CrystalPhuong.net is a Personal Style & Travel Blog based in Singapore, written by Crystal Phuong. The blog was nominated FOUR times in Top 10 Best Fashion Blogs in the annual Singapore Blog Award from 2012- 2015, voted as one of the Best Lifestyle Blogs in Singapore in 2013 by Hotelclub.com, and Best Travel Blogs in 2016 by Foodpanda.com. Crystal hopes to connect and inspire young women to lead a healthy and happy life. Be confident, be positive, and be kind.
It's that time of the year when September came, everyone in the fashion industry started planning for their New York Fashion Week trip. I was not an exception. I planned a month in advance, but when it got closer to the date, I always had a second thought. Should I stay or should I go? Although this was my third time going to New York Fashion Week, I still got butterflies in my stomach for many unnecessary reasons.
Like the last two times, I decided to book my flight ticket at the last minute. I arrived in the Big Apple on the first day of fashion week. The city was full of energy as usual. It washed away my sleepiness and tiredness as soon as I stepped into this concrete jungle. This time, instead of spending our money on the hotel for the entire week, my friend Heidi from TheAmbitionista got us a luxurious apartment at West 57th looking over the Central Park. The view from the apartment was insanely beautiful! Here is the proof.
As soon as I got situated, I quickly changed and headed out for the first show of the day "Desigual Spring Summer 2017". Knowing that I had only an hour to get ready, I wouldn't have time to think about "What to wear." That's why I decided to restyle this rainbow jumpsuit, which I wore it once at Vietnam Fashion Week earlier this year. Besides, if I had to hide my jetlag face, a bright sequin head-to-toe outfit seemed like a good idea.
Did I look like I'd just flown thousands of miles across the globe? You tell me.
Thank you so much for reading! For fashion show, backstage and front row recaps, please check it out my second website 511styles
I remember my first time entering a huge fashion show venue like this in New York, I was stunned and so overwhelmed. Gorgeous LED lighting setup, bright camera flashes everywhere, and a big room full of fashionistas. Not to mention stunning Hollywood celebrities sitting in the front row. It's hard not to feel intimidated if you are a first-timer. That was what I felt like last year. This year, I became more confident and more familiar with what was happening around me. Excitement, however, was still in the air.
I attended Concept Korea's fashion show in the morning
and joined an interview with a local media afterwards. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask what channel they were shooting for so I didn't know how this video turned out. I hope it's good.
Leaving Skylight Moynihan Station after the first show, I quickly went back to my hotel for a quick outfit change and headed to another show in the afternoon.
Dennis Basso Spring- Summer 2016 fashion show. I was fortunate to attend his show last year and this year. His collection mesmerizes me every time. Perfection in every single detail.
The Hilton sisters were also at his show. We were actually walking side by side, except they had so many bodyguards around them and I had none. Paris Hilton is actually quite friendly.
After Dennis Basso's fashion show, I went to have another outfit changed so that I could do a photoshoot with my friend, who is a famous fashion blogger in the US, Hallie Daily.
New day, new outfit. The most common question that I was asked whenever I walked to the show: "Excuse me, Miss. Can I have a photo of your outfit?"
Bohemian style in New York- Reem Acra Spring Summer Fashion Show.
Front-row at Vivienne Tam Spring Summer fashion show.
As usual, outfit change for an evening event with Hanley Mellon. After running around the Manhattan streets in heels for 6 days, my feet decided to give up on me and demanded a special treat. This white pair of sneakers made my feet jump for joy. It was one of the best purchases I made on this trip.
Day 6 began with one of the fashion shows that I was looking forward to attending: Stella Nolasco Spring- Summer 2016. I had a chance to chat with the fashion designer, learned about her designs, and watched the entire show progress from the beginning to the end. It was simply fascinating!
Gorgeous models lined up backstage.
Christian Louboutin, every girl's dream shoes were on the floor. Those red hearts and red soles are to die for.
Posing with the most stunning fashion designer that I've ever met: Stella Nolasco. She is super friendly, sweet, and kind.
Her designs are as beautiful and stunning as she is.
My pretty front-row seatmates, whom I met at the show: Daisy and Valeria.
I still can't believe that this dream came true. Most importantly, it made me realize that nothing is impossible as long as we keep chasing our dream and working hard to achieve it.
