There is nothing like the thrill of the big city…tall buildings, people rushing about, the noises of cars and trains, bright lights that seem to light up the entire sky, the fashion…To say that I was on sensory overload the entire time I was in New York would be an understatement! The first couple of days were mostly spent in Times Square either in Times Center or in the Conde Nast building, but the few hours spent catching the subway and walking about in Times Square left me with feelings of exhaustion, excitement, and a determination to soak up as much information and sensations as my hippocampus could store.
One thing that particularly stuck out to me was the fashion in NYC. The overall tone was edgy meets sophistication, a leather jacket paired with a floral dress, black denim with a black leather jacket and a colorful scarf or jewelry to add some interest. I was hooked. So naturally, when I found this plaid shirt from Paige Denim in my swag bag at the end of the conference, I knew I had to add a little edge and a touch of glam to my traditional preppy uniform. Hey, it was 10pm and we were just getting ready to go out!
Ok, so the real reason Jordan and I were heading out for the evening was to head down to Broadway to try and catch Zachary Quinto from The Glass Menagerie after the show. We got there just after the show ended, and we waited outside. Zachary never came out, but we did meet Brad Goreski and Gary Janetti. And just when we thought we had missed out, the unthinkable happened: Anna Wintour walks out of the back of theater, SMILING, and talking with people.
I squeaked to Jordan, “Oh my GOSH, that’s ANNA WINTOUR”, as I snap a discreet photo (or three), “and she’s SMILING and allowing people to take a picture with her!!!”. I just about died. Seriously, disregard what people say about this woman being cold and distant (yes I know The Devil Wears Prada is based off her), but this woman has taken a magazine and made it into what it is today, world-renowned and respected. I have a lot of respect for her and her work, and to be so close to her was basically like meeting a celebrity, in the fashion world at least
I turned to Jordan, “Do you think I should go up to her and say hi?? She’s allowing people to come up to her and take pictures!” And then she started walking away, and felt like I was losing a moment.
So, I did what any sensible New Yorker would do, when they see a celebrity walking past them….I hustled after her. No joke, I ran (discreetly) after her, after she had already crossed the street. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking, all I knew was that I wanted to meet Anna Wintour.
You all are probably shaking your heads right now, and maybe even a few face palms. I know, I know, I caught the case of the crazies by even thinking I could even say a word to this woman.
Shirt: Paige Denim, c/o via Lucky Fabb (look for less)// Tank Top: Express (similar, similar) | Pants: Gap (similar) // Vest: J.Crew Factory (check in store) // Clutch: Tory Burch (similar) | Shoes: Unisa (love these, look for less) // Lip color: Dubonnet by MAC
I finally caught up to her as she was waiting at a crosswalk, along with other pedestrians, and I tried to catch my breath, “What the heck was I going to say to her??” You’dve think I would have thought of that while I was running to catch her. When she started to walk away again, I breathlessly asked, “Excuse me, are you Anna Wintour?” She turned around and said “Yes?”. “Oh good”, I thought, “she’s not frowning at me, just a smile of amusement”. Keep in mind, I had just run an entire city block in heels, 600 mph wind blasting my hair. Oh, and add to the fact that Anna Wintour had just acknowledged my presence. I’m sure I looked like a deranged fangirl, and not the calm, collected stylish fashion blogger I was hoping she’d see. So then I said something about how I was such a huge fan of Vogue and that her work was amazing and somewhere in there I thanked her for her amazing work. Yup, completely made a fool of myself in front of Anna Wintour.
Way’da-go, Whitley, there goes your minuscule hope of ever working for Vogue magazine.
She smiled and said thank you, and then she was whisked away by whoever was escorting her that evening.
Was I even the slightest bit embarrassed? Maybe I am now, more than I was at the time. Seriously, I don’t know what got into me, but I was SUPER excited that I had said hi to Anna Wintour, and even more excited that she said hi back, without making me feel stupid. She probably thought what the heck is this crazed girl doing, talking to me, but she didn’t let on, or at least, not that much. Her look was more of surprise than of amusement, so maybe that was a good thing. 😀
Moral of the story is, if I had actually had the opportunity of staying longer than a few days in New York, I probably would have just let her pass and had been content with a sneaked photo. Maybe it was the fact that I had met so many awesome bloggers at the Lucky Fabb conference, that I thought I needed to top it off with the Grand Poobah of fashion (I mean that respectfully), or maybe the bright lights of Times Square were hypnotizing me. I have no idea what it was, all I know is that it made for a hilarious (and probably the most embarrassing) story of my life.
Or, I think I’ll just blame it on the outfit.
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