Strange how one of my best experiences as a journalist at the Lifestyle Desk of the Jamaica Observer newspaper involved my nearly being accosted (and perhaps shot?) by music impresario Clive Davis’ burly bodyguards as NMW and I shared an elevator ride with the legend and his entourage en route to then of-the-moment siren Jennifer Hudson for whom Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley was throwing a listening party at Morgan’s Penthouse on Madison Avenue, Manhattan.

In retrospect, I suppose his handlers had to respond to an unsuspecting YBM (Young Black Male) reaching inside his breast pocket with fierce urgency (albeit to get his camera)… This, after all, was post-9/11 New York. Not surprising though, Davis was gracious about the near-ugly ordeal, laughing it off ahead of our joining the unbelievable constellation awaiting us inside.

The scene, which easily could have been plucked from The Devil Wears Prada — or to be more contemporary Empire — featured an intelligent mix of powerbrokers, fashionistas and music industry insiders, each more famous than the last. In fact, I remember feeling a little flushed from turning my head in random directions, not sure who to photograph first. A clink, a click and several flashes later… I capture those in my immediate vision: Canadian-born songstress Deborah Cox was the evening’s first subject. My lens also covered ‘ALT’, bridal wear genius Vera Wang, celebrated author Fran Leibowitz, publisher Joe Armstrong of Rolling Stone and New York magazine fame, fashion insider Robert Virdi and tennis great Venus Williams, to name a few.

Though the stain of 9/11 hung over the city (for Fashion Week, the reason for our visit, always coincides with this tragedy), the audacity of hope and the quiet defiance of ‘Yes, We Can’ gave those the confidence to indulge in hearty conversation regarding the possibilities. Naturally, those present exuded an easy sophistication… it was the right place to be. After all, it wasn’t every day I’d seen get-ups pulled straight from the pages of The September Issue.

The celebs aside, we were there to meet Jennifer… she of the golden pipes, who reawakened her generation to the magic of the power ballad. Who, through her performance as Effie in Dreamgirls, moved audiences to tears and countless standing ovations with her rendition of And I Am Telling You which earned her an Oscar. Yes, there she was… stunning in red, a cocktail dress pulled especially for her to wear to the event. Her smile was warm and welcoming, and it’s as if she too was new to the Hollywood game — there was indeed that girlish sparkle in her brown eyes. It would have been months before the murder of her mother, brother and nephew, so I reckon she perhaps hadn’t yet experienced the pain of living through tragedy juxtaposed with fame.

Ever cordial, NMW extended greetings on our behalf, letting her know we had come all the way from Jamaica for NYFW, and that her listening party was a rockin’ affair. She giggled, her eyes ever widening as she said thanks; we talked music, her career and the next track Spotlight, her debut single. The song boomed throughout the venue and everyone seemingly found a sort of rhythm — it was clear that it’d be a runaway hit!

My time in that space felt surreal; it was over as soon as it began, now that I think about it. Can’t say I remember how the evening ended… perhaps I was too caught up in meeting ‘JHud’.

— Roland Henry