NYFW: BFF Moments + Behind-The-Screen

Feb 18

There's a lot that goes on behind NYFW. The good, the bad, and moments that you don't see on Instagram photos.

First things first. For those of you who don't know...

I met Natalie back in college when I was a sophomore and she was a freshman. She currently attends NC State and I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Whenever people ask how we met, we both look at each other and laugh. Yes, we slid into each other's DMs. Well technically, I DMed her first and the rest is history.

There are times when we get questioned whether it's tough having an influencer as a friend because she or he might be "competition." Truth is, I've never seen her that way. At all.

I like that we both have our own things. Natalie has a YouTube and I have my blog. Two different platforms, similar interests, and a great opportunity to combine our creativity to work together.
Through our platforms, we've had opportunities to travel together, work together, shoot together, attend events and meetings together, and the best part of it all is how much we've grown closer and built a strong friendship over the years.

I've been reflecting on a lot of things post-Fashion Week. Reflecting on the experiences, the people I've met, and what content I could offer to you guys because that is my passion. Helping others in the best way that I can.
And because I feel like everyone interprets Fashion Week as something that is glamorous 24/7, I just want to emphasize that it's our job (literally) to create aesthetically-pleasing content on our platforms. We attend a lot of cool events, parties, meet amazing people, and share it because we want you all to see what we're experiencing. However, that is not always how we live.

I just remember how on Day 1 of NYFW, Natalie and I were trying to shoot our looks near Chelsea Piers. However, the lighting and backdrop wasn't my favorite, and we were running late to our presentation. I was a little disappointed because I wanted photos before the presentation but there was no time. And then the sun was starting to set, so we rushed from our presentation to the streets to catch the light.
For those of you that don't know me, I don't have a poker face. Anything I'm feeling, you'll see it all over my face. The photos weren't great and I was unhappy. Getting the good shots you see on Instagram isn't always easy. Sometimes you find the best shot 35 photos into the shoot. Or you end up retaking it again because your mouth was open. Or... sometimes, you have to improvise because 1) weather conditions or 2) lighting is terrible or 3) bad location and there's really nothing you can do about that.
Luckily, we were able to get some good shots because there were street lamps, but my point is that we aren't always able to get the perfect Instagram-worthy shots that we want. And in that case, we improvise, let our stubbornness go (that's mainly directed at me -- Natalie is so good at that and she seriously inspires me to do the same), and settle for something else. Who knows, maybe that shot could be better?

On Day 2 of NYFW, Natalie and I ended up skipping most of the presentations that day to relax. We ended up shooting at Cha Cha Matcha with Shelly and even skipped the after parties to stay in and get some sleep. Again, we're human. We can't be in five places at once. On a real note, I'm so glad Natalie values sleep as much as I do, haha.

On Day 4 of NYFW, it was raining. I made it all the way to my first show... only to walk out and skip it entirely because 1) the venue itself was already so crowded and I wasn't feeling up for it and 2) I wore suede boots that were soaked.

I was supposed to shoot my look of the day in a couple of hours, but my hair was so frizzy that I didn't want to take photos. And of course, the rain wasn't stopping any time soon. In fact, it started to downpour.

I headed to a brunch meeting and ended up waiting an hour (I ended up getting there 30 mins earlier), only to find that there was some miscommunication and plans were changed again.

At that point, my feet were soaked, I was cold and tired, and ready to go home.

Which is what I ended up doing that day. I rescheduled my shoot, skipped my last show, took a hot shower, and climbed into bed.

I learned a lot from that day.

It reminded me that a bad day doesn't mean a bad life.

Oh, and also... don't wear suede boots in the rain.

As you can see, there are a lot of behind-the-screen moments that you don't see in our Instagram photos or my blog. I could be having a fever running around in a beautiful dress, but you'd never know because I have on sunglasses and I'm smiling.

So if you ever feel yourself drowning in FOMO or feeling jealous or comparing your life to someone else's that you see on social media... just don't.

There will always be someone better than you. Prettier than you. Smarter than you. Skinnier than you. More successful than you.

But remember who you are, all the valuable skills that you possess... and be proud of that.

No one else can be you.

And that's worth more than you know.