In September 2017, I packed up my things and travelled to the United Kingdom to attend the University of York for my Masters in Medieval Studies. I had just graduated that May from undergraduate and was eager to see what opportunities were available to me.
I had always felt a particular affinity for the United Kingdom, even if my experience of it was only a class trip in high school. (Although I did cry when we arrived in London, but that was a combination of excitement and lack of sleep.)
I stepped into York and was immediately fascinated with the city I found myself in. I fell in love with this new experience and would spend endless hours memorizing the sights and streets.
As I stated in a previous blog post, I had been considering starting a blog for many years and I had always presumed it would be primarily about history. But there seemed no better time than when I was off on a new adventure. It worked as a way for me to document my thoughts and keep those back in the States updated on my life abroad.
But finding myself alone in a new city allowed me to delve deeper into who I was as a person and how I wanted to present to the world. There were moments of self reflection and realization as well as the opportunity to try styles without fear of judgement from people that I knew my entire life.
I began Delicately Debonair as a ‘microblog’ on Instagram on January 30, 2018, and I was ready to start documenting my experiences. It began as mainly discovering myself in this new place; I wrote captions about my love of the city, what I was doing in classes, or how I had decided to put together an outfit.
It was in late January/early February 2018 that I began seeing a buzz online about York Fashion Week. Being always somewhat precocious, I reached out through Twitter:
But my York Fashion Week journey really kicked off once I attended the brochure launch at M&S’ cafe on March 7, 2018. I remember spending hours choosing an outfit and being completely unsure of what to expect.
I walked up Walmgate toward Parliament Street eager and determined, yet also unsure of what I would find. Here I was, this American student who felt like I was pushing my way into something I had no experience in.
Once I arrived, I quickly took a seat at a table; I glanced around me and wondering if maybe I had made a mistake in coming. But that feeling immediately evaporated as I got talking to someone next to me and before I knew it, I was introducing and being introduced to so many new people.
I specifically remember meeting Nicky when we made eye contact and she said, “I recognize you from Twitter.” Which just blew me away. I sheepishly introduced myself and explained that I wanted to be involved in any way, citing that I had a small blog with not many followers.
She was quick to make me feel at ease, telling me to be proud of what I had already created and chatting to me about how I could get more involved with York Fashion Week. This was only the beginning of how my self confidence would grow through my work with York Fashion Week.
And from there, we were off to the races! And somehow I was a Brand Ambassador for York Fashion Week!
For York Fashion Week 2018, I attended a couple of meetings with other local influencers and chatted about which events I wanted to attend. The York Fashion Week team also paired us up with events and brands that matched the kind of content we were already creating.
I was keen to attend and be involved in everything, and that’s exactly what happened. I was being offered new opportunities, and I was learning the power of saying yes. I created bonds within a city and felt like I grew enough with the community to be an active and positive part of it.
I shared my experiences with York Fashion Week 2018 in several blog posts, but summed it up in the blog post above. But my involvement with York Fashion Week didn’t stop there.
Just because a week of events was over didn’t mean that my role as a brand ambassador ended.
After attending a shopping event at Seasalt Cornwall, I developed a deep relationship with the brand and the employees at the York shop. It was because of this bond that I applied and ended up working as a Sales Associate for 7 months!
I made lifelong friends with my Salty Fam and have built a relationship with a brand that I deeply respect. Even to this day, I still wear and promote #wearingseasalt.
Aside from getting a job, I began attending events throughout the city from shopping events to networking events to promote York Fashion Week 2019. While attending events and creating content for my blog and Instagram, I was also in the midst of writing my Masters dissertation.
My dissertation was focused on two female authors writing in 1929 about Richard III and how they used medievalism to comment on the world post-World War I.
One connection I made through York Fashion Week was a friendship with Lisa Byrne. She has the most incredible career, and I was eager to learn how to meld together my love of history and social media. We met over coffee to discuss and she’s truly one of my inspirations.
Meeting Lisa and seeing her work taught me that there is a way to professionally combine the things that you’re passionate about. I didn’t need to give up marketing or social media to work with history; I could, in fact, have it all if I worked for it.
Weeks after our meeting over coffee, Lisa invited me to attend a press call for York Dungeons and their new show, which included Richard III. And the woman speaking at the event would be Philippa Langley, who had helped discover Richard’s remains under a carpark in Leicester.
I was given the chance to meet the woman whose work inspired my love of medieval history! But I had work, so I did what I do best: I reached out.
I went onto her website and filled out a contact form, hoping to catch even a few minutes with her to tell her what her work had meant to me. To my surprise, she responded and we corresponded back and forth a few times.
What began as me dropping in to see her turned into me getting dinner with her and her friends, emailing her a copy of my dissertation, and then giving her my review of Richard III.
From this experience, it was reaffirmed that I had to reach out if I wanted things to happen. Experiences weren’t happening to me; in fact, I was actively making connections and relationships and it was due to my perseverance and work ethic.
Once my dissertation was turned in September 2018, I was able to more fully dedicate myself to York Fashion Week. In doing so, I did things that I would never have expected. My confidence in myself physically and my ability to represent myself grew substantially.
I attended frequent networking events with the team, the brochure launch for York Fashion Week 2019, worked the model casting call, assisted Olivia Brabbs on a photo shoot for Scott Henshall, and was a runway model for a Debenham’s show.
Unfortunately, my time with York Fashion Week was cut prematurely whenever my visa expired. I returned back to the States in January 2019, but kept up with all things York Fashion Week through social media. I continued to promote events and interact with those involved, even if I couldn’t physically be there.
When I returned to York in August 2019, my role picked right back up and I met with Nicky and Lisa at The Ivy York to discuss the past York Fashion Week. It was overwhelming to be surrounded by such love and positivity by two women who are so important to me.
As part of my holiday, I travelled up to Edinburgh with my friend. And because of my friendship with Lisa, I was able to visit The Edinburgh Dungeons, which was quite the experience.
Upon returning to the States once again, I continued to work with York Fashion Week remotely. I did all I could to engage and promote an event that I loved and had changed my life so drastically.
I had plans to attend York Fashion Week 2020 and fulfill my role as a brand ambassador in person. But my trip to York was rescheduled due to COVID-19.This has meant continuing to work remotely with York Fashion Week through writing for the blog and creating content for Instagram.
Many of the indescribable opportunities I have received during my time abroad were because of the connections I made while a part of York Fashion Week.
My life has changed for the better through knowing some of the most passionate, hard-working, and inclusive people in York. Their constant support and belief in me is priceless and I am grateful for every person I encountered each and every day.
I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to you all. The list is honestly endless.
As I’ve said in countless Instagram posts and in my vlog for York Fashion Week’s IGTV, reach out and become a part of this incredible event. You never know? It could change your life too.
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