Fashion Shenzhen Spring 2015 Presentation
Now that fashion month is coming to an end, this is the perfect time to discuss what to wear to a fashion show, right? Not so fast. Boston Fashion Week is kicking off on October 5th and blogger friend, El of The Beauty Isle, sent me a few questions about my experience at NYFW. I got to attend several amazing shows and presentations for Spring 2015, most of which were seated (yay!) and one standing (who else was at the Pamella Roland show where it was super crowded??). Regardless, if you’re not in the first or second row, it’s next to impossible to take a decent picture at a runway show. But like everyone else at the shows, I couldn’t resist taking at least one photo of each show no matter how terrible the lighting or angles. Case in point:
But I digress. Here are a few tips from yours truly:
1. If you MUST wear heels – and unless you’re model height and can pull off Birkenstocks like you’re walking for Céline, you probably will be – keep a spare pair of flats in your bag. I’ve experienced one-too-many blisters during fashion week, so trust me when I say you’ll absolutely need flats. This means you will most likely need a fairly large bag, which renders that cute mini cross body completely impractical. Side note: snacks are also recommended because you will forget to eat.
2. Take advantage of all the freebies! During fashion week in New York you can get your hair and makeup styled courtesy of TRESemme, Glamour, and even Birchbox. So, before shelling a ton of money to look Instagram-worthy, look for the freebies – they do exist.
3. There’s a small, but very visible, subset of fashion week attendees (many of whom are bloggers) who will wear the craziest outfits to win the likes of street style photographers. You don’t have to be one them. When I go to fashion week, I wear my normal, everyday clothes, which is a mix of comfy and trendy. Basically, everything you see on my blog and Instagram feed… and I still had photographers taking my picture (it’s a good feeling)! It’s always tempting to buy clothes and accessories to look like you belong at fashion week but don’t break your wallet trying to pay for that Chanel bag circulating on Instagram. That’s what Bag Borrow or Steal and Rent the Runway are for after all. Though really, don’t try to dress like every other fashion blogger. It sounds cliche, but be yourself.
4. If you want to go backstage, let PR know in advance. If you’re really lucky you can also get the chance to interview the designer.
5. Don’t just limit your fashion week experience to the shows! This is the perfect time to attend blogger meetups and meet with brands. During my first fashion week last year, blogger friend Katie and I hosted a blogger luncheon, and this year we met with one of the founders of Fashion First Aid for a personal introduction to their products.
6. Finally, for the most important advice: be open to new opportunities! Don’t overlook up-and-coming designers because they’re not well-known. I discovered several new designers during the Spring 2015 shows, including Kati Stern of Venexiana and several Chinese designers at the Fashion Shenzhen presentation and runway show, and now I feel like a fashion hipster.
