Throughout the madness and insanity that is New York Fashion Week, one of our favorite young designers, Chris Benz, will be keeping a little diary for us; documenting the castings, the fittings, the styling, the hopefully-minimal-freaking-out-ing... Here, in his first installment, Mr. Benz nervously awaits his samples and channels Mr. Mickey.

The momentum at the studio is really picking up speed, and tension is starting to fill the air as we close in on Fashion Week. Lots of shiny, sparkly, new Spring samples have been trickling in (a major point of anxiety for any fashion designer, I happen to know), and now is the time things gets tricky.

Today marked our first day of model castings, and we jumped right in at 10 a.m. and saw over 90 models through until 2 this afternoon! It's always such a cool energy to feel the excitement in the girls as they too hit the pavement getting ready for shows.

I love this shot of Elin (MC2) who I feel sets quite a tone for my Spring '12 mood. How adorable is she? Wacky wonderful Winona Ryder!

Friday is another full day of castings, and then Saturday it's wheels-up, styling the looks for the season. It is torture just waiting for the final pieces to arrive. It's at this point when the collections really come alive. We keep trying, trying, trying combinations until the magic moment happens and the look is realized. It's like fashion church!

This week is all about equal parts hilarity and organization. As for this pic of me, oh, nothing, I'm just sitting here looking through model books in this jewelry from The Woods. Very Mr. Mickey, no? The more stressful the week becomes, the more accessories you need!

PAPERMAG's Complete Spring 2012 Fashion Coverage