From Helmut Lang in New York to Miu Miu at the end of Paris, Dazed favourite Marte Mei van Haaster walked every major show this season, from the contrasting aesthetics of Prada to Givenchy via Balenciaga and 30 others. She also spent the whole of fashion month with her camera, exclusively for us documenting life beyond the catwalk. A photodiary in two parts, we begin stateside, with van Haaster filling us in on two of her favourite Big Apple moments…

"Something I loved about NY fashion week, were the group walks from one show to the other. In some cases you were stuck all the way west after a show, 15 minutes away from the first metro, and no cab to be seen. A lot of times walking straight to your next show was the best option, and with the great late summer weather we had, it was no problem at all. Especially when you had some extra time have a break on the way there to chill out in the sun. And it was a nice way to catch up with some model friends you haven't spoken with in a while.

Something else that happened in New York was that I bumped into one of my all-time favourite artists. I was reading a book backstage at Rodarte, all ready with hair and make-up, sitting there in my bathrobe, waiting for the show to start, when all of the sudden I saw a familiar face. I had to look twice to be sure, but it was Maurizio Cattelan! Backstage at a fashion show! It seemed so weird to me and it also felt like my two worlds were colliding at once; my working life as model my private life as art-student. I walked up to him and had a little chat. He actually looked just as surprised as me, probably because he doesn't have models in robes walking up to him telling him he's great every day either…"

Photography Marte Mei van Haaster

Click HERE for part two of Marte's SS13 documentary story