This past weekend, Teen Vogue invited Zac Posen, Erin Fetherson, Jenna Lyons, Charlotte Ronson, Rachel Roy, and Jason Wu–among others–to speak at its annual Fashion University in New York City. As a high school senior, I was one of the lucky attendants. Here’s what went down:

The weekend kicked off with a Juicy Couture shopping event at the label’s flagship store on 5th Ave. Budding fashionistas lined up around the block and were welcomed inside by male models walking around, offering tasty treats. Indie band The Downtown Fiction performed for a packed store.

The next morning, a camel-donned Anna Wintour gave the opening address, detailing the ups and downs of her career. Everyone in the audience appeared surprised by how honest she was of her mistakes. Wintour gave the impression of having genuine passion for developing new young talent in the industry. She called the fashion world the most charitable industry saying, “No one else gives back their time, money, or ideas like us. There is no competitiveness or back biting.” Her final piece of advice was “Do your time to succeed; you have to start at the bottom to make it to the top.”

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