Shecky’s

Megan here! The morning of the Jenny Packham show as I slip into my all-black ensemble, I realize that I’ve never pictured myself attending Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Not from a lack of interest—what’s not to love about beautiful clothes swishing down a runway?—but because the flashing lights and tall creatures of the couture world seemed alien in my Midwestern mind.

And yet on a bright and sunny September morning, this pure-bred Minnesotan found herself sashaying down the streets of NYC and up the elite backstage ramp. Blending into a cloud of noir-clad PR personnel with press pass proudly on display, I survey the quartered-off room filled with long legs and buzzing Solano hairdryers.

It’s immediately easy to differentiate who’s who. The PR and press girls clutch notepads and clipboards to their sides while the makeup and hairstylists flit around towering, gorgeous models. Men with cameras stalk the scene, taking pictures of the finished looks as a few TV reporters and cameramen peek into the room.

I’m warmly welcomed by a slew of pretty PR women who smile as they take my name and whisk me away to meet with everyone who’s anyone. “The look is really easy, very Jerry Hall,” one PR girl says of the inspiration behind the Laura Mercier pouty red lips and long lashes. I’m shocked to hear that a total of five coats of Laura Mercier’s Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara ($24) adorn each beautiful face!

Next, L’Oréal Professionnel Lead Hairstylist Leonardo Manetti greets me warmly as he deftly completes one model’s coif. “It’s all about showing off the forehead,” he explains of the straight blow out with off-center part. “We add a bend to the ends for polish and finish with L’Oréal Professionnel’s Perfect Shimmer Spray.”

And to top off the romantic vibe, Essie adds a pop of nail color in California Coral (find similar 2011 shades here). “We did two coats of color sealed with a Good To Go ($8) topcoat,” nail expert Gina Edwards explains of the flirty, date-night-friendly peachy-pink hue. It lends the perfect finishing touch to complement the overall girlie-glam look of the collection.

An hour later and stripped of my press pass, I watch as the Dunkin Donuts cashier eyes my black blazer and booties. “Are you one of those fashion girls?” he asks me. I smile as I take my coffee and strut back into the blaze of New York traffic feeling more ready than ever for next season’s MBFW. But not before leaving my change in the tip jar—I’ll always be a Minnesotan at heart.

-Megan Willett

Photo Credit: WWD.com

Girl Talk Time: What do you think of the beauty looks at the Jenny Packham show? Which is your fave? What fashion runway do you dream of sitting in the front row for? Who was your favorite designer this season?