Imadge was so excited when she opened her email. Registration for New York Fashion Week, officially called Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is now open. She said that it is time for her to make sure that she is on the list of the make-up artists so that she can have a few gigs during fashion week.

Times Square

Even Napster was excited. He was making phone calls the whole morning, trying to find a magazine, a designer or a PR agency who needs the services of a runway photographer.

I felt out of place. I did not know what I could do to be part of the action. I actually envied my two roommates who were both looking forward to Sep 5 – 12, the dates of fashion week. I was wondering how I could tag along when Imadge called my attention to the fact that my parents are friends with editors and publishers of several publications.

“Well, yeah, but most of them are actually technology publications,” I said.

“I see ZDNet’s Crave blog write a lot about fashion stuff. Crave might not be a good choice to approach for a fashion week assignment, but what I’m saying is that technology and fashion are not mutually exclusive you know. There might be some technology magazines out there that actually have a fashion section, especially the online ones.

“Yes, I know several in San Francisco, but I am not sure whether my parents know them.”

“It won’t hurt to try talking to your parents.”

As it turned out, my parents knew several editors, both in Silicon Valley and in Dallas’ Telecom Corridor who run publications with a fashion section. Before I went to bed, I received a call from my mother saying that I had been accepted as an intern writer for an online magazine in Dallas’ Telecom Corridor.

“Fashion and mobile phones are the best of friends. A lot of mobile phone companies sponsor designers, that’s why telecom magazines, both print and online have to cover them,” my mother told me. “Maybe, it’s not really a bad idea that you are in New York and delving into fashion. You can be an industrial spy,” she added jokingly.

Little did I know that she was nearer the truth than we both expected that time. To my mother, I was just going through a rebellious phase; for me, I just wanted to be treated like an adult.

[MILAN WESTIN]