“Every year the women of New York leave the past behind and look forward for the future. This is known as Fashion Week.” – Carrie Bradshaw
And just like that, New York Fashion Week 2017 is over and done. Last week I shared an inside look at the first two days, from a running blister count (ew) to the most gorgeous alice + olivia presentation ever. Today, I figured it was high time to pull back the velvet curtain and share some tips + tricks (10, to be exact) about surviving Fashion Week.
Disclaimer: I was SO not in the New York Fashion Week mentality. TBH, I went in thinking I’d be a mermaid outta water. I was envisioning Vogue come to life, me being the chick in chucks running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Or, I’d be Cady Heron pre-makeover, wearing pink not-on-Wednesday as a hoard of plastics struts by in stilettos. All-in-all…not fitting in.
What I learned: There is no such thing as fitting in at New York Fashion Week.
Anything goes. There are those in everything from designer dresses to designer shoestrings, and then there are those making Forever 21 look couture (raises hand + blogs about it).
In the end, it is New York Fashion Week, and it is fabulous + absurd + fun + crazy all at the same time. So, here are 10 things to know about NYFW. Take ’em as lessons to keep in your back pocket for next year. 😉
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK OUTFIT DETAILS:
(One of my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale finds – Now 50% off!!!) // (Under $18 – made SO well. Such a steal!) // Star platform sneakers (Steve Maddens that I found on clearance at , similar , (on sale under $30!), , and ) // Sunglasses (old, similar ) // // (c/o) // (c/o) //
Photos by the fabulous Erin Stubblefield
- Be early to shows, knowing that they start late. We’d show up 20 minutes early, thinking we had it made. Turns out…shows won’t actually start until about ~30 minutes after the listed showtime. Plan accordingly (meaning, pack snacks).
- All shows are not created equal. Some shows and presentations will be the most gorgeous, professionally-run works of art you’ve ever seen (lookin’ atchu alice + olivia). Others…not so much. Unfortunately, especially with smaller or more undiscovered designers, there might not be a good way of predicting this ahead of time. But there were shows we saw that just went above and beyond. And then there were meetings or “parties” we attended right smackdab in the middle of their runtime…only to find no one there, no clothes ready, no designer in sight, and NO SNACKS. I’m sorry, but no snacks? I can’t.
- If you need to get pickle juice off of your shoe, a little hand soap goes a long way. The more you know…
- Shoes, shoes, shoes. Bringing a suitcase full of shoes isn’t actually irrational, unreasonable, or crazy thankyoukindly. 😉 You’ll wear your most comfortable kicks and STILL somehow end up bleeding I swear. Bring 52 pairs. Bring pairs that touch your foot and/or leg at different spots, so that when you end up with inevitable blisters and rub marks, you can find *some* semblance of relief by just mixing up where on your foot you get the next ones. Ha. Really tho. The struggle is real.
- You will need approximately 6 outfits. Pack 25 to be safe. We swore we wouldn’t be those girls changing 4 times a day in public bathrooms to take pictures. …We were those girls changing 4 times a day in public bathrooms to take pictures. But in fairness, it’s not just to take pictures. Sometimes you’re headed out at 6-7 am and won’t be back until 10-11 pm. You’ve got morning meetings, afternoon shows, and evening parties, all requiring different dress codes or having different vibes. Normally, I’d say just wing it and work it. But this IS New York Fashion Week, so apparently what you wear matters. (Who knew? HA. 😉 ). Bring clothes that can be easily rolled up in your bag of the day, that way you don’t have to somehow haul a steamer in your purse, too. We’re going for more Carrie Bradshaw than Mary Poppins, so plan accordingly.
- Underplan. We went SO HARD trying to fill out our schedule, thinking that going balls to the wall for our first Fashion Week would be smart and oh so savvy. …wrong. It was just exhausting. While we had our pick of the loot in terms of what to go to versus not, it was just downright exhausting. Our sleep schedules were INSANE (and unhealthy). We kept having to re-plan when travel inevitably screwed things up (oh, New York traffic, how I don’t love you…). And it was just madness at times! Give yourself ~two hours blocks for things, that way travel time is built into your schedule. We had a spreadsheet for the week with events, meetings, and shows in one-hour time blocks. Remember what we said about shows starting half an hour late??? Yeah, one-hour blocks are not enough time to get in, do the thing, and then get out and onward.
- Pack snacks. A baguette in your bag will do. 😉 Really, load up on granola bars and Ziploc bags of veggie straws. It will be your sustenance.
- All Uber drivers have Toyota Camry’s. If you don’t have a Camry are you even an Uber driver? I think it’s just a thing.
- It’s ALL in who you know. I know how frustrating it can be to watch bloggers’ Instagram stories and Snapchats and think, how did she get invited to that? Why am I NOT invited to that? How can I be invited to that?!?! It’s comparison, and it’s toxic. I think we all fall to it sometimes, but it’s safe to say that it’s just no bueno, and it can do much more harm than good, both to our own mental health and to our relationships with others (which is a bummer, especially when you can find your best friends online). But I learned this firsthand my very first day at NYFW this year. I was invited backstage to something simply because I’m good friends with the PR girl who was in charge of the list. She even told me – only 20ish folks were invited backstage pointblankperiod. Out of all bloggers, magazine editors, and who’s who of everywhere. Y’all…if only 20 folks are invited somewhere, there’s just no way I’m on that list. No way. It was simply because I knew the right girl at the right time. So, when you see people doing amazing things, don’t begrudge them, don’t get down on yourself, and don’t assume that they’re just better/more successful/more anything than you. Take it with a grain of salt, and don’t assign judgment anywhere on anyone – not on the person who got the gig, nor on yourself. Just wish well all around and remain open and authentic for your OWN opportunities to come.
- A lady on the train heading to Connecticut at 10:38 PM will find it appropriate to call you out for having “too much luggage,” insisting you haul all 50 pounds of it yourself up into the overhead compartments without lifting a finger to help. Some ladies are not very nice. Smile anyway and know that everyone around you thinks SHE’S the crazy one, not you. 😉
Would you ever go to New York Fashion Week?
If you’ve been to New York Fashion Week before, any tips you’d tack on to the ten above?
P.S. ICYMI, this post in celebration of our one year wedding anniversary is a must read. Why? Because it’s a letter to YOU. From my husband.
Happy HUMP. Halfway to the weekend – woohoo!