NYFW Recap
I am a firm believer in the ability to manifest what you desire in life. If we are all forms of energy and like attracts like, then living a life that prioritizes chasing your curiosities will generate more experiences that will fill your heart’s desires. This is how I found myself at New York Fashion Week, sitting at the Veronica Beard Spring Summer 2023 fashion show.
The "Frow"
Affectionately known as the front row, the frow used to be filled solely with fashion industry insiders. In actuality, the shows were designed to present collections to buyers who would place orders according to what they thought would sell. In the 90s, the frow became a who's who A-listers map of the celebrity world. This was in direct correlation to the age of the supermodel, and the shows became another form of entertainment. You could diagram the connections of who was modeling and linking them to their current paramour. For example, Richard Gere and Kyle McLaughlin were seated in prime real estate because they were dating Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista. When you're a supermodel, you have negotiating power! Times may evolve, but one thing is certain: your importance within the industry is directly linked to your seat at the shows.
And here I am…
Extra! Extra! There's a new guard filling those coveted frow seats, and they are the hottest influencers that either survived the pandemic or came into existence during the shutdown. I recognized some of my favorites at the show who are relevant to my age and POV. This invite was an unexpected surprise for me, and I didn't have any time to do my homework in preparation for this experience. I was mainly thrilled to get back to the city after a long hiatus and find my relevance to Veronica Beard was recognized.
In hindsight, I should have had Lane give me a debriefing on the front end of the latest and greatest influencers on social media that captured the 20-something market. Thankfully she texted me before the show, knowing that "Tinx" would be arriving and to "take a pic." Without that text, I would not have shared this request with the other stylist sitting next to me. Thanks to @Pamshops4you, I set eyes on @Tinx and her new hair color! Pam is a pro at the shows and quickly excused herself to snap a photo and tag it (I have a lot to learn about shamelessly grabbing snaps of the influencers! Next show, I'll slam a Tinky Tequila from the bar and get with the program). Tinx shared the photo immediately on her feed because that's how generous of spirit Tinx is! If you are hungry for a fun and fresh best girlfriend take on pop culture along with some much-needed recommendations and expert advice, check out the "It's Me, Tinx" podcast and follow along on Instagram and TikTok @TINX. Her tagline is "amalgamation of all 5 spice girls". Keep reading, and I'll provide all the links to the influencers and front-row access photos!
Photo Credit: Pam Burns
Now for all readers born in or around 1966 and love following all the Old Guard front-row fashion titans. While I was chatting with my new friend Pam, I caught a very stylish woman that sat in the first row directly in front of me. I was trying not to be rude in my conversation with Pam but knew this was someone I recognized from years of following fashion. Was it the iconic bob? Or the bright red lip? The fog finally cleared in my brain, and I was able to identify Linda Fargo, the senior Vice President of the fashion office and director of women's fashion and store presentation for Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. If you love fashion documentaries, Linda Fargo is a major player in Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's. This was pretty exciting; I'm not going to lie.
Hard work pays off, and the powers that be at Veronica Beard acknowledged how much business I bring to the DMV audience with this ticket to the show. This begs the question, why is Veronica Beard so important to women's wardrobes?
I work with a lot of collections, and each one has an important element that is essential to each individual woman. I'm the matchmaker that pairs the woman to the collection based on her requirements. It's my job to determine how to build out a wardrobe that provides the appropriate application and POV for each client. Ease, comfort, and fit are three requirements that most of my clients prioritize. Veronica Beard covers the working woman efficiently. The collection is easy to pair with items that women already own as well as other contemporary RTW collections. I thrive on giving women a unique interpretation of designer collections that mixes a variety of elements, all in the name of creating interest. This takes time and patience, where the relevance of previous seasons' purchases are continually vetted against the direction fashion is heading along with each client's dynamic lifestyle.
