There are few things in life I love more than The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman’s legendary street style blog. So, when I heard that he was opening an exhibit at the Danziger Gallery AND signing copies of his new book Closer, I obviously had to be there. Walking to the gallery, I bumped into fellow Hoot blogger Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle, and we could hardly contain our excitement: In a matter of moments, we would be in the same room as the Sartorialist himself.

The gallery was crammed with fashionable fans equally eager to get Schuman’s autograph. After squeezing our way into the signing room, we couldn’t help but shriek—not only was Scott Schuman there (looking dapper as ever in a sleek suit and tortoise-shell glasses) but so was his girlfriend, fashion-blogger/illustrator/photographer Garance Doré. Though the evening was in Scott’s honor, all eyes were on Garance—with her effervescent smile and Parisian charm, she was just as striking in person as in photographs.

Several hours later (yes, hours…we’re dedicated fashion fanatics here), we finally made it to the front of the line and found ourselves face-to-face with Scott Schuman. We got our books signed, snapped a million pictures like the obsessive fans that we are, and (get this) actually chatted with Schuman for a good minute. Sadly, Garance had left by then (we weren’t exaggerating when we said this took hours…). But nevertheless, we left content, hugging our signed books—aka our new most prized possessions. And now, whenever we log on to The Sartorialist, which lets be honest is embarrassingly often, we can proudly say that we’ve met the man behind the lens.

By Katy Nelson, Accompanied by Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle