The New York Gazelle: February 2014

Feb 19, 2014

When you see something that looks like a castle... you're here

My story starts with there almost not being a story.

Going into fashion week I knew getting to the Alexander Wang show was going to be a challenge. This year Wang decided on having his show held in Brooklyn rather than Manhattan. While this seems like a pretty cool idea (I think it was) it frustrated many of the people who actually have the privilege of attending shows. Most attendees were worried they might not be able to make it to the show on time because of the commute they would have to make from Manhattan. I was a little nervous about the trek there.. but suddenly another problem surfaced.

According to one of my fashion week friends, persons without an invite are not allowed to be within 100 feet of the venue. The venue was at the Brooklyn Ship Yards which is a government property (or at least thats what the rumor said). This meant that we could be escorted from the property because we didn't have an invite or proper identification. Most of my top photographer friends, those that worked for large publications, weren't going to try to go at all. My thought was... is it even worth it?

Well, for one person this wasn't even a question. My fashion week sista, Rachel Emrich, is a Wang worshiper. She was more than down to at least check it out.. I owe her everything for these few photos and experience because without her persistence about embracing the freezing weather for some Wang... I probably wouldn't have gone.

I decided.. why the hell not and we hopped on the train into Brooklyn. When we got off the train we were in the emptiest area I have ever seen. It seemed to be all warehouses and car lots. Walking underneath train and car overpasses was a bit unsettling.. but we were seemingly close to the venue according to the pin on my iphone map. After a few minutes of walking Rachel received a call from her friend Shyam who was already outside of the shipyard gates. He said, "When you see something that looks like a castle.. you're here. I'm just outside!"

We arrived, met up with Shyam and looked down the long driveway filled with cars. There was a sidewalk that followed the drive. Following the lead of two men with invites clutched in their hands, we started walking into the dark shipyard. We passed a toll booth making sure not to look at the guards.. as if we knew what we were doing. The last thing I wanted was to come all this way only to be kicked out onto the street.

The sidewalk winded around warehouse after warehouse until we were finally at the venue. We made it just in time for the water taxi from Manhattan to arrive with well-dressed fabulous guests. There were only a couple of photographers on the scene. It looked like the rumor felt too real for most of my friends who didn't show. Lucky for us, I guess. We had a front row seat.

The venue

A couple adorable attendees

Just like tradition Rachel had her iphone ready to watch the live stream of the show. She froze her hands and waisted her data plan for the next 15 minutes as we all huddled around her fixated on her tiny iPhone screen. We could feel the beat of the soundtrack reverberate onto the walls we were leaning against. Pretty cool.

The stream cut just as Alexander Wang started his traditional gallop down the runway and we screamed with disappointment. Now it was time to run to the backstage door and prepare.