Every year it seems like fashion week approaches quicker and quicker. The week before the actual events is one of the most hectic weeks of my year. This may surprise many of you, but it’s hard for me to get excited for Fashion Week sometimes because I’m so busy preparing and making sure I have everything in order! My week before departure includes sending out A LOT of emails to my PR contacts and brand relationships, going to showroom appointments, planning out my schedule including the shows (and if I haven’t gotten into a particular show I wanted to go to I have to email their PR myself and try to score a seat), travel, shoots and not to mention, running around town trying to find pieces that fit my vision and petite frame. Fashion week is like taking your finals in school.. it takes a lot of prepping to score and make an impact. Every blogger is out on the streets trying to get the perfect shot from the street style photographers outside of the shows. So yes, the pressure is on and I always have to elevate my style (and wallet..unfortunately) to bring my A-game!!

During every fashion week, everyone’s Instagram feed is full of streetstyle shots, beautiful shows, backstage moments and events that all look very exciting..but in reality there’s so much more that you don’t see. Documenting fashion week is really challenging because the shows are complete chaos, especially backstage and it never goes as planned. So between watching shows, networking with fellow bloggers and designers, taking photos, attending events, and then trying to edit and organize all my content for IG and the blog..there really isn’t much time for rest!! I love NYC ..but this season I’ll only be staying for 4 days and I’m happy about it :) Plus, 4 days really feels like a few weeks during NYFW because every moment is so action-packed and beyond the shows, there’s so much else to squeeze into your day.

Although my time in New York is crazy, there’s still so much I love about fashion week like the exhilarating feeling I get when watching my most loved designer’s hard work coming to life on the runway. After so much prepping and analyzing all the trends, seeing them being presented on the runway is a rewarding feeling and no matter how many fashion shows I attend, I always get the same rush!! I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to attend fashion week and I love taking you guys along for the ride :)

TIPS!!!

Plan Out Your Outfits

My #1 tip for attending any fashion week is plan out your outfits in-advance!! I learned from my first couple fashion weeks to always have everything ready, head to toe. Fashion week is stressful enough, so you don’t need the added stress of scrambling to get your outfits together an hour before the show! Since I’m pretty much running around the city all day, I like to always bring a change of shoes, sunglasses and a small beauty bag with some essentials like a hydrating facial spray, different lip colors, oil blotting sheets, and powder. These essentials are key to refreshing you look in-between shows, especially when you’re out from morning to night and want to change up your look :)

Make Notes

Every season I’m still amazed at all the hard work and preparation that goes into every collection, and how this can all be translated into a showtime of under 10 minutes!! With that being said, make sure you write down everything that interests you immediately after the shows. I always use the notes app on my iPhone to jot down any immediate thoughts about the show and then elaborate on my initial points when I’m on route to the next show! It’s always more natural to talk about the details the show as you see it rather than trying to gather everything after the trip..and forgetting the most interesting parts.

Location & Time

Make sure you plan out your travel time and know every location you’re going to including it’s surroundings! This is SO important because New York traffic is heavy enough, but during fashion week it becomes a complete mess. Google maps and Waze will be your best friend when planning out how much time you need to get to shows and meetings. It also has it’s perks to know your surroundings at every show so you can shoot immediately after and be one step ahead of everyone ;)

Network Network Network!!

I’ve built tons of amazing relationships during fashion weeks. This was key when I was attending my first few fashion weeks and starting to grow my blog. Before and after the show is the best time to network with fellow bloggers and PR contacts. I also try to get as much coverage as I can from each show so I can so I can share with you and at the same time, help out my friends in PR that were kind enough to invite me. It works out well for all of us!

NYFW is also a great time to reach out to some bigger publications you’ve been dying to work with ie Refinery29, WhoWhatWear, WWD, to tell them you’ll be in town and you’d love to get in for a meeting. In this digital world we live in, facetime is important and really helps in building real relationships beyond the screen.

Hope you loves enjoyed reading my personal experience with NYFW! I’ll be posting so much more behind-the-scenes, runway moments and all my #nyfw outfits later this week, so stay tuned!!

Xxo, Jessi