I’ve been going to New York Fashion Week shows for six years now, covering New York Fashion Week for two years-mainly on social media networks. The first couple of times-I was caught up in the hype, paparazzi and of course the fashion. With all the excitement going on – something always goes wrong. I want to share my secrets of staying sane and tips to get you thru the lines and into your well deserved seat – before the show starts. Below I’ve compiled some helpful tips I’ve picked up over the years to help both bloggers new to New York Fashion Week, as well as the pros.
Tip #1) Getting Show Invites Your best bet is to register with IMG for accreditation — provide them with your blog website, mainly your articles relevant to fashion week (upcoming designers, unique writeups about fashion trends, trunk shows that you have attended, etc). I suggest you find out when the registration opens, so you can fill out the application asap and early registration fee is $60.00. Once your application is complete, with all of your info – the PR contracts for the designers will invite you to their shows (based on your site and credentials).
If you’re nervous about applying or don’t feel so established that you may not be approved that’s okay, there’s still hope! I recommend going to Modem Online and using their press contacts page to get the contact/PR information for the designers that are showing and the presentations or shows you’d like to attend – this site has a pretty extensive list of press information. Send a customized, professional cover letter requesting an invite and explain what your site does and why you’d like to attend. Note: Do not put that you would like to attend because you think it would be a cool experience. Please have a valid reason. Don’t forget to include links from your site, other websites or publications you may have provided fashion coverage (provide them some stats about your site, even if it’s just mentioning the demographic or how the site is rapidly growing, etc). Chances are you’ll at least get a few invites this way — you just have to let the PR reps know that you’re out there in the online fashion community and interested in their brand/designer.
Tip #2) Writing about the Shows/Presentations Now that you’ve got a few shows under your belt and excited to be covering New York Fashion Week, you’ve got to find some time, and a place, to write! Most likely you’ll have some down time in between shows, which is a good time to try to get some write-ups done. Unfortunately, there isn’t a formal press lounge at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Bryant Park, so in the past I’ve had to make do with sitting towards the back of the tents at the few tables that are vacant to take some notes or waiting until I’m exhausted out of my mind and at home around 11pm at night to write until 1 am. There are better options though, if you don’t live nearby or can run to your hotel in the vicinity. The best option I can give you is to contact HauteLook. The website HauteLook.com is sponsoring a lounge in the Bryant Park Hotel from February 11th-18th for bloggers and free wi-fi provided by Sony. If all else fails – there is always Starbucks!
Tip #3) Make it Known That You’re Covering Fashion Week! If possible, its great to be prompt with your posts to help boost search traffic, but there are other ways of getting the word out there that you’re live at fashion week and posting about what you see. Last year, I attended the Custo Barcelona show-no sooner did I arrive, that I found out it was overbooked-Fashion bloggers were outraged. It was a shame to see the people who did not get in, look at the screen in the tents to see the show that they were supposed to attend. The next day, bloggers who were not let in but who were confirmed to attend wrote about what happened. This caused the designers PR firm to throw their hands up in the air and apologize for the overbooking of attendees.
Twitter friends, make sure to give appropriate tags when you are tweeting about fashion week – #NYFW. This abbreviation/hastag posts your tweets on New York’s Fashion Week and allows fashion lovers to find your news feeds and follow you for more info. InsideTheTents.com provides behind the scenes look at fashion week and designer interviews. Click here to apply for membership. Also, remember those PR contacts you emailed? If you write about the brand/designer they represent, don’t wait for them to find your post — send them a follow-up email with the link to the post – they’ll sure appreciate it, and most likely add you to their press contacts (networking is key in any business relationship and once your name is recognized, you’ll be invited to future events).
Tip#4) Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself! Fashion week can be a lot of fun and very exciting, throwing your normal schedule completely out the window. I find myself in Soho putting together my outfits for the show-instead of going to the gym. During fashion week my diet consists of lots of coffee, a bran muffin, and a salad. You will crash or get sick if you don’t come equipped with proper nutrients ( another mistake I made). Bring lightweight, protein filled snacks that will satisfy your hunger pains — granola bars, power bars, trail mix— not the most sought after options, but when running around, waiting in line to check-in, waiting in line to get into a show, seeing the show, and doing it all again, you will be so thankful to just whip that snack out of your bag. Also, dress in layers due to temperature changes in the tent.
Tip #5) Skip the Parties, Not the Shows. It’s is very enticing to be invited to VIP parties, after-parties for designers, and the countless open bars during fashion week, but if you’re truly covering fashion week for your blog and/or other sites, skip the parties, or reserve them for weekends-only with friends. When I was younger, I thought I was Wonder Woman and can tackle all tasks given to me 24 hours a day. Now, at the age of 28 – I realized that I need to prioritize my schedule and keeping up with the fashion week schedule, writing, and partying at the same time is not going to happen. I know a fashion blogger who made the mistake of going to a party, and skipped the 9 am show the following day. We didn’t think it was a big deal, but the following season, the PR contact said to her “We gave you a seat last season and you didn’t show up – are you definitely going to show up this year?” She was caught off guard and embarrassed that someone was actually paying attention to her. I came to the realization that just like we pay attention to designers, the PR people pay attention to their audience.
Have a great fashion week, bring plenty of business cards to hand out and smile at all times. Your attitude and presentation is everything – especially in the fashion world.
Note: Credit to Julia DiNardo from Fashion Post Daily assisted with blog post.
remember being 10 years old and thinking Debbie Gibson was the coolest singer in the world, especially with her ripped jeans and big hair. My mom used to laugh at me when I would try to explain to her the importance of obtaining a pair of ripped, washed out jeans. It was frustrating because at such a young age, I was at the mercy of my parents and that didn’t really get me very far or score me any points in the fashion department amongst my peers. Ripped jeans was the in thing to wear and since I couldn’t afford to buy it, I just took some scissors to my bedroom and decided to make my own pair. When I was done ripping up my jeans, I put them on and realized that A. I did not look as cool as Debbie Gibson and B. I ruined my jeans.
