Fashion Week in February is no joke. Shit is mad cold! 5 degree weather Saturday got my fingers barely living on my hands and my piggy toes hardly maintaining a healthy color. The only reason I didn’t lose them was because my shoes were doing a phenomenal job keeping them together. Kudos to that. Arctic weather strong.

Thank God what also was strong were the collections I had witnessed strutting down the runway. If it weren’t for these beautiful models and their clothes, I definitely would have found myself running away from the wind in an Uber instead.

Thanks to Couture Fashion Week and their 23rd season, I saw lines of designers from all over the world: The U.S., Romania, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

Designers like Sushma Patel, Catalin Botezatu, and Anniesa Hasibuan gave the room a breath of fresh air with their eclectic designs.  Most notable were Romanian designer Catalin Botezatu and Indoenisian designer Annesia Hasibuan. My first moment of awe was with Catalin Botezatu. His line was fierce and edgy with their wild headpieces and mythical attire. The tall models seemed like birds of paradise walking down the runway into some magical forest.

Then came Annesia Hasibuan. And boy, was I blown away. Annesia flowed the runway with intricately laced and beaded gowns – every model became a princess with each stride they took. The last two models bellowed in Indonesian pride, making their grand entrance with graceful arm movements, swaying the Indonesian flag.

It was astounding to experience the art of countries from all over the world ebb and flow into American soil. I was immersed in a crowd of designers, photographers, and bloggers who were just as diverse as the designs that filled the runway. It was beautiful to see how much of a melting pot America has become all in one room, and I was grateful to be a part of that.

The ardor of fashion from around the world has brought everybody under one roof to share one intimate experience. So many “ooo’s” and “ah’s”, gasps of excitement, and claps of appreciation, tied together a strong sense of unity within the room. Every person was there to celebrate the timelessness and diversity of fashion. Even though every person spoke a different tongue, we somehow spoke the same language. That weekend, I saw two different shows: one on the stage, and one from where I was sitting. Each side had the same story to tell – and it was through fashion that we all had something in common. Seeing the realms of diversity made Couture Fashion Week such an invaluable experience I will never be able to forget. Life lessons: +1 :-).

Xoxo,
Kasey

Designers during Couture Fashion Week were: Sushma Patel, Fatou Ndene Ndiaye, Catalin Botezatu, Silvia Ulson, Elcy Cortorreal, Angela Rompis, Coreta Kapojos, Anniesa Hasibuan, Andres Aquino, Lainy Gold Couture, Lourdes Atencio, Alexandra Popescu-York, Marisol Henríquez, Addy van den Krommenacker.

Will be updating you on how the rest of my week went with other shows soon!