As a fashion addict of sorts, I have always eyed New York City with excitement through the media. Whether it be Carrie Bradshaw walking down the street in her Manolos on Sex and the City or the scenery in Woody Allen’s Manhattan, I knew that at some point in my life, I needed to end up in the City. So, obviously, I was thrilled to be staying there for a small vacation with my good friend from school and her mother.

One of the first places was the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I was more than excited to go. The main reason I decided to go this summer was for the Costume Institute’s exhibition for Alexander McQueen, a fashion designer who’s a hero of mine. Among the mobs of visitors who went to see the exhibit, entitled Savage Beauty, were the many people who worked at the Met. More than 20 employees were corralling all the spectators and were found at each turn. They helped control the four hour line (which I thankfully skipped with my Met membership!), kept a watchful eye on all the artifacts, and sold McQueen souvenirs to everyone after the showing. Some looked very young, as though they were college interns in the Costume Institute and were going to slowly work their way up the museum ladder to their desired position. Others were extremely intense in their work, constantly reminding everyone in 5 minute intervals with a strong, stern tone to turn off their cell phones. Besides the diversity among the Met workers, they were extremely nice if you asked them a question or had a small conversation with them.

As someone who dreams of working an institution like the Met, I saw the multiple job opportunities that could be found in one building. However, these were not careers I intended to get after working tirelessly through college and graduate school. It was slightly odd to see that in an exhibition dealing predominately with aesthetics, most jobs seen at the exhibit were held by guards and salespeople, and not by curators.

Afterwards, we took a cab across town to eat dessert at the famous Serendipity III. When we arrived, we were told that there would be an hour wait, so we stopped in a neighboring boutique. My friend and I met an enthusiastic shopkeeper who showed us the great shoe and hat collections the store had to offer. After my friend found a very cute floral fedora, he brought over a bunch of hats for her to try on– she must have tried on over 10 hats, all of which were adorable. He was honest with us, telling my friend if a hat looked good or not and admitting to not liking an odd top hat. Following my friend’s hat show (she eventually picked the initial fedora), he asked me my shoe size. Replying that I was a size 6 (I know, I have dwarf feet), he pulled out a shoe box and said with confidence, “You need to try these on.” I opened up the box and found a beautiful pair of red suede pumps, complete with a beautiful red bow. When I put them on, I was surprised at how comfortable they were. He was right, I really did need to try these on! As I kept frantically calling my mother to confer on whether or not to spend a large chunk of my money on the heels, I talked to the shopkeeper. Not only was he was he a good salesperson, he was also a trained pianist! I was shocked to see this other side of the shopkeeper. It was incredibly fascinating to me that there was so much beyond the facade of a seller of clothing and shoes.

Again, like the Met, I noticed that in a business dealing with the aesthetics of clothing, I only encountered the sales aspect, not the glamorous roles portrayed in Vogue. The man knew how to make a sale and knew the produce he was selling. In spite of his other artistic talents, he was not dealing directly with the design aspect of the fashion industry.

At the end of the day, with the newly bought red shoes in hand, I thought back on all my experiences of the day and the number of people I encountered. I realized there was much more to New York’s glamorous illusion than I knew from modern media. Even more so, the world of aesthetics and fashion in New York did not deal entirely with artistic components. The guards at the Met may not have known much about McQueen prior to the Savage Beauty showing. Someone selling highly aesthetic shoes and hats didn’t have to go to design school.