Krupnick, BC ’11, works Fashion Week in style

Not everyone is able to land an internship at a top fashion magazine, attend fashion shows at the famous Bryant Park tents, or spot the infamous Mary-Kate Olsen roaming around New York City. However, Ellie Krupnick, BC ’11, did all of these things by the end of her first day as a fashion features intern at the magazine Harper’s Bazaar.

The fashion features department at Harper’s Bazaar may be small, but that’s good news for Krupnick. She acts as a “right-hand woman” to Anne Monoky, the fashion features editor at the magazine. Such a job might seem reminiscent of Anne Hathaway’s character and her frantic coffee runs in the movie The Devil Wears Prada, but a fashion internship entails perks that more than compensate for the less-than-glamorous errands.

Previously, as an intern at Seventeen magazine, Krupnick was offered a ticket to a Benjamin Cho spring show. Although Benjamin Cho is not as big of a name as Christian Dior or Bottega Venetta, Krupnick was able to spot her own set of celebrities. “When the lights came up and we were watching everyone go out, I went down the line of who was sitting in the front row and … there was an Olsen twin,” Krupnick said. “It was Mary-Kate, and I couldn’t even focus on any of the clothes at all, because I was just staring at Mary-Kate!”

With the current Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week madness, it’s no surprise that fashion blogs and Twitter pages alike are exploding with hourly updates. But what happens behind the scenes both in preparation for and during this highly anticipated fashion frenzy? Krupnick unwraps fashion invites, RSVPs for shows, and books hotels for editors flying in from out of town. In terms of preparation, she said, “It’s really fashion month ... the actual week of Fashion Week, at least in New York, is very quiet and silent because no one’s there.”

Krupnick may not get to attend high-profile shows, but she still gets to dress up for Fashion Week. “I definitely think everyone has those items in their closet, their more fashionable pieces, like their extra little blazer, the little booties that you know will be right every time, so it’s definitely just putting together a combination of those things that are foolproof,” Krupnick said.

For anyone attending Fashion Week, Krupnick gave the wise advice that “it’s very much about walking in flats and bringing your heels.”

Last Friday, Krupnick had the chance to sit in the front row for the Christian Siriano show in Bryant Park. She sat next to and met Andy Cohen, Bravo television network’s senior vice president of production and programming.

Other than sitting alongside the biggest names in entertainment, Krupnick said that what’s ultimately most striking about the events at Bryant Park is “the ease with which you can walk into a tent, which kind of makes you want to sneak into everything.” Potential targets for snooping are Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler. A last word to fashionistas dying to attend shows: “Just dress up, walk with purpose, and they’ll let you into the tent!”

Anna Cooperberg contributed reporting to this article.