| flashback |

it's been a while since i last posted. i have been putting 100% of my focus on work lately. i'm starting to understand why most bloggers say they find their time to sit down and write on late nights & weekends, when real work doesn't have to compete.

i have been trying to keep up with all the fashion shows this month and it made me think of my first ever fashion show experience. i was interning at vera wang when she presented her spring 2009 collection. it was, and still is, nothing short of magical. it was everything i had imagined new york fashion week would be: the bryant park tents, crisp fall air in the early morning before it gave way to the warm, late summer afternoon, editors rushing around the tents to shows (unlike now - it's all over the city). i was still so new to the whole thing, as an intern it was my duty to man a sitting area with a huge press binder that had names, titles and headshots with all invited guests and their seating assignments. i had worn too high, and very uncomfortable shoes (a mistake i have never made since). we had showed in the biggest venue at the tents, naturally, as vera was a headliner of new york fashion week. if i hadn't been enchanted by the industry already, this day surely solidified it. as the lights went low we were all instructed to fill up any empty seats and i found mine toward the last row in a crowd of about 900. the music began thumping over the speakers, the lights gradually came on and before i noticed the first model walk out, i spotted the inimitable grace coddington (well, i spotted her signature red mane first) and to her left, the most influential woman in fashion, anna wintour. tonne goodman was there too. tonne was incredibly chic, and as my time working in fashion would go on, i would find myself desperately trying to copy her minimalist, cool girl uniform: wide leg slacks, crisp white oxford, loafers, and tailored jacket. she was doing it far before celine had come out with their now iconic minimalist collection that the rest of the fashion world would go on to emulate.  i could barely pay attention to the show with this group of powerhouse women sitting across the room. looking at the images now, it blows me away- the young karlie kloss, just a teenager! of course, the show was well received, with high marks from all the major fashion authorities. i rode the train home that evening back to long island, basking in the energy of the show, and knew from that moment forward i would work in fashion PR, for the rest of my career.

i feel so lucky to have started at such an esteemed fashion house and i often find myself going back in the archives (which can now be viewed on the new vogue.com runway section) and reminiscing about that first show. my path has changed slightly, i no longer work in-house, but rather have my own pr company representing incredible talents. my 21-year-old self is constantly reminding me how inspiring, spontaneous and beautiful fashion can be.

i wanted to share these runway photos from that show. i can see styles like this being relevant in this month's shows, and i think that's the true test of timeless designs.

here i am, dressed in all black (pr girl uniform), my first seating chart binder and all access credentials.

| all runway photos: vogue.com; above, personal photo |