Illustrated by Samantha Hahn

In this Fashion Week special, “How I Get It Done,” we ask successful women how to manage their careers and lives during this hectic time.

In 1990, when she moved from Olympia, Washington, to New York City with just $400 borrowed from her sister, she immediately started working at Sunny Nails, a Korean-owned nail salon on the Upper East Side. So she built a clientele that offered manicures and pedicures in her own home and cycled to and from her apartment, earning her the nickname “the gin of the bicycle.” One of these clients, Andrea Pomeranz Lustig, said: cosmopolitan At that time, Choi was introduced to the agency Mark Edwards, introducing her to the world of editing.

In 1999 Choi opened a boutique nail spa in the East Village. This was the first of her four stores in the city, and in the years that followed, she solidified Nail as a mainstay in her art world. Since then, she has worked with brands such as her Revlon, CoverGirl, L’Oréal, Maybelline, Sally Hansen, Mac, Sephora, Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors.her work New York Times Magazine, Harper’s BazaarWhen trendworked with Irving Penn, Marc Jacobs and Amy Smirovich; In 2012, Choi launched her own eponymous Nail Lacquer line and is now sponsoring her New York Fashion Week show.

Choi — in Soho with her husband John (who happens to be the architect of each spa) and three cats, Choco, Bonbon,
Consuelo is one of the fashion industry’s most sought-after nail artists. So it’s no surprise that her fashion week schedule is overcrowded and hellish. She told me how she did it.

Average day during fashion week:
I don’t mind working late, but I hate getting up early. I’m a night owl, so I stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning. For a morning shoot or a 10am show, I get 4-5 hours of sleep. My last show is at 8pm. There will also be a photo shoot during that time. There was a photo shoot for Lanvin yesterday. If I don’t have a show, I usually go to bed around 2 or 3am, so I wake up around 9am. If you have a very good assistant you trust and you have duplicate bookings for her, send her for a test shoot. So we share a little. If there are no duplicates, go to all.

I’m not used to going to bed early. I can’t sleep early. I try, but I can’t get used to it. When I get tired from shooting, I sometimes take a nap. I have worked with this team for a long time. We know each other well, so sometimes she puts a sofa in the beauty salon and takes a nap for about 30 minutes.

For the most stressful part of the process:
The schedule is managed by the management office, but it is the worst during fashion week. There’s a lot to do and it’s really hard to juggle. Sometimes things change at the last minute, but usually he makes sure to schedule at least two days in advance. Agents will enter it all in their Google Calendar and remind you.

Putting a team together is stressful. There are about 15 people in my team. i need to know, This person suits this person, and this style suits himI try to put the right people in each show.

On maintaining her stamina:
Now I know which shows have no food and which have food.At home, we eat before we go. Eat lots of fruit and oatmeal. I try to carry power bars, fruit and walnuts in my bag. Bring some snacks, coconut water and orange juice. It gives me quick energy.

About moving:
I can’t take the subway because I have a lot of luggage, so I’ll use Lyft or Uber.

About the backstage uniform:
I’m not stylish I am more casual and comfortable. I am wearing a T-shirt and jeans. My shoes are Nike sneakers because I need to walk and move around a lot. Comfort is the number one thing I think. Backstage is often thought to be very glamorous, but it’s not. You may have to sit on the floor and move your toes, so you need to make sure you’re wearing something comfortable. Wear a fun tie-dye top.

On some of her routines during Fashion Week:
I don’t have time to do anything. As for skincare, I still do the K-beauty step, but no masks or extra self-care. No exercise. no meditation. I have to focus on preparing for the fashion show and can’t focus on anything else. Once this is done you can go get a massage. You can ride rowing machines, treadmills, and bikes. I know they’ll be there after Fashion Week, and he would be on the treadmill and jumping rope if it wasn’t for Fashion Week.

On rewind:
I love K variety shows such as comedy shows. Another thing that really helps me is when I watch cat and dog videos on Instagram reels. It really relaxes me, makes me feel happy and lets my stress go. they are better than humans.

About home support:
My husband takes care of the cat. Jin SoonI work from home when I’m not shooting for the lacquer line, so I have a home office and one of my cats is always with me, but I can’t do that when I’m out and about.Fashion Week. I think they miss me. They walk around when I have to leave early. mama, where are you going? i just saw in the heart of a catSo, I tried to train Consuelo. She isn’t smart in general, but she gets smarter when it comes to her food.

About skipping commitments:
I’m a pretty responsible person, so no designer can do that. I can’t do that to anyone. Even if you don’t like the look or the color, you can’t let it go. We can talk about next season, but I can’t help but show up. Even if you are sick and dying, you have to go.

To run a successful fashion week:
No. 1 is no drama with my team. Also, make sure your work runs smoothly. If something goes wrong, it’s no fun. If he’s still on model an hour before the show, that’s no good. My heart starts pounding. Nail polish has to dry and I don’t want to apply it while in line. I want to get the job done before they line up for the show.