold playfulness and contrast of colors was extremely eye pleasing. I approached the girl nearest to me and asked her what she thought of the look.

“We have a different theme for everyday, but this look feels good,” said Audry Ong. “They’re really comfortable and were sponsored by Hue.”

I was also lucky enough to talk to some designers. Diego Valencia, a Colombian designer, traveled so far to be here. He didn’t speak very much English, but he was very happy to talk to me. He talked about how he loved Fashion Week and how he drew much inspiration from designers John Galliano and John Paul Gaultier.

Later, I got to talk to Jack Mackenroth from Project Runway, Martin Richie from the reality show Janice Dickinson’s Modeling Agency, and Avshalom Rave a fashion designer. Jack Mackenroth told me he was going to be co-hosting a design show. I begged to know more, but he insisted that the name and details of the show are top secret and he was not spilling!

After the shows I stepped back outside to make my way back to the hotel, when the most bizarre thing caught my eye – bright pink fluff! I did a double take. Right outside the tents with protesters with picket signs, faux blood, all dressed in bunny suits chanting “NO BLOOD FOR VANITY!” The bunny suits caught me off-guard, but it was something to think about as I made my way around.

I sat in front of the hotel for a few minutes, watching the models and celebrities use the back entrance. Only a few hours ago I was anxiously waiting for my press pass, and now I was sitting against the stone wall admiring celebrities from afar. They were decked out in some of Fashion Week’s finest pieces.

As I look back on my first Fashion Week experience, I am so grateful to have had to opportunity to have been a part of it.