My New York Fashion Week Experience

Well, I’ve managed to check another item off my bucket list: attending New York Fashion Week. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I have always wanted to go ever since I was a kid…and as I walked the streets of SoHo on my way to Spring Studios where a lot of the shows took place, I had a few hundred “pinch me” moments.

There are too many highlights to share. I would need about 700 blog posts to cover all of them, but definitely the most memorable were: meeting Miss Jay Alexander while he strutted around SoHo being photographed (he actually came up to lil ol’ ME to compliment my suit!!!); the incredibly whimsical Cynthia Rowley show; and meeting some of my favourite bloggers that I’ve been following for years. Hi, Chriselle!

I also felt a little overwhelmed! I always thought of myself as a big city girl, but whoa. New York is serious: the lights, THE NOISE, the tough-as-nails New Yorkers…it all made me a little homesick. That being said, there were so many moments where the city made me feel alive.

It was exhilarating to sit front row at so many shows, revelling in the beautiful designs of talented designers. Many of the shows were très fashion forward – like Romeo Hunte’s, for example, that it made me go home with a new, more daring approach to fashion.

The bloggers that I met were wonderful too. From influencers that are also my friends that I was lucky enough to meet up with in NYC, to the mega-influencers I adore that I shared the front row with like Rocky Barnes, Xenia Adonts, Tezza and many more. I felt truly like I had “arrived”…that all the hard blogging work I have put in over the past four years was truly worth it, if I could be in the same room, “breathing the same air” as these fashion heavy hitters.

Anyways, I pretty much loved every second of New York Fashion Week and fully intend to return next year. Next time, I’ll be better prepared, choosing my hotel more carefully (closer to the bulk of the shows) and planning my wardrobe better (maybe I was too conservative).

A few quick things I learned:

• My blogger friends were not kidding when they told me to wear comfortable shoes. Like a dummy who likes to learn the hard way I wore heels for a couple of blocks and felt like I needed to amputate my feet.
• Taking time to rest. There were a few times where Sam (my amazing friend who helps keep my blog running) and I were rushing around stressed to get to events, shows and pop-ups. It was draining.
• REMEMBERING TO EAT! There were days with back-to-back shows and events where I didn’t eat for hours and ended up getting hangry.
• Networking is truly one of the keys to success. I armed myself with business cards and took the time to talk to everyone I met. I landed a few collaborations thanks to having the courage to put myself out there.
• Take risks! My good friend Tara is a stylist who lent Sam a crazy, bright yellow coat to wear to the shows. Sam was skeptical, but this fab coat turned out to be such a crowdpleaser!
• Take Risks PART 2: Don’t have an invite to a show? Get in line, ask people if they have an extra ticket, ask the people working the doors if you can get in Standing Room Only…just take a deep breath and put yourself out there. I did this and ended up receiving a front row seat from a Vogue editor who didn’t want her seat assignment. She texted me her invite, and we ended up texting back and forth throughout the week!

For the next week or so, my blog posts will be centered around what I wore to fashion week. Excited to share my looks with you!

Have you been to Fashion Week? What was your experience like?