Hi hi my fashionistas! We’re less than a month out from NYFW – I know, I can’t believe it’s that time again already! As we all know, New York Fashion Week planning takes a ton of time…and I’ve been getting a lot of messages lately on fashion week tips + requests for my past blog posts on how to prep, so I thought it would be great to share a refreshed NYFW blog post. This is very similar to a post I previously wrote, but it’s all updated based on my most recent experiences. FYI:Â NYFW is starting on Feb 8 and ending on Feb 16 this season.
First Step: Pitching to Shows
1. First of all, donât freak out if this is your first time attending NYFW. Even if you donât have a huge following , you will get to attend some shows, I promise ? I received a good amount of invites to shows when I JUST started blogging in the beginning, so have faith in yourself!
2. Start by looking at the full show lineup at Modem Online. Youâll be able to see the shows by day, time, and venue. From there, click on the âpressâ tab, and you can cross reference the PR contact for each of the shows. I create a list of the shows/pr contact that I want to pitch to, and then prepare my email.
3. When you send out your request emails, make sure itâs short and sweet. Think about all the emails that these PR contacts are getting! I keep mine really generic so that I can just copy and paste the same email to a bunch of brands, and switch out the show titles. For the shows that you may have a relationship with already or that you REALLY want to attend, I would take time to personalize it a bit more. I send out my pitching emails about 1-2 weeks prior to the show date. If you send it too early, you will likely get ignored. You can follow up after a few days of not hearing back â but seriously, donât feel bad if you donât ever hear a response back! Just keep in mind that these peeps are busy ? . Here is an example of a good pitching email (tweak it to fit your own voice!):
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is XX and I am a fashion blogger of XX. My blog shares the latest on fashion trends, product reviews, and event coverage.
I have XX social media reach, with an avg of ~XX Instagram likes and ~XX comments. My blog gets about ~XX blog pageviews with ~XX users per month.Iâd like to request an invite to The XX Show. It would be an honor to present the latest collection to my followers.
(if applicable)Â Please feel free to view my previous blog post on New York Fashion Week last season: http://XX.com
Thank you for reviewing my request.
All the best, XX
4. Lastly, Download the âGPS Radarâ app. Â You do need to input some information about yourself & blog, but once accepted – this will give you full visibility into all the shows, by day. If you get an invite, it will show up in this app and you can click âattendingâ or ânot attendingâ. You also can request an invite to any of the shows in here by a click of a button (I recommend emailing the PR contact instead though). Most of the designers use this app to send ticket requests and seat assignments. You can also pull up your ticket barcodes in this app, so itâll be easy to keep track of.
What to Expect During NYFW
- Each show will be about 15-20 minutes long. After the doors open, the show usually will start 15-30 minutes afterâ¦so get ready to wait (also be prepared to wait in a long line for the door to open)! Cut the time that you see on your invite in half, because half of the time allocated is the time for viewers to come in/get seated and then leave after the show is over. If you are a few minutes late to a show, you will probablymake it â but just in case, I would definitely try your best to show up on time ?
- Donât stress about seating priority. You might get an assigned seat, or you might get a âstandingâ priority. Donât worry, as long as you have a barcode then youâll be good. A lot of times you can get lucky with a really good seat (maybe even a front seat!) and move up a row if a spot is open ?
- Get ready for those Uber charges. There may be multiple venues (usually at least two main ones) for the shows, and they may not be within walking distance. There are also other additional venues that designers host their shows at. Especially because it’s SO cold right now, youâll have to be ubering back and forth (especially with heels on) â unless you plan out accordingly and only want to attend back to back shows that are at the same location ?
- Use your phone camera for photos. â Using your phone camera is totally fine! If you want super professional photos, I would recommend just getting them off the NYFW site afterwards. You probably arenât going to want to lug around a big camera (unless you are SUPER dedicated) to all of these.
- Itâs important to stay organized. Youâll be getting a ton (hopefully ? ) of confirmation tickets and emails, so itâs really important to stay organized. I create a calendar invite for myself for every show, so that I can see the full schedule for myself on my phone. I also âstar/favoriteâ every confirmation ticket so that I can easily find the show and pull up the ticket quickly when I check in. This will make your scheduling process super simple!
- You will see celebrities (probably!). Itâs a cool experience getting to see the celebs! In the past, I have seenâ¦Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Sami Sweetheart from Jersey Shore, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jay Alexander, Kelly Osbourne, Caila Quinn from the Bachelor, and a ton of Real Housewives ladies. Iâve stalked a few after the shows to snag a pic ?
- Dress for the occasion. I couldnât emphasize this one more! Itâs only respectful to the designer to dress your best at the shows. You will be surrounded by super influential people in the fashion industry who obviously all care about style, so keep that in mind accordingly! Also, there will be photographers every where you turnâ¦seriously, dress to impress! It’s super cold in NYC right now, so be sure to throw a big coat over that fab outfit.
- You will be tired, but itâs worth it! To be completely frank, NYFW is pretty exhaustingâ¦your feet will hurt and the day will seem so long, but trust me â itâs TOTALLY worth it! Itâs an incredible experience like no other, so get EXCITED ?
NYFW Must-Haves
Based on my previous experiences, I think itâs super helpful to carry a big bag (matching your outfit of course ? ) so youâll be able to carry a bunch of necessities. See below for the list of items that I think are CRUCIAL for you to relax & enjoy the shows!
- A change of shoes. Youâll likely be sporting some stilettos, so itâs nice to have a pair of flats or sandals to change into after the show ends. I also use airpufs â comfy little slip-in cushions for my heelsâ¦theyâre a life saver!
- Bandaids. Just in case the âbeauty is painâ statement comes into effect for those hurtful heels ?
- Portable phone chargers. As if this wasnât an obvious! You’ll definitely need this, especially if your phone dies super fast like mine does! Youâll want to have your phone camera ready to capture those gorgeous designer pieces! AND youâll need your phone to be alive for the workers to scan your NYFW ticket.
- Business cards. Get them done if you havenât already! I got mine done from . Youâll have many opportunities to network with bloggers/brands, so itâs nice to have them handy.
- Dry Shampoo/Hair Spray/Makeup/Bobby Pins. There will be photographers EVERYWHERE, so itâs helpful to have a little touch up goodies at hand ? There are also pretty swanky lounges around the venues that do touch ups for free â so keep an eye out for those and book an appointment ASAP!
- Snacks. You WILL be hungry, and there is very little time for food in between shows. The venue will usually have some water for you, but I suggest bringing some small snacks that you can fit in your bag.
Not a blogger? Not in NYC? How to still follow along the fashion!
If you arenât part of the fashion industry, but still want to be part of the NYFW madness, there are actually a ton of free fashion events that you can go to! Check out Fashion Week Online and EventBrite to see a bunch of open events with full details. If you arenât in NYC at all, you can also watch the live streaming of all the designersâ collection shows here. To get an even more insider scoop, Iâll also be live insta-storying the shows I attend on my instagram ? Lastly, the official NYFW site can be found here.
Please feel free to leave a comment or message me if you have any other NYFW questions at all! Iâm so happy to help ?
Outfit deets are below –
Top:  (similar) | Pants: | Sunnies: | Boots:  | Purse: | Photos by Midnight.Express