Styling is a job where you cannot be change-averse. Change is happening in the industry and in your clients' lives all the time. It really is about capturing lightning in a bottle but knowing how to recreate it under new circumstances. With this in mind, I've found that when time is of the essence, Veronica Beard covers a lot and sets the right tone for our audience surrounding the nation's capital. The best wardrobes mix pieces from many designers and even cover archival pieces that can really enrich a woman's personal style. A singular designer is never the end game, but every styling relationship has to start somewhere. Veronica Beard offers excellent ROI, CPW, and a modern POV for many women with a variety of lifestyles.
The Runway Recap
"Spring 2023 is inspired by the power play of sets and suits, the polished ease and versatility of monochromatic dressing, and the confidence of color…"
- Veronica & Veronica
The Key Takeaways
Matching sets are maximum impact with minimal effort!
Vibrant color is a rush! A joyful palette = a joyful POV.
Plaids are a constant at Veronica Beard - spring offers a sequin/plaid mashup!
Wide-leg pants are prominent - paired with "cropped," "bustier," and "harness" silhouettes.
Spring style through the eyes of Veronica Beard looks vibrant and alluringly polished. Short suits in popsicle hues that feel a bit reminiscent of the 90s and the reign of the supermodels - knew them all and could ID each one the way Lane can rattle off the Über Influencers!
This sequin plaid was stunning! The dress was easy as a "throw and go," but the skirt with the cropped bomber jacket took the show, in my opinion. The play of the mint with the toffee neutral was so unexpected and really grabbed the runway as well as the audience.
I had to grin when the ivory vest made it down the runway with the neutral pant. It seemed like the Veronicas had been peaking in my closet!
This black sundress was another item I would want to own. Yes, black dresses have become a bit redundant in many wardrobes, but when they work, they really work. My thoughts are to try and practice the "one in - one out" because there really aren't enough days in the season to get all your black dresses into rotation. Put that fashion goodwill back into the universe, and I promise it will give back!
For those who love a great iconic gingham - here's a powerful look. The reason I like it is for the obvious reason - it can drive your wardrobe for the season and be pulled apart to create more outfits using the pattern as your prompt. The size of the check does require having some height, or the scale may overwhelm you. In this case, I would choose the jacket and wear it over solid dresses and pants.
This look has also been a favorite among those on the inside. I really love this style knit because it gives you more shoulder and is very slimming. This is a knit that can be worn with denim, ivory, and white pants and then, as seen here, with the yellow. Also, imagine a chambray jacket over this for the office.
Here are your 90s short suits! They are offered in lemon-yellow check, lilac, watermelon, and mint green!
Two Steps away from a Veronica Photo Bomb
Fashion Week is filled with incredible energy you want to capture at every turn. It all happens so fast, and you struggle to be present as well as find a way to remember that you were indeed there. Unfortunately, I wasn't traveling with my photographer. Sike! Who are we kidding? I don't have a photographer! But I took a selfie, much to my Lane's chagrin. Selfies are out.
Lane was in New York with me. So why couldn't she stand in as my photographer, some may ask? Although I couldn't get her a ticket to the show, she would have traveled downtown with me as my photographer, except for a Zoom interview that could land her in the Big Apple before the end of the year. Exciting times for a twenty-something, but she was pretty envious of her mom, who was standing behind some of her favorite influencers waiting for the elevator (even though I didn't know who they were, I loved their outfits!) I see you now @ellaarose & @jelena.nyc!
After my tragic little selfie moment, I pulled my phone down to check that I captured something worthy of remembering, and I caught a group of bright energy that breezed by me. The area was blocked off, and a convoy of town cars and photographers were taking residence, probably looking for Tinx! But on second glance, I recognized that fantastic tangerine suit from the show and put together that Veronica Miele Beard was a split second from photo bombing my selfie. At that moment, I made two mental notes to attending NYFW. Keep your eyes up and bring a photographer! See you in February, Veronica!
Link Candy
Front Row Access - see the Influencers!
Here are the influencers dressed by the Veronicas and their Insta handles:
Natalia Dyer (of Stranger Things)