As a sophomore interning as a fashion assistant for Malaysian designer Zang Toi, the past three weeks have been a hectic swirl of model castings, fittings and organizing hundreds of RSVPs for our New York Fashion Week runway. From auditioning more than 100 models over the course of a few days to coordinating over 400 guests, a season of hard work manifested in Toi’s show this past Wednesday — and for a show that only lasted for 10 minutes, you wouldn’t expect the number of late nights spent preparing for it.

One of my biggest hopes before starting the internship was gaining insight into a fashion business, from the production of clothes to clientele sales. Preparing for NYFW means putting in continued effort across several months to create an entire collection from scratch — here’s an hour-by-hour look at how we made it happen.

10:30 a.m.: Arrive at the office

Although the show is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., I arrived at the office early and immediately opened my master spreadsheet of RSVPs. The holy grail of the show, this Excel sheet has been continuously updated from a week before the show up until the day of — attendees often change their RSVPs at a moment’s whim, and front row guests cancel at the last minute while others try to slide in plus-ones.

Over the next two hours, my colleagues and I check seat cards, RSVP emails and the spreadsheet to make sure no seats or names are repeated and that every shuffle in seating is accounted for. Meanwhile, seamstresses hurriedly make last-minute alterations to the clothing that will be presented at the show.

1:30 p.m.: Pack everything up to move to the venue

This year, our Fall 2026 runway is held at a church on Fifth Avenue. We carefully pack up everything we need — clothes, shoes, half-a-dozen printed-out spreadsheets and seating charts, refreshments — and haul a couple of Ubers uptown. The ever-present sirens and mind-numbingly sloth-like pace along Park Avenue only heighten my jittery excitement and impatience to get to the venue. 

2 p.m.: Unpack as models arrive for hair and makeup

Upon arrival, the venue is deserted — only a red carpet and a hundred or so chairs sit on either side, waiting to be filled. My colleagues and I quickly head backstage, filling up the space with racks of heavy clothes, bags of various styling tools and sheets of seating charts. Time starts ticking: We’re about five hours to the show. 

With bags strewn across the floor, models begin arriving to get their hair, nails and makeup done according to the designer’s vision for the show. Since the theme for Toi’s show is “Grand Galactic Galaxy Collection,” looks are heavily centered around metallics and dramatic, futuristic aesthetics. Each model puts on a black wig that is swept up into a stiff, solid coif that requires heavy hair spray to prevent even a single strand from falling out of place. Nails and lips are painted according to model boards that were made days ago in fittings.

Meanwhile, us interns unpack and sort all the clothes on the racks, ensuring bags filled with shoes and accessories are matched to each outfit so models can change with the hasty speed required for an NYFW show. We also unwrap boxes of grapes, bananas and other light snacks, for the models are directed to limit how much they eat before the show. 

4 p.m.: Dressers arrive

With nearly 16 models requiring two different looks throughout the show, dressers are available to help each model change outfits before and during the show without damaging their clothes or elaborate hairstyles. At this point, backstage is starting to fill up with lively chatter as models in perilously high stilettos stand around waiting for cues, and various employees scramble around putting last-minute touches. At least three seamstresses furiously work on an elaborate evening gown with a heavy jeweled neckpiece, which requires additional sewing to ensure it doesn’t slip off the model’s neck as she struts. One model’s wig is ever so slightly off center, so hairdressers frantically take apart her elaborate updo only to redo it an inch to the right.

Out in the seating area, with the help of some eager high school volunteers, I tape name cards for each of the 120 seats onto the chairs and place programs listing details about the looks and significant contributors on each seat.

5 p.m.: Rehearsals start — delayed

Although rehearsals were supposed to start at 4:30 p.m., delays in dressers’ arrivals and hair and makeup pushed it back a half hour. Still wearing their normal clothes — save their heels for the show — the models line up to receive instructions for their walk, including the speed of their strut and how long they pause at the end of the runway. Here, I can sit back and take a short break. It’s almost comical to watch a tall wall of conventionally attractive, fashionable individuals meekly take orders from a much shorter, headset-wearing director. 

At the end of the carpet, the most eager of the press have already arrived and claimed the best spots in the house. Flashes and loud clicks of thousand-dollar lenses fill the venue as they test out their shots.

5:45 p.m.: Guests start to arrive

I lead three volunteers in welcoming and checking in each of the attendees at the front of house. The entry hallway soon grows full, bustling with guests dressed in their finest — some warmly greeting old friends and others itching with anticipation to be seated. Over the next hour, we frantically flip through pages of spreadsheets with names listed in alphabetical order. From soothing disgruntled guests upset with their seat assignments to catching imposters claiming to have been invited, it was 60 minutes of hectic chaos. As a new intern who had only been familiarized with the guest list a week ago, I’m terrified of turning the wrong person away. I rely religiously on my walkie-talkie to coordinate with my colleagues and supervisors throughout the show.

7 p.m.: The show begins

The other interns and I make our way upstairs to a special spot above the photographers to watch the show from a higher vantage point. From there, I can see the expressions of each guest as they take in the various looks, how they shift their bodies to whisper to their friends when something catches their eye. I also notice the models’ bold expressions as they strut down the runway, with hundreds of eyes all on them.

7:15 p.m.: Everything is packed up 

After several weeks of work, the music dies and the spotlights dim as the show wraps up in a matter of minutes. My colleagues and I rush backstage, weaving through crowds of flower-bearing guests who clamor around the designer and take pictures against the show’s runway. As the models, makeup artists and dressers gradually file out, we pack up the clothes, shoes and seating charts and ensure the movers have all of the inventory before calling a cab back to the office.

8 p.m.: Unpack and ready the studio 

Although the show was a success, NYFW is still far from over. Today was only a preview for potential buyers — for the next three days, the studio will be bustling with clients coming in for fittings and orders of their favorite looks from the runway. We hang all the looks back on the racks and organize them so they’re ready for customers.

10 p.m.: Indulge in a celebratory late-night snack

After almost 12 hours of running on grapes and Lucky Charms, there’s finally time to sit back and have a full meal. Before we clock out, we order in 7th Street Burger and recount our favorite moments from the show, high on a full day of being on our feet. Stressful moments that seemed like the end of the world a few hours ago are now a good story to be told around the table to much laughter. We recall how the only major mishap backstage was a model not being able to fit into her shoes and breaking the clasp — a step up from last year, when a steamer steamed a hole in one of the dresses five seconds before the model was supposed to go on the runway. We chatter about the photographer who always steals a front row seat, discussing how it would be a good idea to print out a photo of his face for next year. 

WSN attended Toi’s runway, held on Wednesday at Park Avenue Christian Church in the Upper East Side — here are some of the most memorable moments of the night.

Contact Ivanka Sun at [email protected].