This post is so delayed it’s not even funny… BUT I just realized I had this post in my drafts and had forgotten to hit publish. Silly me! I originally thought I’d just let it go and not publish it, but since fashion week is coming up again in February, and I got so many questions about it back in September, I thought I’d go ahead and share. So I’m hoping this is helpful for at least one person out there!
I put up a poll on Instagram asking for questions about my first NYFW back in September, and answered them for y’all here. I think I covered most of them, but if y’all have any more please let me know!
How do you get invited to shows?
If I had a nickel for every time I was asked this question… but understandable, because it’s a huge question I wanted to know before this first experience at fashion week. I have to give a huge shout out to my friend Grace for sharing this with me, but the app GPS Radar was a huge help in getting invites to shows.
Events, however, are a little bit different. GPS Radar mostly has fashion shows that you can attend, but most events that I attended were from friends inviting me as a plus one or from reaching out to my own network of brand contacts. If you’re a blogger, write down a list of all your brand contacts, and chances are they either know of events going on, or they know someone who is hosting one.
Tips for first-timers
Where to start?! So many tips.
1.) BRING COMFORTABLE SHOES. I’m not kidding! After running from event to event and show to show on Saturday, my feet were dead at the end of the day. Honestly this goes for anyone taking a trip to New York City – you will be walking. Get comfy shoes that you can walk in! A tip that was a huge help throughout the week was keeping a pair of flats in a little dust bag with me, and breaking them out every time I had to hop on the subway or run from place to place.
2.) Utilize your network. Chances are you probably know some people either through work or through your social network that know of events happening at fashion week. I reached out to a bunch of friends to see what all they were heading to, and if they knew of any events that I might be a good fit for.
How early in advance do you need to start planning?
I actually started planning around July, and it ended up being a good amount of time for me. Since I traveled for work, I booked my hotel and flight around early July, and started my outreach to brands and contacts by mid-to-late July. However, if you’re planning to pitch to hotels and restaurants during your stay, it might be a good idea to start planning a bit early, because I know a lot of tourism agencies and PR for hotels start planning for fashion week a lot earlier.
Tips for planning your schedule
Google Calendar was my absolute best friend! GPS Radar was great and all for getting considered for events, but the user experience on it isn’t great. I’d highly recommend having your Google Calendar all planned out beforehand, including the locations of each of the events that you’re planning to attend. Then you can easily plug in the
What areas are the best to stay in?
I stayed in SoHo this time around, and it ended up being really great. Most of the shows take place at Spring Studios or Pier59 Studios, so anywhere near those is great. However, most of the events and get togethers that I attended were in the SoHo area, so that ended up being really great so that after late nights I could just take a quick walk home. Also, if you’re not a frequent NYC visitor, SoHo shopping is the BEST!