Day in the life of Husskie Editor Yelena Fairfax at MBFWA

Yelena Fairfax is the Editor and Founder of Husskie.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week – that fabulous week of constant show going, fashion gawking, celebrity stalking, champagne-sipping, and after-party festivities. Right? Well, maybe for some… but unfortunately not for me. While there’s no denying it’s the funnest work week of the year – it’s also the most exhausting as days tend to go from around 6am to 1am, with far more time spent in front of the computer screen than what Instagram will have you believe.

This is my 13th year covering MBFWA – and while my career is constantly evolving (I was previously Editor at BEAUTYDIRECTORY and Fashion Editor at OK! Magazine), this doesn’t change the basic concept of my role at Fashion Week: delivering readers an insight into what’s going on in the fashion and beauty world – whether that be on the runway or via street style.

One of the main shifts for me at Fashion Week is that I now no-longer work with a photographer by my side, but rather jump behind the camera myself to take the snaps. And yes, taking the actual pics for street style is a bit of a random activity for an editor to do, but while I think you’d pretty much never see another editor shooting street style – this is definitely one role I seriously enjoy.

I love getting out amongst the other photographers and capturing the exact moments and outfits I want to cover on site. I have long been doing photography – so it’s great being able to merge this into Husskie. And I love that traditional media is changing at such a rapid pace that we no-longer need to be so rigid in what a role previously entailed – modern media is rewriting the rules.

Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked. Back to taking a behind-the-feed look at what a day at Fashion Week actually looks like…

Click here to see a gallery of street style action from Day 4 at MBFWA.

5.30am
Wake up and start doing work on my phone. This is a mixture of posting images from the Opening Night of MBFWA, scheduling upcoming posts for @husskiepress, checking emails, scrolling through Instagram and IG Stories to make sure nothing big has happened overnight, and checking out the latest influencer-related news that came in over the weekend via my Google Alerts.

7.30am
Realise the time and quickly start getting ready for MBFWA. I go with the pretty fail-proof option of some tailored linen pants from Rebecca Vallance, a black tee from Scanlan and Theodore, my Nicholas biker jacket, baia vista flats, and my Foley and Corinna mini bag from Shopbop.

Again with hair and makeup, I stick to what I know works best for me. Despite just having had my hair straightened, rain at yesterday’s Camilla & Marc show means it now needs a little fixing up – so in go some curls with my Cloud Nine straightener. Then it’s time to move on to the face. I’m ALL about starting with the Murad Essential-C Day Moisture (I love it because it stops me from looking haggard by the end of the day… my skin seriously laps it all up.)

Next up, MAC Strobe Cream as a primer, Yves Saint Laurent foundation applied with the Eco Tools Total Perfecting Blender, Fenty from Sephora Match Stix in Mocha for contouring, Designer Brands Absolute Brow Pencil and Benefit Gimme Brow for brows, Marc Jacobs Fine Liner from Sephora for the eyeliner (if you’ve never tried this, do yourself a favour – I have 5 of them and I’m not even exaggerating…), The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Dome for blush, my new favourite L’Oréal Paradise Extatic mascara and my forever favourite Bobby Brown Shimmer Brick, and last but most definitely not least – finish off with spritzes of the Isle of Man by Frapin fragrance (heavenly).

It’s then time to throw down two cups of coffee (I’m addicted), and rush out the door in order to make the first people for street style.

8.45am
After arriving at Carriageworks where MBFWA is held, I head straight to the Media Room to drop off my stuff before going out the front to take a few pics. There are some great rustic vibes just as you step outside the main building where Fashion Week is held – so that’s where most of the street style snapping happens. The Swim show is starting at 9.30am – so I’ve got plenty of time to grab pics of some of the influencers who are around.

Click here to see a gallery of street style action from Day 3 at MBFWA.

9.30am
Swim show
I’m not going to too many shows this year as last year I almost killed myself trying to do street style, watch all the shows, plus do backstage. This year, I’ve just picked out a few of my favourite designers – and then focusing more of my attention on the street style.

With Fella showing in the Swim line-up and one of my fave influencers leading the charge (Ellie Gonsalves), this was one I definitely had to attend. Joining Fella was other Aussie swimwear brands Camp Cove Swim, Duskii, and Pam Pam – and I can safely say I probably have about 10 swimsuits that I’m now desperate to go out and buy.

After the swim show, I’ve got a little bit of time before I have to head to Bianca Spender – so I get in some more street style snapping as well as talking to some PRs and doing an interview with Ellie Gonsalves (stay tuned for that one).

12pm
Bianca Spender show
With the ability to meld refined elegance with luxury tailoring, the Bianca Spender show was such an incredibly stunning display of Australian fashion. Model-of-the-moment Roberta Pecoraro joined the runway line-up, while guests from Nadia Fairfax to Anna Heinrich were in attendance.

1pm
After Bianca Spender, I head back to the Media Room to start the editing process. I have literally thousands of shots to go through, so know it’s going to be a long job. Husskie has Laura Albertin doing an Instagram takeover for us at the Lee Mathews show – so I co-ordinate this with her from the Media Room while continuing the editing. Lunch is a Sirena Tuna snack pack at my desk.

Click here to see a gallery of street style action from Day 2 at MBFWA.

4pm
3 hours straight of emails and editing and I’ve only just touched the edge. I need to get to a media showing with One Two Agency at La Porte Space before 5pm – so I pack up and head there to take a look over their brands which include the likes of Bali Body, Converse, Linen House, OnceWas, Ryder, SKWOSH, and Thurley.

5pm
I was hoping to get back to MBFWA in time to catch the Anna Quan show – but unfortunately I just don’t have enough time, so have to give this one a miss. While I’d love to see the evening shows, I decide to head to the home office to get on with the article writing and the rest of the picture editing. I’m going to be at Fashion Week later in the evening tomorrow as I’m attending the C/MEO Collective and Thurley show – so decide I’ll just have to catch up with the night-time crowd then.

6pm
Arrive home and start on the article copy before it gets too late and I’m too tired for my brain to think.

7.30pm
Article copy done – I heat up some soup and eat it while moving back to pic selection and editing as well as doing stories and posts for Instagram.

1am
I’ve finished all the pic editing but still need to make sure I have everyone’s correct clothing credits. I decide to call it a night and set my alarm clock for 6am the next day to finish off. I wipe off what might be left of my makeup with the Face Halo, brush my teeth, flop into bed, and have one final quick scroll of Instagram (before getting in trouble from my hubby for being on my phone at one in the morning).

Click here to see a gallery of street style action from Day 1 at MBFWA.