From Helmut Lang in New York to Miu Miu at the end of Paris, Dazed favourite Marte Mei van Haaster walked every major show this season, from the contrasting aesthetics of Prada to Givenchy via Balenciaga and 30 others. She also spent the whole of fashion month with her camera, exclusively for us documenting life beyond the catwalk. A photodiary in two parts, we begin stateside, with van Haaster filling us in on two of her favourite Big Apple moments…
"Something I loved about NY fashion week, were the group walks from one show to the other. In some cases you were stuck all the way west after a show, 15 minutes away from the first metro, and no cab to be seen. A lot of times walking straight to your next show was the best option, and with the great late summer weather we had, it was no problem at all. Especially when you had some extra time have a break on the way there to chill out in the sun. And it was a nice way to catch up with some model friends you haven't spoken with in a while.
Something else that happened in New York was that I bumped into one of my all-time favourite artists. I was reading a book backstage at Rodarte, all ready with hair and make-up, sitting there in my bathrobe, waiting for the show to start, when all of the sudden I saw a familiar face. I had to look twice to be sure, but it was Maurizio Cattelan! Backstage at a fashion show! It seemed so weird to me and it also felt like my two worlds were colliding at once; my working life as model my private life as art-student. I walked up to him and had a little chat. He actually looked just as surprised as me, probably because he doesn't have models in robes walking up to him telling him he's great every day either…"
In this second part of her photodiary, van Haaster fills us in on her favourite things about Milan and Paris…
"The great thing about Milan, are always the drivers. You sort of forget how great they are until you relive it. I'm not sure if it’s the Italian weather and the great architecture, or just that they’re awesome. Unlike normal big European city drivers, they are not so 'professional'. The 20 year old students try to make your stay in Milan as comfy as possible; playing your favourite music, dropping you off in the park for lunch and showing you the big sights.
The most AWESOME thing ever about this whole fashion week, was my friend Anne-Rixt. She came from Amsterdam to stay with me throughout Paris and lived every single moment with me. It was great to show someone close to me what I actually go through every fashion week, and with her there, I didn’t ever end up feeling miserable, we had two weeks of fun, basically. It was so good to have someone "normal" by my side that could bring me down to earth if needed.
And those long, rainy, PFW fitting nights, where you go from one house to the other doing five fittings after dark. I would normally would have played myself some sad violin music. But this time, we just got excited all over again seeing the Eiffel tower lit at night and talked about Amsterdam over the joy of a cup of tea until it was my time to be fitted. I'll never do fashion week alone again."
Photography Marte Mei van Haaster