A Sconnie Takes NYWF 2015
View on the STITCH blog: http://www.stitchfashion.com/look-sharp-sconnie-on-fashion-week/
Gabrielle Pedriani isn’t your average Cupcakes and Cashmere kind of blogger. She’s a self-proclaimed “obnoxiously honest” Midwest rooted style blogger who recently made the exodus to the promise land of the glamorous—New York City.
She describes herself as “compulsive buyer with an affinity for obscenely expensive things.”
Aren’t we all?
Gabrielle, however, was smart enough to capitalize on her inherent sense of taste and long Pocahontas locks. Her passion for fashion transformed into the always witty, never predictable style blog Look Sharp Sconnie. After sharp cheddar cheese, Gabrielle may be one of Wisconsin’s most stylishly prized possessions.
She can put together a damn good outfit while analyzing the ‘Tinder No-Nos,’ or why ‘work attire’ is counter productive. She knows how to make fun of fashion and wear it well at the same time. Gabrielle wears it so well, that last year, Polyvore asked her to be their NYFW Fall/Winter 2014 Community Correspondent, where she had the opportunity to cover scenes on and off the runway, experiencing fashion week from the front rows.
This year was different. The Wisconsin—Sconnie—native now lives in lower Manhattan, so the action NYFW was just at her front door, right?
Wrong.
To put it simply, her perspective on the iconic week is a little less star-studded, and a little more jaded this year. “My perspective on NYFW has altered fully since I moved to New York,” revealed Gabrielle. Her last year’s trip to NYC was centered around the celebrity-juiced spectacle, but Gabrielle now works a full time job in public relations, so she didn’t have the luxury to see as many shows as she hoped. “[Living in the city] truly made me aware of just how insignificant the week is to a huge portion of NYC. Quite a wakeup call.” She saw this fashion frenzy in a new light, “like the adopted child of New York. Strangely enough, the portion of NYC that celebrates NYFW is quite removed from the rest of the city,” she thought. The biggest echoes of fashion week she heard outside of Lincoln Center and the Chelsea were noted in her exponentially increasing Uber fees.
Gabrielle couldn’t have said it better: “The surroundings of NYFW have changed in my eyes, too. I still love fashion shows—I love the experience of the music and the clothing and the energy and the people all at once. I could watch clothes come down a runway for hours on end and not get sick of it, but it's become absolutely infuriating to see the amount of ego stroking and incestuous publicity mongering that goes into play behind the scenes. ‘Street Style’ has completely gone to pieces, ‘fame’ is a false concept, and ‘front row’ is a joke that nobody can decide whether to laugh with or laugh at.” You go girl, you tell ‘em!
That being said, the shows and experiences that this Sconnie had a chance to see this year still mesmerized her. Suno, Lacoste, Mara Hoffman, Vivianne Tam and Custo Barcelona were all on Gabrielle’s agenda during NYFW. The experience at Mara Hoffman, however, left Gabrielle in the most awe. “I felt my two worlds—nerd + fashion—collide.” The aesthetic inspiration behind the collection came from ‘Lady Luke Skywalker.’ The opening looks strutted down the runway ‘a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away’ to the theme of none other than Star Wars.
Gabrielle nonchalantly mentioned, “I went backstage at Mara Hoffman—which was awesome—getting to see Mara and the models amongst the clothes before they walked down the runway.” Backstage, no big deal. Moral of the story: make friends in high places.
The notable trend that Gabrielle saw last week from the handful of shows she visited couldn’t have been summed up more perfectly than as ‘Homeless Person’ chic; floor-length coats, camel, menswear, turtlenecks, over-sized chunky knits, and of course, unstyled hair. Gotta love it!
Her most exciting celeb sightings weren’t that of Kim K or Cara Delevingne—but esteemed New York Times Photographer Bill Cunningham. She [almost] hugged the man! Almost. This just shows you not only what kind of blogger Gabrielle is, but also what kind of completely individual person she is. She could have cared less that North West sat front row at Alexander Wang. This Midwestern is turned off by trends, but lit up by style. She accepts her over-analytical nature, and packs a punch with a side of unapologetic confidence. “I'm an obnoxiously honest blogger who's a little fed up with the hype surrounding "fashion" and thinks that everyone could benefit from a nice deep breath and perhaps one third of the ego on which they're currently operating.” So take a piece of advice or two from the girl. Sit back a moment, relax, and stay sharp my friends.
