NYC, LONDON, MILAN, PARIS. Fashion week travels from one city to the next.

Fashion week, fashion week, IT IS FINALLY HERE.

Milan fashion week is the biggest and best fashion week of them all. I have been looking forward to Milan fashion week since I arrived. Going to school in the Midwest, I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to attend fashion shows during fashion week. Well this past weekend, all my dreams came true and my expectations and more were met.

The whole atmosphere of Milan changes when fashion week comes around. The Duomo is quiet. There are people everywhere, calling taxis and requesting Ubers instead of using public transportation. This year, the weather was 100% rain all weekend, with cold winds. I was expecting famous buyers and editors to sacrifice their outfits, and put less out on the runways, but boy was I wrong. The high-end clothing could not have been glamorous or chic.

I am very thankful that my professors, at NABA are also professionals in the industry. They arranged many opportunities for students to help backstage as well as attend fashion shows. I attended the Roccobarocco and UJOH show and helped backstage at the Leitmotiv and Missoni show.

Working backstage at Missoni was by far the coolest thing I’ve done in Milan thus far for me As soon as my classmates and I arrived, we were put to work. We made all of the pamphlets that were at everyone’s seats. It was a Missoni newspaper, with a ribbon tied to it as well as two Missoni buttons. Then, we got assigned our models. It was difficult for me to dress my model, as I am just 5 feet tall and she was at least 6 feet tall. We familiarized ourselves with the collection and helped the models get in position. The next thing I knew, it was show time! The show went off without a hitch. Working backstage was chaotic and crazy, but I would do it again, for any designer, given the chance, in a heartbeat.

Of course, you can live stream any fashion show or see pictures online, five minutes after the show starts, but there is nothing like being there in person. The real fun is waiting outside before and after the shows to see famous buyers and celebrities. I waited outside of many shows, but the most exciting were Versace and Dolce and Gabbana. I loved seeing the press and paparazzi run after editors in the pouring, freezing rain.

I will never forget the excitement of this week. Milan fashion week allowed me to experience something I never thought I would. I loved every minute of it!

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Molly is a current student at University of Missouri studying at Nuova Academia di Belle Arti in Milan, Italy during the Spring 2016 term.