Is it worth all that hype? The answer to this is a yes and no. Why? Let me explain.
During the second week of February, so from the 8th to the 14th of February, I got the chance to attend one of the most famous fashion weeks out there: it is of course the New York Fashion Week. It was a very intense week, filled with running around different locations of the shows, parties and brand presentations, which are scattered around the city.
Before my very first show I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. Walking down the pavement to Spring Studios I could see photographers catching different streetstyle moments and details. It was just like I’ve imagined and much more. Security and PR teams were all very helpful and more than prepared. Which is a clear difference compared to fashion weeks in Ljubljana. Everything ran smoothly and there were no complications whatsoever. Models and clothes were gorgeous, collections were intricately designed, “coloured” with a sense for cultural heritage and local design.
As it was my first time at NYFW I didn’t attend all the “big names of the industry” fashion shows, yet I still very much enjoyed my fashion week experience seeing amazing, lesser-known yet extremely talented fashion designers and their collections, which I know they undoubtedly worked very hard on.
The first thing that surprised me is how different it is compared to a fashion week in Ljubljana. All shows started from 15 to 30 minutes late, which offered us some time to get to know the person sitting next to you and making some new, very important connections. The shows had a protocol of their own - everyone sitting in the front row had to uncross their legs and present a good posture so that they don’t effect any of the runway pictures designers will use for their later promotions. Photographers expressed their comments loud and clear - again very different to us, where all you hear is a clicking sound of a camera. The shows lasted for a good 10 to 15 minutes and presented collections of more than 40 pieces. Imagine how much work has gone into preparing a show as extensive as that. After the round of applause and shown gratitude for the designer, everyone quickly stood up, corrected their outfits and rushed to the elevator to get to the next location. This was a normal fashion show routine, which ran on all the other shows as well.
I’ve also learnt that arriving sooner to the show (if you did not have an allocated seat but rather a priority standing/normal standing ticket) was key to getting in. It turns out that a lot of people got the tickets to the same, hard-to-get-in fashion show, but due to the venue capacity not everyone was able to got in. So punctuality should be your best friend at shows like these.
Though the streetstyle was as amazing as I’ve seen it popping on my Instagram feed, not everyone bothered to dress as over-the-top. I was kinda taken aback at first, but learnt to later appreciate, because everyone had a different role or purpose of attending a certain show. If you want to get in that online elite of streetstyle fashionistas, the secret is to wear bright contrasting colours, all-one-colour looks or outfits with a lot of details and volume. These outfits will look great in photos and that is why everyone would love to publish them on their websites.
After the shows ended, we got some free time to explore the city, as it was our first time in New York. From the Rockefeller Center to Empire State Building, Flatiron Building, MOMA, Guggenheim Museum, Soho, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Central Park and 5th Avenue, it was an amazing and memorable trip. We didn’t have that much time to properly discover the city, but despite that we managed to visit a lot of famous sites in only 5 short days.
It’s only the beginning of 2018, but so much has happened already. New York was on top of my travel list and I finally did it. It completely stole my heart and I fell in love with the city, just like London. I can’t explain the feeling, you will just have to visit NYC and try it for yourself. I know I will be back soon, there’s so much more for me to explore and see. And I can’t wait to do it all over again!
New York you’ll be missed!
Wearing: Isabel Marant x H&M bomber jacket, Mango wide leg white trousers, Zara grey turtle neck top, Adidas Stan Smith trainers and Le Specs sunglasses.
