So I just got back from New York Fashion Week and on such a high. I had the best time with some of my favorite blogger babes in the New Jersey/New York area. From the presentations, shows, restaurants, subway trips, getting ready sessions, and fashion week parties..fashion week did not disappoint. I’ve gotten a bunch of questions since I went this past weekend on how it all works so without anymore babble, here is all out about our trip!
1. Planning Ahead
Fashion week takes quite a bit of planning a couple months before the event. It was about early summer when Danielle, Karen, Sylvia, and I decided it would be fun to be roommates for Fashion Week. We lucked out with Danielle’s family having an apt in the city so we had a perfect spot to stay for our trip. Not to mention we were tucked away near Chloe and the cutest coffee shop we stopped by early every morning. If you do not have a place to stay, 2- 3 months in advance is a great time to contact hotels to see if they can accommodate you or give you at least a media rate for your stay. Hotels are getting so many requests for fashion week so it is so important to reach out early to as a variety of hotels to ensure availability.
2. Shows
About 2 months out, and once the first schedules were out for Fashion Week I started reaching out to bigger brands who were on my wishlist of all wishlists to attend. Although I knew that these brands were long shots, I wanted to reach out to them early to let them know that I was very interested. So who do you email? The best contacts can be found on the brands website. You just simply look up the press contact and use that email. If it is not as obvious with who to email, a lot of these contacts can be found with a little research as well on linkedin. If all else fails, it’s great to teamup with a friend to find all the contacts needed. About a month to a couple weeks out, you also want to email any other shows you would like to attend as they fill up fast! They will also let you know if its too early! The rule of thumb is also to email everyone! You never know who you will get invited to and you want to keep your options open! Also, be sure to follow up with every brand at least a week in advance to see if any spots opened up!
This past fashion week there were a ton of presentations that were open to the public including Banana Republic and Rebecca Minkoff. While these were a ton of fun, my favorite show by far was attending the Leanne Marshall show at Skylight Clarkson Square. Skylight was a major location for many shows and I highly recommend trying to get in to as many shows as possible..even if the designers are not as known on your radar yet. I know its pretty obvious why, but the goosebumps you get when you attend a fashion show are like no other. The music, the hair, the makeup, the fashion…it goes so fast but is like no other! Plus, when you find a show that is your exact style it is like nothing else. If you did not know, Leanne Marshall has the prettiest dresses in the world.
3. Pitch
When emailing a brand its important to stick to the point and be as generic as possible. I definitely recommend introducing yourself off the bat and giving a quick line that tells who you are, where you are from, and what your primary focus for your blog is. You can go into a little more about your style and how it fits in with that designer but it is often a lot easier to keep it simpler as they are getting tons and tons of emails. Again, you can decide after which shows you want to attend once you are invited! In your pitch, you also want to request being involved in anything that brand has going on. Many designers have opportunities to go backstage or book a time to stop by their showroom that week. I know many bloggers find this an awesome time for meeting up with brands they have worked with and want to continue to grow their relationships with. You can also contact brands who may be able to help with hair, accessories, and makeup. We were able to meet up with Bauble Bar for jewels and get the prettiest braids done by Tresémme for one day of shows! Rent the Runway was also amazing in lending me two dresses and a bag for my trip! Just be sure overall that you stick to the point of your pitch in your email (you would love to attend their show and be involved in anything they have going on) as well as give simple information about who you are (your instagram numbers and engagement are great to simply state) along with listing your blog website, instagram handle, and email address.
4. Travel
Once at fashion week, there are so many ways to get around. One recommendation I have is to meet up with someone that understands the subway system. Since Sylvia used to live in New York she was able to lead us to a couple different events for super cheap. This was amazing!! We also did not have to deal with ANY traffic when we were short on time. My other favorite way to travel was with Lyft. Every driver I had was super nice and able to find where I was without any trouble. They also have a shared ride option where you can save a ton of money simply by sharing a ride with another person. Finally, taxi’s are obviously always an option. If my lyft seemed like it was overly expensive during a surge or we were short on time, hailing a taxi was a no brainer.
5. Outfits
It is always good to overpack and overplan when it comes to fashion week outfits. Not only are you thinking about what trends you’d like to show off for that season, but it’s important to present your style in an unique way! Between shoes, accessories, dresses, makeup, and hair your luggage will be packed! My suitcase almost did not close I had so many shoes! When figuring out what to wear daily, I always thought of a day outfit and night outfit for the parties we attended that would stand out. My roomies also created looks for each day and printed them out to make the packing and day of getting ready go smoother! When looking for outfits, it was a bit tricky to plan way in advance. This is because many brands and stores during the summer do not have their fall clothing out yet. I also wanted to make sure that everything I was wearing would still be in stock. Luckily, so many online stores now have 1-2 day shipping so I was able to get everything in time with no worries! (Sidenote: Winter is probably a little easier to plan in advance for since it is already cold!) Here were just some of my looks:
