I suppose this is an accurate representation of Fashion Week, anyways.

An unfortunate side effect of Fashion's Night Out's marketing tactics is that it did, in fact, put people in the mood to shop. And when I say people, I mean my mother. And when I say in the mood to shop, I mean that it inspired my mom to go through the entirety of Neiman Marcus, pull each and every item off the racks and ask me, What do you think of this? Too young? Too tight? Too boxy? Too much fur? Too old?
The whole commotion got so carried away that we completely forgot to pay attention to the time and I ended up being ridiculously late to the fashion show. So late that I didn't get to my seat and missed the first half. Unfortunately, this means that each and every one of my pictures is either blurry, grainy, or severely underexposed. Which, frankly, is a crying shame because there was quite a lot of splendorous things I would've liked to share with you.
So, let's say I pulled a Rachel Zoe at Marc Jacobs -- without the dire consequences and catch phrases -- and call it a day, shall we?
I'll offer up a few of my horrific quality photos for you anyways:

Fashion's Night Out: King of Prussia Edition

I'm here for you people. 100%. So, I feel it's my duty to let you know -- just in case you weren't aware -- that we've been in a bit of a recession the past couple years.

The economical mess was a bad time for pretty much everyone, but Anna Wintour, fashion savior that she is, didn't want the industry to suffer just because no one had the spare cash to dish out for full priced fur coats and leather boots and tailored suits. So along with her team of Voguettes, she invented Fashion's Night Out as her very own stimulus package. Marketed as a way to remind people that shopping is fun (though, I'm not particularly convinced that anyone forgot this fact so much as de-prioritized it...) the evening revolves around a slew of events in every retail establishment the glossy could convince to get involved. And because it's Vogue, that list of establishments includes, you know, everyone.

The event caught on so well that it took place in every corner of the globe, including -- low and behold! -- the King of Prussia Mall! I couldn't be prouder that my neck of the woods jumped onto the Vogue-endorsed bandwagon, so obviously I'm going to insist that you all head over to the mall on Friday and take a look at what they have to offer.

There are all kinds of sweet goodies to score (free wine, anyone?), store sales and fun events all weekend long. For a full list of details (and trust me, there's a lot), check out the KOP FNO website. Personally, I'm heading over on Friday at 6 to get 10% off at American Apparel -- I desperately want one of their turtleneck dresses for fall-- grab some hors d'eouvres, and settle in to watch the runway show at 7.

In case I didn't manage to convince you to go on Friday, I'll let Anna Wintour speak for herself. That always does the trick. Watch this.

So, how do you make it in the fashion industry?

Ever been curious about how, exactly, you become a runway show producer or stylist? Start taking notes -- you're in luck. In honor of King of Prussia Fashion's Night Out, the evening's runway show producer, Kathie Young, was generous enough to take the time to answer a couple of questions for me.

Kathie has worked for Vogue, W, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks, among about a million others. So if anyone knows how to break into the fashion world, she does.
She teamed up with the Reinhard Modeling Agency, stylist Artur Kirsh, and (of course) the marketing team over at KOP to put together the runway show. If you're in town, the show starts at 7 p.m. in the Bloomingdale's court. See ya there!


And now, onto career talk with Kathie:

How did you first get into fashion on a professional scale?

As a child fighting with my mother about what I would wear to kindergarten, there was never a question in my mind that I would either be a designer or a model. I always knew I would go into fashion in some format. I started sewing in third grade and started "designing" my own outfits in the fifth grade.
Somewhere in the middle of a theatre major in college I realized I'd rather pursue modeling than design. Not tall enough for fashion, I ended up having a successful career as a "parts" model and part time fashion show commentator and coordinator. At that time, shows were seasonal -- two months in spring and fall. All shows were commentated, and you pulled your own show. Being a theatre major, I was a good public speaker, and knew fashion lingo.
One thing lead to another: many contacts later and with the creation of "Seventh on Sixth" Bryant Park fashion week, I segued from part time show stylist/producer to full time.

Do you have any advice for young women who want to pursue a similar career path?

Try it out first. I always warn people that the job is not what you think it is... it's 90 percent schlep and 10 percent glamour. It's a physically hard and demanding job and the time line is more that of live theatre, as opposed to a photo shoot or video. As you know, "the show must go on" whether you are ready or not.
I love my job and wouldn't do anything else, but it takes a specific type of personality. I always recommend a trial run first. Get involved, volunteer to work on many fashion shows, and put in as many hours as you can to see if it's for you. If you can handle the schlep and the hours, you are home free.

What is your favorite part of your job? Least favorite?
I love the creative outlet it offers me, creating a visual image from scratch, working with existing materials.
Least favorite is the budgeting process and the logistical elements -- booking trucks/deliveries/catering, etc.