As you may have noticed, Style IT has been inconsistent lately. We have once again been pulled into the vortex of madness known as New York Fashion Week. Fortunately for you dear readers, we will have plenty to write about in the coming weeks, including the Alexander Wang afterparty, the launch of Iqons magazine, and a drugstore dupe for Smashbox Photofinish Primer (we swear!).
Hang tight, as we plan on updating as often as possible during Fashion Week. It's always a bumpy ride!
Recently, the members of the Coutorture Community were invited to a hush-hush fashion show by an unnamed Project Runway designer. Eventually, the designer's name was revealed as Victorya Hong, and needless to say we were thrilled to be including in the list of invited. With such a secret and what would appear to be a time crunch, how does a show come together? We had the pleasure of interviewing the publicist working tirelessly behind the scenes to make the magic happen, Dina. A fellow blogger at Eye4Style, we knew she would have some amazing insights. View our interview below.
1: What unique challenges did you face putting together this show?
I’d say the biggest challenge presented was the timing of her departure from Project Runway and the resulting anonymity. Due to Bravo’s contract restrictions and the mystery surrounding who leaves the series every week, the na-be by Victorya Hong show was listed anonymously as “Project Runway Designer” on the official IMG Fashion Week schedule until January 23. Mass confusion resulted. Fingers crossed that it all works out tomorrow evening!
2: Why did you decide to invite the Coutorture community? Whose idea was it?
It was my idea, of course! My personal style blog has been a Coutorture member since the very beginning and I’m a huge advocate for the power of blogs in media.
3: What unique perspective can bloggers bring to coverage of Victorya’s work that traditional media outlets cannot?
I’d say there are a couple of advantages to working with bloggers as opposed to traditional journalists – one would be the genuine enthusiasm that they bring to the show and to the work of designers. Some editors have a sense of entitlement or an attitude; most bloggers at this stage in the game do not.
And if we’re talking coverage, you can’t beat the speed and responsiveness of many bloggers. I’d predict that we’ll see a lot of blog coverage on Victorya’s show immediately following the show (er, hint hint…just kidding!) and that’s amazing for a young designer!
4: Can you share what it is like to coordinate & facilitate such a large scale event?
It’s a lot of work behind the scenes – there are lots of early mornings and late nights. Thankfully, Victorya is working with a top tier production team (LDJ Productions) so things have been relatively smooth with a few minor bumps in the road, which are to be expected. The big monsters for the PR team (which I lead) are negotiating with sponsors, managing the guest list and of course, the politics of seating.
5: What are your plans for fashion week recovery?
Oh gosh, we all need to recover after Fashion Week, don’t we? It seems so glamorous but in reality, it’s exhausting! I’d say some QT with the BF and my kitties is in order, along with a nice dose of retail therapy – I’m eyeing a few pairs of Loeffler Randall shoes for spring!
