Editor’s Note: More in our series of global fashion weeks since there is a life outside New York afterall.

At BAFWeek, it was all about the kids.

True, the adults held court over the runways at Buenos Aires Fashion Week. Last month, nineteen Argentine designers showcased their latest collections at La Rural convention center in the heart of Buenos Aires’ trendy Palermo district. As expected, the shows drew the crème de la crème of the city’s vibrant creative scene, along with buyers, editors and special guests.

But off the runway was the real show — hundreds of teenagers, outfitted in bright, often whimsical ensembles, stood out from the wintertime sea of black, gray and aubergine. They traveled in packs, making circuits around the pavilion. They had devil-may-care attitudes and sultry pouts, doubtlessly perfected after hours of practicing in front of their bedroom mirrors. They tried to conceal their excitement when I asked to photograph them.

“Buenos Aires is a city where many people study to be fashion designers,” Dan Constantino, an 18-year-old model and student, tells me. He looks like he came right out of an 80s flick, with big, wavy hair and a fabulously retro Christian Dior overcoat. “All of us know that this industry is difficult, but some people have the right eye and just know what to wear.”

If these kids are any indication, maybe Argentines are born with it.