To say a little behind-the-scenes chaos yields an effortless Fashion Week show would be an understatement. Behind a presentation no longer than 15 or 20 minutes are months of ideation, countless last-minute fixes, and teams of dozens. While a game of who’s-who unfolds as celebs and industry A-listers take their front row seating, just a curtain away is a scene far busier and less glamorous than the sheen of the catwalk.
College student and NYFW-first-timer Sydney Staton found this out first hand earlier this month, as she assisted Tibi’s Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear show. The experience, she says, taught her “just how much work goes into it all.” Staton explains, “The show has perfect music, the models look perfect, the outfits are perfect, but in reality, this has been weeks in the making."
Staton interned at Tibi over the summer as a Marketing and Special Projects Intern, working directly under the Senior Manager of Content Monetization. Though she returned to Georgia for her senior year of college in August, she flew back to New York for Fashion Week, assuming the role of direct assistant – essentially her boss’s right-hand woman.
Ahead, Staton took Teen Vogue with her as she navigated her first fashion week as an assistant. From getting stuck in a parade to grabbing last-minute style requests, Staton shows us the unexpected, the fast-moving, and the controlled chaos of her day.
8:56 a.m.
Staton’s morning started out fairly relaxed. She had her outfit laid out the night before, which made getting ready much easier. Soaking in the calm before the storm, she prepped for her call time at 10:00 a.m.
9:51 a.m.
As Staton waited for a cab in the rain, she realized a massive parade was staged in front of her hotel and nearly every street was barricaded. “I walked 10 blocks and ended up getting a taxi, but it was drizzling and I’m in a white shirt, so I was just kind of laughing to myself the whole time,” she admits. The day was off to a surprising start.
10:22 a.m.
She made it to the venue at last, finally safe from the rain and parade chaos. As she and other back-of-house staff received their all-access badges, pre-show photoshoot prep took place. Staton caught up with people she befriended over the summer as if no time had lapsed since then. “It’s been really awesome being back here and getting to see them,” she said.
10:48 a.m.
She watched the models take their seats for hair and beauty, just as their looks were being prepped in the styling room. “It started to feel real at this moment,” she said, recalling the sound of equipment being rolled in every direction, feet shuffling across the venue, and murmurs echoing throughout.
11:22 a.m.
To Staton, show day is “high stress, but in a good way.” She and her team did a walkthrough of the runway, prepped seating assignments, and checked the content schedule. Upon returning backstage, she watched the models line up for social media content and the first test walkthrough.
12:59 p.m.
Just an hour before showtime, Staton had to run to Tibi’s Soho store to grab several items for its stylist. When we spoke around 10:30 a.m., she explained her love for being thrown into unexpected situations, and this moment certainly put that affinity to the test. “The taxi driver literally saved the day. He got me to the store so fast. I just threw the bags in the car and then he drove me back to the show and it worked out perfectly,” she said, relieved.
2:14 p.m.
Back at the venue with a newfound sense of accomplishment, Staton watched models line up backstage, as guests trickled into the venue. She had several celebrity sightings, but if anything, she realized “the people you see in all of these magazines and photoshoots are just people, and they’re equally as excited to be here too.”
2:36 p.m.
Staton stood right where the models were to be released to the runway, almost close enough to catch a glimpse of an eager audience. Anticipation hung in the air as the models shuffled into place moments before the show began.
2:44 p.m.
Eight minutes later, the show was over. Back-of-house, celebratory hugs and sighs of relief abound. By far, this was the most unforgettable part of Staton’s weekend. “Everyone jumped up and down, clapping and crying happy tears. They all said ‘this is why we do it.’ It was so surreal to be a part of,” she reminisces.
4:00 p.m.
Following the show, Staton and several Tibi bosses went to the office to wait for the collection to be dropped back off. “We were all just tired, took our shoes off, and ate snacks,” Staton explained of the post-show reality. She was at the office until around 6:00 p.m., then went to dinner with the team afterwards. “I didn’t feel like the intern or the odd one out,” she said.
9:37 p.m.
Immediately following dinner, Staton attended Tibi’s afterparty in Soho with her intern friends and coworkers. As she crossed paths with familiar faces from the show, she also kept an eye out for ways she could make the event run as smoothly as possible, cleaning up here and there. After the afterparty, Staton and the interns ventured out on their own. Though Staton had to fly back home the following afternoon, this evening was hers to celebrate and soak in the blur that’s been the past 12 hours.
“When I was younger, one of my mentors told me to pick a place I wanted to be far out in the future and then work backward to figure out how to get there. I remember I wrote that I wanted to go to New York Fashion Week,” Staton says. “Now that I’ve done it, what’s next?”
