Top 5 Tips for a Successful New York Fashion Week

Prior to hopping on that plane, I did a fair bit of research on the Do’s and Don’ts of Fashion Week to stay prepared and also because I wanted to make sure that I made the most of my trip there. The goal is to make the most of my first season of New York Fashion Week & still make time to explore the city and have some tourist-y fun!

Here are my Top 5 Tips for a Successful New York Fashion Week!

Prepare your outfits ahead of schedule

I don’t know how many times I’ve shared this, but I hate packing with a passion- if I was a millionaire, I would hire someone to pack my bags for me. In preparation for Fashion Week madness, I strongly suggest planning your outfits from head to toe (yes, that includes shoes, bags and accessories).

Try them on to make sure everything fits and looks as good as it does in your head, and then snap a photo for quick reference. Trust me, when you’re there and everything is go-go-go, you want to save as much mental energy for the shows.

Also, pack twice the amount of clothing for the days you’ll be there. I had at least 2 outfit changes per day = 14 outfits for the week. Why? Because there are photo opportunities all around and why not make the most of it. Also if you plan out your shows properly, you’d have ample down time for a quick change and ready to get snapped by street photogs.

The art of efficient packing

My hairstylist shared this GENIUS packing tactic- no idea why I never thought about this before. Moving from pre-planning your outfits, pack each full look together in vacuum sealed packs and separate them in your luggage.

I didn’t do this in time but can you imagine how much time this saves?

You literally just pick up a packet and go! Like a freaking Happy Meal! These Rose Herschel Babies were my saving grace and it helped that they were pretty too.

Ps: Don’t forget to pack a tiny compact umbrella! NY does this thing where it likes to randomly flood your face and then bring back the sun

The Shows, the Shows, The Shows

The very reason why you’re going to NYFW to begin with! We started reaching out to brands really early on, like, 5 months prior which was unfruitful. I remember reading posts about how to wait till 3 weeks prior to the season to reach out but I decided not to heed that advice.

Well, the advice is right.

What you can/should do early on is do your research on the contact information for various brands, shows and showrooms that you’d like to go to. And then when it’s 2-3 weeks before the shows, that’s when you send your hundreds of emails for invites.

That said, I’m glad I listened to the advice I was given on not over doing it with the shows. Guys, New York traffic is absolutely insane. I almost got hit by 2 taxis and a Kebab stand (yes). It takes a good amount of time being stuck in your Uber or Cab getting from one show to the next, and you need to be at each show about 30 minutes prior so planning shows back to back isn’t the smartest idea.

Give yourself time to get from one venue to the next and prioritize based on what your must-see shows are. I did a lot of re-prioritizing and reshuffling because invites were still coming in the day before the show. I’m also glad that I left time for showroom visits and brand events/meetings because as fun as the shows are, the events are where most of the networking happens!

Oh! And the NY subway is really confusing at first but once you get the concept, it’s a much cheaper and sometimes faster alternative

 Highlights for shows that I was fortunate to attend: Concept Korea (AMAZING), Indonesian Diversity Show, Alexander Wang Backstage (got some Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid paparazzi shots with my phone), Saks Party, Banana Republic x Olivia Palermo.

Leave Room for Sightseeing

I always try to remind myself to have a good balance between work and play! If you’ve never been to New York, here are some top places in bullet points because we’re lazy to read.

• Soho (great for shopping)
• Times Square (so fun at night, but watch out for moving Kebab stands)
• Bloomingdales (good if you’re planning on spending money)
• Park & 5^th Ave (a nice variety of large retail stores ranging from omg I can’t afford this to yay cheap stuff)
• Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo (about 30 minutes via train from Times Square)- totally worth it, the Bridge reminds me of the Lions Gate in Vancouver
• Central Park
• Bar Sixty Five at Rockefeller Plaza (if you’re looking for a fancy night out and want to catch a spectacular view of Manhattan from above)

Planning those Fashion Photoshoots

I made sure to plan photo locations in advance, and asked a couple of my blogger friends for suggestions! Instagram is a great place to search up #NYC hashtags and you can find some gem locations after much scrolling. It makes things much easier when you plan in advance for shoots, especially if it involves planning it between shows.

I was so close to hiring and paying for a photographer in New York but so glad I didn’t. Firstly, there just wasn’t any time.  I ended up getting a friend/new friend to take a shot for me. Plus with Fashion Week, there are a ton of talented photographers on the street that would gladly exchange contact info with you to share photos.

I hope this post has helps and if you have any questions, drop a comment below!

Plus,  if you’ve fallen in love with my sunnies in these photos, you can find links to them HERE 

Till next time xx