Wow! What a whirlwind trip to Istanbul this week! I have been there a million times and it's always great to go back! I left Miami on Monday early evening and was back by Wednesday afternoon. But it was well worth it. I was there to attend the Koza Young Fashion Designers Competition held for up and coming designers during Istanbul Fashion Week.

Upon arrival I had a short amount of time to take a quick power nap and then it was time to get to work. First I had a fitting with a great designer by the name of Arzu Kaprol. Her clothes were amazing! I chose two outfits, one for media interviews and then one for the fashion show. Arzu actually won the Koza Young Fashion Designers Competition 18 years ago and was on the jury panel for this year’s competition. It was an honor to be able to wear the designs of such a Turkish fashion great.

The Koza Young Fashion Designers Competition is a kick-off to Istanbul Fashion Week. The competition is in its 19th year and is an opportunity for young designers to showcase their talents. The finalists and winners are selected by a jury panel made up of fashion trade professionals. The finale of the competition is the fashion show with each finalist showing one of their looks. It was really exciting to see all of the creative and beautiful designs by such talented designers.

From the fashion show it was off to the sponsors after-party and meet and greet. The venue was amazing, it was outdoors overlooking the water! I loved the atmosphere, lighting and look of it all. While there I got to meet with a lot of the judges from the panel which was great. I loved talking with them about how they came to the decision of picking the winners.

It was such a pleasure to be part of Istanbul Fashion Week as it is considered the most important fashion related event in Turkey!