Cloquet senior gets a bite of New York fashion world

Cloquet High School senior Sydney Hall is a typical student in most aspects of life besides one - fashion.

Fashion has been a focus of Sydney's since she was little. At some point, planning cute outfits took priority over homework, to her teachers' dismay. This habit evolved over the years to a full-fledged passion for fashion.

Going into her senior year at Cloquet High School, Sydney was talking to her hairstylist uncle, Jason Backe, who told her he was going to New York Fashion Week. Sydney's mom and Backe's sister, Jennifer Hall, came up with the idea of Jason bringing Sydney along and finding her an internship for the week. (Jason graduated from Cloquet High School in 1987.)

Backe reached out to someone he had collaborated with in the past. Kelly Cutrone, the founder and head of the public relations agency People's Revolution, agreed to take on Sydney as an intern during Fashion Week.

Former Pine Knot News intern Caleb Swanson (also a senior at CHS) sat down with Sydney to find out more about her adventure in New York.

Q:What was your specific job working as an intern?

Hall: I helped in the People's Revolution office making seating charts and assembling backstage passes for both the "I Love Pretty" and Hogan Mclaughlin shows. I also attended the "I Love Pretty" show and helped hand out backstage passes at the door and set up seats with numbers and gift bags before the show.

Q: Did you have any time off from the internship?

Hall: At times where I wasn't interning with Kelly, I assisted my uncles, Jason Backe and Ted Gibson, of the Ted Gibson Artistic Team. I attended model castings, helped set up hairstyling stations, gathered media content for members of the team, ran any errands, etc. After all the work put into each show, I got to attend the shows in whatever seats were available. I helped/attended seven shows between interning and assisting.

After one show, I was approached by a local NYC photographer who asked me to model. My mom and I met him on the last day of the trip at the Brooklyn Bridge. After the shoot, he told me he wanted to work with me because of my light complexion.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your experience in the city?

Hall: The first day I toured the Fashion Institute of Technology, which is where I hope to attend college. I toured the museum at FIT as well. I loved everything about the campus and the city as a whole. It is a very inspiring place to be. Lots of very long days ending with dinner at 10 p.m., which I was a huge fan of.

Silver Rose Fashions [in Cloquet] also asked me to represent their store at the Sherri Hill show, since they weren't planning to attend this Fashion Week. I took a taxi by myself to meet two other girls representing Silver Rose. This show was much different from the other ones I attended, as the other ones were more up-and-coming designers and Sherri Hill is already extremely established. It was a very classy venue and it was a dream to see the beautiful couture dresses up close. Halima was the star model and Bebe Rhexa sang on the runway. It was truly an honor to represent Silver Rose and I am so thankful for the experience.

I'd also like to thank my uncles, Kelly Cutrone and People's Revolution, and the photographer Duane A. Lyken.

Q: If you could hang out with any three people, who would they be, and why?

Hall: Billy Porter, because he is my favorite fashion icon and an all-around awesome human. Anna Wintour, because she's the editor and chief of "Vogue," so I could learn a ton from her. Alexander McQueen, because he was the first designer who fascinated me and is extremely inspiring.