Our NYFW Insider series profiles the behind-the-scenes talent – hair stylists, makeup artists, publicists, show producers, journalists – who make New York Fashion Week a reality. Part 2 of a 3-part series.

NYFW INSIDER: Cindy Krupp
Owner, Krupp Group, and fashion publicist.

Fashion Week, according to Cindy:

“Fashion Week is the culmination of months of planning. During the week, we cross our t’s and dot our i’s, and finish up the seating charts to ensure that every editor, buyer, and blogger has a prime view – we also arrange backstage interviews with designers. In the morning, I check in with my team, check in with the designer and make sure the pre-show atmosphere feels as calm and under control as possible. We’re working on six shows/presentations this season: Steven Alan, Rachel Comey, Kaelen, Kimberly Ovitz, Lela Rose, and Chris Benz. Once the show is wrapped, I usually head back to the office to go over RSVPs and seating charts for our next show/presentation. Getting to bed early is the key to keeping up with the hectic pace of the week. It’s all about staying cool, collected, and smiling no matter what – that’s my mantra. The energy of the week really propels us.”

NYFW INSIDER: Ashley Baker
Executive editor of The Daily Front Row and co-designer of Sedgwick, a leather goods collection.

Fashion Week, according to Ashley:

“First and foremost, we put out seven issues of our beloved Daily glossy. We finalize many of the features in advance, but ultimately, we produce between 6 and 10 edit pages per day during Fashion Week. I wake up around 6 or 6:30 and start reading through the reporting that’s been filed overnight. My job is essentially packaging the reporting that our fearless team of reporters collects out in the field, pulling loads of images, cobbling the pages together with our art department, and having a general ball. We end around 8PM when the pages for the next day’s issue have shipped. It’s like this, Groundhog Day-style, for the entire week. Separately, I’m also in market for Sedgwick, but luckily my business partner, the inimitable Carly Beck, takes care of that stuff beautifully.”

NYFW Insider: Lauren Ezersky
Fashion know-it-all (aka, journalist) for Better TV.

Fashion Week, according to Lauren:

“I run around like a crazy woman trying to see as much and do as much as I can without losing my mind. Have a cup of coffee see some shows, more coffee more shows, more coffee more shows, and so on and so on. Then trying to keep my husband happy and my dogs fed. I have maybe 100 [shows] or more. I try to take one day at a time and not think about how many because it can be overwhelming.”

NYFW Insider: Ruth Finley
President/Publisher of Fashion Calendar (founded in 1944).

Fashion Week, according to Ruth:

“I’ll be checking on the efficiency of shows, and networking with editors, designers, and others. I’ll attend a minimum of 50 shows.”

NYFW Insider: Patrick Butler
Freelance fashion and lifestyle photographer.

Fashion Week, according to Patrick:

“I’ll be photographically documenting NYFW runway shows, fashion presentations, and integrated marketing events in New York City. I usually photograph fashion shows at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents in Lincoln Center and then head downtown for off-site fashion shows and presentations. I normally attend about 25 shows and presentations per season.”

NYFW Insider: Richard Haines
Fashion illustrator, visualizer, recorder, flâneur, blogger, and New York Times contributor.

Fashion Week, according to Richard:

“I’ll have a charcoal pencil and sketchbook on hand at all times. It’s a combination of sketching the collections for my blog and working with [men’s fashion director] Bruce Pask of The New York Times’ T blog on the Top 5 NYFW menswear looks. It usually involves a lot of running back and forth to opposite parts of Manhattan, and in the midst of the shows I have deadlines for The New York Times, so between shows I go back to my studio in Bushwick and draw. I wish I got miles for all the running around. But don’t get me wrong – I love every minute of it.”

Lauren David Peden writes for Rue La La as a Contributing Editor. To read the full series of interviews, start here.