Well, it's official. I can finally say I attended NYFW once in my life. And it was the most amazing experience, like, ever. Since I was a little girl, going to a NYFW show has been on my bucket list. Out of pure luck and some serious hustle, I was able to attend last week with Roxanne and Nicole and holy cow, it was beyond.
Lifetime Women Behind the Seams Event at Milk Studios
I could go on and on about this, since I have SO much to say, so I'll be breaking my posts into a few entries, including detailed recaps of some of the shows/events we attended (Jarret, creeping on Yeezy Season 5, Gemy Maalouf, Irina Vitjaz, Lifetime Women Behind the Seams Events, Birchbox Flagship, ELOQUII HQ, and The Look of LA Street Style Fashion Show).
To start off, I'm sharing my top 10 takeaways on the experience of NYFW- from the planning stages to attending the shows.
Here's the NYFW lowdown......
1. Do your research. NYFW is totally achievable with a little drive and determination. While I was invited to some events- and I died- in a good way- when I received the invites (whatever PR firm added me to the invite list- THANK YOU), I requested access to the majority of the shows. I approached smaller brands and emailed their PR reps, pitching myself to them to ask to attend their show. I approached the smaller brands that are still amazing, but would be more willing to accept the request, rather that aim for the big power house brands. I did, however, pitch to Christian Siriano, but I never heard back on that one (sigh).
2. Eventbrite is a great tool. I scoured Eventbrite for free NYFW events- surprisingly, there were a ton listed. While you definitely need to vet them, we wound up with makeup appointments at the Birchbox Flagship Store, which was an amazingly cool experience- but more on that later.....
3. Make your NYFW plans with someone who wants the same experience you do. While its beyond amazing, its also taxing and exhausting. Roxanne and I were on the same page and agreed up front we were going to be busy AF, but since it was both of our first time attending, we were down with the get down. Roxanne and I shared a room at the Lexington Hotel on 48th and Lexington, which was in a great location. Nicole came separately and met us for the first day as we were all attending the Lifetime Women Behind the Seams Event.
4. Each show is different. Some are very organized, some are organized chaos, and some...are just a mad house. We attended 4 shows- 2 were extremely well organized, one was organized chaos, and the other...well....was a hot mess.
5. Shows rarely ever start on time. They are planned for an hour time slot, but normally start 15-20 minutes late and last 10-15 minutes total. However, you want to be in line way early for each show. We learned this the hard way when we arrived late to one show since we booked our schedule so tight, and were not accommodated into the show since we were late and they had over booked tickets, so the early birds got the worm in this case.
6. Taking quality photos at the shows is nearly impossible- trust me, I really tried. Between the models movement, the bright (or dim) lights, and the audience, its best to take videos to upload to your IG stories/Snapchat and then use press photos from the brand for any blog use and credit the brand.
7. Time is of the essence- you will be going from one show/event to another non-stop, so finding your mode of transportation is important. We started with Uber, but after a few long rides (literally we were in an Uber almost 1 full hour one time), we switched to the Subway. The Subway was a bit confusing at first, but we managed thanks to Roxanne and it was way faster than Uber.
8. A large carryall cross body purse or tote bag is your best friend. We were out and about both days for hours on end. Packing a purse thats large enough to fit makeup for touchups on the go, your camera, portable chargers, a bottle of water, a light snack, gloves/scarf/hat, your schedule, and printed show/event tickets, plus whatever else you may want with you, is totally necessary.
9. Make a schedule- and be realistic. To keep us on track, Roxanne and I had a shared google doc spreadsheet that had all of our events, time, location, and confirmations. This schedule was our Bible for 2 days and helped us greatly. I think we were a bit ambitious in our schedule, since it was our first NYFW and we wanted to do and see everything. Our schedule the first evening was 100% packed from hour to hour, which in hind sight, wasn't realistic. That said- it was all worth the experience.
10. Dress to impress, but stay true to your style. Honestly, some of the best part of NYFW was seeing the street style and style of other attendees. The range of outfits was so cool to see, and gave me tons of new style inspiration. I loved the diversity in people, style, and apparel- people rocked and completely owned their individual style.
Photos are a mix from my own, and Roxanne and Nicole.
XOXO
Blonde in the District