There is a real war going on at the Tents - the mad crowd of photographers are laying their lives on the line to get that "special moment". There are 50 photographers per 20 models in a tiny space. They are allowed to stay for a very limited time only so they are clicking away non-stop, documenting EVERYTHING - every quiver of an eyelid, every crack on the wall, while the models are having their make up done and just sitting around. The fury unleashes among photographers if something MORE "special" happens - like a model opening a can of diet Coke or using her BlackBerry. So to capture something "special" in this environment, something unseen by the other 49 photographers, one would need a quantum physics measuring device. But I did have a secret personal weapon. Even though I had my NYT credentials, half the time I would sneak into the venue pretending to be the model from the show. Which would spare me from getting stuck for an hour in the photographer's check-in line, and the hostile scrutiny by the security and PRs. I discovered this trick at Jason Wu show. When I entered the backstage area the hair stylists and make up artists screamed in horror "Oh my God! - You are not done" (thinking I was the late arriving model). They grabbed and jammed me into a chair, while five pairs of hands began doing my make up, hair and manicure. As soon as I managed to fight off the beautification team, a dresser tried to pull my clothes off and make me get into "first looks"... That's when I used NYT credentials as my escape weapon... Despite this commotion, the model disguise gave me the advantage of being able to stay there much longer than the press, since they all get kicked out half an hour before the show - and that's exactly when the most interesting things happen! I used this trick ever since. It's crazy, but sometimes, like Bond Girl, I quickly adjusted my own makeup and hair to the "look du Jour", so I could blend in with the models like a Chameleon, and delay the moment of being uncovered.