I wanted to spend 2 days to explore New York and to do what a tourist normally does, but like last year, I didn't have much time to do so. At least, I had 30 minutes to visit Central Park
and perhaps, fifteen minutes spending at this iconic place, Empire State Building.
I guess that was good enough this time. Leaving many other places undiscovered will be a good reason for me to come back to New York again.
See you soon next year, Big Apple!
In case you want to see everything in action, my team and I actually filmed the entire fashion week when we were there. Please watch and let me know what you think!
I know it's pretty late to post about New York Fashion Week, but so many amazing things happened unexpectedly, it's hard to keep these memories as secrets and not share. It was my second time in New York for fashion week. I thought my first fashion week was already the best, but the second time was ten times better. Really!
We arrived at our hotel, in the middle of Times Square, on Friday afternoon. After quickly settling down, I brought Evelyn, my photographer out for dinner and let her have a first glimpse of the most famous city in the world. It was her first time in New York, and I'm sure it was an overwhelming experience for her.
Courtyard by Marriott New York Manhattan hotel, where we called home for 9 days.
How many shoes did I bring to fashion week?. The answer is here. Compared to last year, I brought more heels than flat sandals as I thought I could just walk to the event venue. My hotel was only 5-minute walk from where all the shows took place this year. I ended up having to buy extra pair of sneakers as my feet hurt so bad. On the last day in New York, I couldn't resist temptation when I found a perfect pair of over-the-knee boots. As a result, I left Singapore with nine pairs of shoes and returned with eleven pairs of "treasures."
My day in New York always started at 8 am. After a delicious breakfast, I quickly got ready to head out.
Day 3 in New York Fashion Week but it was day 1 for me. I decided to wear a printed outfit from a Korean designer, Tibaeg, for the first day. En route to Skylight Moynihan Station, a new playground of New York Fashion Week this year.
First show of the week, Francesca Liberatore.
I quickly rushed to attend Couture Fashion Week right after the first fashion show ended.
and then grabbed a cab back to Skylight Moynihan Station again, just in time to attend Son JungWan's fashion show.
followed by a Rooftop party with Rewardstyle, where I got to reunite with my babe, Mijiu from Bag Girl Problems and Baxter Box, co-founder of RewardStyle.com.
I left before the party ended as I had only forty minutes to go back to our hotel for an outfit change and head to Lie SangBong's after party.
Made it just in time to meet the renowned Korean fashion designer, Mr. Lie SangBong. I first watched Mr. Lie SangBong's fashion show last year and his "Dream Road" collection completely blew my mind. I have never thought that I could have a chance to meet him in person. But on the second night in New York, this was what happened.
Sipping on a glass of champagne while having great conversations with my one of favorite fashion designers, at his bright and beautiful boutique, this seemed too good to be true.
As much as I reminded myself that this was real, a party at Lie SangBong's boutique with live music, whimsical floor tiles, and gorgeous dresses made me feel like I was living in a dream.
My first two days in New York were already so busy and fulfilling like that. Wait until you see the next few days.
One of the many reasons that makes New York Fashion Week fun and fulfilling is not only because of the beautiful collections on the runway but also the opportunity for me to discover many new fashion brands. Few Moda is one of them.
Being a new kid on the block, compared to some giant E-commerce players like Shopbop, Nordstrom, or Stylebop, Few Moda is already taking the fashion world by storm. With a huge range of clothes and accessories, great customer service, and free worldwide delivery, they are going to make it big. I'm so excited to see what they can achieve.
I met their team, a group of passionate and talented people, when I was in New York for fashion week. You'll never have to worry when you do businesses with people who work with all their hearts. Not to mention the amazing products that they have to offer. Beautiful pieces come with good quality yet affordable prices. Even fashion designer Zac Posen complimented this outfit that I was wearing to interview him. He said, "This is one of the best outfits I've seen the whole week" and asked me where it's from. I thanked him and happily answered: "It's from Few Moda- a fashion brand based in New York."
[name=Crystal Phuong]
[img=https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2rX6quipNhI/XFfam4j35qI/AAAAAAAADZ0/AFDn5ZbYgqYT6sRbDXwMStFHz5PPDHFMgCK4BGAYYCw/w345-h245-c/Crystal-Phuong]
[description=Singapore Travel & Lifestyle Blogger, hoping to connect and inspire young women to lead a healthy and happy life]
(facebook=https://facebook.com/crystalphuong)
(twitter=https://twitter.com/ncrystalicious)
(instagram=https://instagram.com/crystalphuong)
