A week of watching clothes and taking cabs in New York sounds like a dream job, right? But what’s it actually like pounding the streets at New York Fashion Week. We caught up with Grazia Daily’s Jessica Vince, who's been covering everything from a 360 angle, to find out the need to know:
So what are we all going to be wearing next autumn then?
‘It's all about dressing gown chic (hurrah), lots of plaid and sharp mannish suits in grey.’
What does Victoria Beckham actually look like up close?
‘More smiley that you'd imagine. She was proper grinning backstage after her show, although admittedly she did put the pout back on when the cameras arrived.’
Who was the most unexpected person on the front row?
‘There were a lot of Hollywood actors this season (not that I'm complaining). Michael Douglas sat next to Blake Lively and Rose Byrne at Michael Kors, Colin Firth and Gerard Butler put in front row appearances and - Sherlock himself - Benedict Cumberbatch was at Hugo Boss. Oh, and I literally bumped into Jared Leto at the Guess party when I was trying to instagram a picture of my cocktail. I think he thought I was some crazy fan accosting him at first but I was just as surprised as he was and tried to apologise but it came out as 'mffthp'. He smiled politely (like I was a total nut job) and headed straight out. Major awks.’
And the nicest?
‘I have an eternal soft spot for Alexa Chung because she's always so friendly and happy to chat even when it's amid a paparrazi scrum. She always has a satirical quote too. At the Marc By Marc Jacobs show, she told me she was going for dragonfly chic this season - and if it's good enough for Chung...'
And – come on, dish – the most bitchy?
‘No one's been bitchy (honestly) but I was disappointed when Solange Knowles refused to talk to me. Maybe she'd, er, lost her voice...’
What was everyone wearing street style wise?
‘I wasn't sure whether I should wear my pink coat. At first I thought it might be “so last season”. But I was happy to see the streets still awash with pink numbers. And there were baby blue coats and pretty mint greens too which made for lovely, colourful shots in the snow.’
What was considered the “highlight show” and why?
‘Everyone's been talking about the Marc By Marc Jacobs show, which was on Tuesday, because it was Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley's debut for the brand. Katie has been looking after the MBMJ bags for more than a decade but it was Luella’s first foray into fashion since her own line closed in 2009 so there was a lot of anticipation - and it certainly lived up to the hype. For starters, Marc Jacobs himself was on the front row alongside Sofia Coppola and they had red-haired model Natalie Westling stomping the catwalk, but the collection was also a breath of fresh air thanks to a mashup of references from traditional Japanese and Manga comics to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, dirt bike and BMX racing. There was such a great energy throughout.’
Pictures: Jason Lloyd-Evans, Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.