PHOTOS: Behind the scenes at NY Fashion Week

As the first of the Big Four fashion weeks goes underway, we bring you some stunning images from behind the scenes.

Held first in 1943, the New York Fashion Week has come a long way since. Desgined to attract attention away from French fashion when industry insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see the fashion shows thee, the New York Fashion Week was first called the Press Week that was aimed at showcasing American fashion designers to journalists.

Interestingly, unlike now, back then buyers were not permitted to attend the shows. They had to visit designers' showrooms to make the purchases and place orders.

As years passed, the 'Press Week' evolved to be greatly successful as fashion magazines such as Vogue (among others) that initially only featured French designers began featuring works by their local counterparts.

In the pages to follow, we bring you some unusual shots taken in the green rooms, as models prepare to take centrestage.

First up, a model has her make-up applied before the Richard Chai Autumn/Winter 2013 collection during New York Fashion Week.