Let’s be honest – there’s a lot circulating right now in this space about fashion week. It’s always a hot topic weeks before the shows begin, and the buzz tends to continue for several weeks after. After having attended NYFW for the past three years, I’m ready to share my perspective on one of my craziest and most stressful weeks of my entire year. To give you the full backstory on my experiences at fashion week, let’s rewind to three years ago when I began to put out feelers about attending. Going to NYFW had been a dream of mine since I was about twelve years old. I distinctly remember laying in bed one night reading a fashion magazine thinking how cool it must be to actually see the runway shows in person. I literally used to fall asleep dreaming about attending.

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My First Year

Three years ago, I decided to put myself out there, send out countless emails to brands and PR firms, and see if attending would even be a possibility. My blog was still very small (I think I had about 15k followers on Instagram), but nevertheless, I decided to give it a go. Much to my surprise, I received multiple invites to shows – and some invites to shows I could only have ever dreamt of attending. I couldn’t believe it! A week later, I was on a flight to NYC and off to my first fashion week.

I had no idea what to expect. I still remember walking into my first show – I was literally shaking I was so nervous. I immediately spotted some familiar faces of girls we all follow and had a surreal “pinch-me” moment. I was about to experience the same shows these girls had always talked about! The whole week was so exciting and full of emotions – I even blacked out at one point while I was waiting in line for the Tadashi show because I was so overwhelmed (well, overwhelmed and exhausted)! Looking back now at that first week, it’s interesting to see how much both the events (and I) have changed in the last three years.[/three_fifth_last]

This Year

[two_third padding=”0px 0 0 0px”]Fast-forward to this year, I decided to change up the way I managed NYFW. Instead of accepting every show that came my way, I decided to attend a select number of shows that I had attended in previous seasons, and focus on covering those instead. I had so much more time and energy to create content to share, and it was an overall more enjoyable experience. I still pinch myself every time I walk into a show in complete disbelief that as an influencer, the designers allow us to have a place at their show. I am always so inspired by the designs and hard work that goes into a show that may only last ten minutes.[/two_third]
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As the industry changes and evolves, the influencer scene multiplies exponentially every year. It’s no secret that influencers use NYFW as a time to get recognized by press. Over the years, the bloggers parading outside of a venue (invitation in-hand or not) has gotten larger, each with hopes of being photographed and ending up in a publication to be “discovered.” My fiancé will usually wait outside the venue at shows to snap street style shots, and describes what he sees sometimes as a “complete and utter circus”. And to be fair – it kind of is, but in the best way. There are few industries that bring together everyone in the same space for a week at a time to celebrate something – so like a real circus, I’ve chosen to look at the this circus as one of excitement and inspiration.
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My NYFW Mentality

One of the most significant changes I’ve noticed over the years is a change in myself, and a change in my perspective of NYFW. Thinking back to my first year, I was SO unnecessarily hard on myself – and insecure. Constant thoughts of, “Is this the right outfit?” or, “I should have gotten eyelash extensions and a spray tan,” sadly weren’t few and far between. When you make a pilgrimage to the mecca where the most stylish people on the planet collect, it’s not hard to feel intimidated.

It occurred to me this year, however, that I’ve never been happier with where I am creatively than now. I have a clear vision for what I want to share, and I was confident in every decision I made during NYFW. I put the focus on my time and schedule, and creating content that you all would want to see, instead of getting caught up in what everyone else was doing. There will ALWAYS be someone who has a bigger following or gets invited to more events, so worrying about what you’ve missed out on instead of what you’re getting to experience is a waste of time. I think it’s this mentality that has helped me conquer fashion week with a stress-free and confident state of mind.

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