My First Time at New York Fashion Week Day-by-Day || WAS IT WORTH IT?
So as you guys know a few weeks ago I went to New York Fashion Week. I wanted to go last year so bad but 1. I had just started blogging so I felt I had no place. 2. I was really pregnant. So this year none of my friends were going so I decided against it even though I REALLY wanted to go. My husband does business there a lot with his friend Tom and he told me he needed to get back up there so I decided on a complete whim to go for it. My mother in law flew up to watch the girls and I last-minute ordered some clothes since I didn’t really have time to reach out to brands. So I’m gonna try to wrap up as much information as possible in this article with everything you might wanna know.
NEW YOR FASHION WEEK – DAY 1
Sweater || Skirt || Booties || Earrings
We flew in early that morning in La Guardia airport and took an Uber to our hotel near Central Park, Empire Hotel. This was such a cool hotel, it immediately reminded me of the hotel in American Horror Story: Hotel. Also fun fact it was Chuck Bass’s hotel in Gossip Girl. The rooms were small but I expected that in NYC. We are so grateful to our friend Tom to hooking us up with the room.
Then we ventured out to have lunch and walk around for a bit near our hotel. We then went to our hotel bar and had some amazing conversation with a couple of locals who sometimes hang out there. They were such a delight. After that Matt left to go have dinner with Tom and some friends and I organized a blogger dinner with my friend Jessica at Arno in the garment district. It was a successful evening hanging out with some of my favorite bloggers and also meeting some wonderful new ones. I’d say about 30 girls showed up. The food was delicious, it’s hard to go wrong with Italian. We called it a night and went to bed.
NEW YOR FASHION WEEK – DAY 2
BLOUSE || JEANS || SUNNIES || BOOTS
Matt went to the Brand New Matters office so I got up and got ready to head to my first meeting. I’m gonna be honest with you all, if you knew me even 2 years ago you would NEVER see me doing this. Getting my own Uber and going to meetings all over the city alone. I have grown so much as a person the past few years. I have really come into my own and you don’t know what a great feeling that is for a timid & shy person like me. I used to have to drink to even talk to people, now I don’t even need alcohol. So anyway I headed to the Eliza J showroom alone. I met some pretty amazing bloggers who I stay in contact with now. Seriously such sweet girls. The showroom was gorgeous and the employees there were so lovely.
Then I jumped into my next cab and moved down my list (this was my BUSY day) Next I went to a PR meeting and got to view their beauty and fashion room. They were so gracious and I ran into my friend Jessica again so that was nice. After that meeting I went to another PR meeting that represents multiple fashion clients. This party was so fun. There were multiple stations with different brands set up and the fashion bloggers & artists got to shop. There was also a Kevin Aucoin makeup station for touch ups. Ok then I went to a social network party near Chelsea (obsessed btw) They had so many food and drink set up, a Tarte makeup station, photo booths etc. and once again I met some lovely ladies. When I finished up with this party I hung out a bit outside waiting on my car and just soaked it up. Me, being in the city that never sleeps, by myself. It’s a wonderful feeling when you finally find your place in life and you’re happy with what you’re doing, especially when you’re proud of what you’re doing. I drove home in rush hour traffic and just reveled in the fact that I finally had my own thing in life. I discussed NYC life with my driver who said it was a wretched place to live and raise kids and even though I love it there, I must admit I’m partial to Nashville. Just enough city but still a whole lot of heart.
SHIRT || JEANS || BOOTS || JACKET
I came back to the hotel and Matt and I got dressed real quick for a fashion show. Clearly in my absolute FAVORITE leather jacket I own. Leather jackets are the perfect addition to make every single outfit complete. Literally the only one I saw because I missed all the ones throughout the day I was supposed to attend because of my poor time management. (We’ll touch on that later) So we went to a 7pm show then to dinner at Rosa Mexicano near our hotel and had the ceviche, tres enchiladas and the sangrias and signature margaritas. Guys seriously it was delicious. Like the best. My friend Jessica used to live in the city for years and ironically recommended it when we ended up there anyway. We walked over to the Lincoln Plaza and watched a performance outside. We asked a local where to grab a good drink and they advised that actually our hotel bar had one of the best rooftop bars in the city so we jumped up there. They were right, the view was stunning.
NEW YOR FASHION WEEK – DAY 3
JUMPSUIT || BOOTIES || SWEATER || SUNNIES
|| SWEATER ||
I woke up and went to get coffee and walk around a bit by myself on Saturday morning since Matt went to play golf. I had taken the day off from activities because I wanted to sight see with him but he made plans without me knowing, thinking I was busy. I scheduled a photo shoot in Central Park with a few of my girlfriends. I walked there with my little suitcase and trekked around aimlessly since I was lost. I made it to Heather and we walked to our first destination. I instantly recognized it as the scene in 31 dresses, The Boatyard. We all shot a few looks and then had to get back to our hotels for the Reward Style party that night. A few of us decided to take a bike carriage to the street and well $80 later I made it. Big mistake. Do you know that feeling when you envision a really cute outfit in your mind then you put it on and well it doesn’t look the way you envisioned it. Yep that happened. I just let it go though and headed to my friend’s hotel to ride with them.
I will say this…that party was extremely intimidating. There were so many girls. The sad part was that so many people I looked up to and respected were just not who I thought they were. That’s how it is though right? Don’t always believe what you see on social media. It felt really clique-ish and that’s ok because I’m sure a lot of girls knew each other more than others. I’m just the type of person who always wants to make others feel welcome and can’t stand the thought of anyone feeling left out. That kind of bummed me out but other than that it was really fun. There were so many great outfits! Then a large group of us grabbed dinner afterward and I loved all of those girls so much.
NEW YOR FASHION WEEK – DAY 4
We woke up and grabbed coffee then checked out of our room and headed to New Canaan, Connecticut. It was about an hour drive. Our friends Tom and Caroline moved out there from NYC a few months ago. I pretty much fell in love. With everything. The town, this family. I told Matt I wanted to move there and be their neighbors and be best friends with wine nights and evening strolls in the neighborhood. I felt like I was in a movie driving through, like Stepford Wives or the Truman Show. Tom made the joke that there should be a drinking game and you take a shot when you see a golden retriever. It is the ultimate America. They were such lovely hosts and I can;t wait to make it up to them when they visit Nashville next. We ate lobster and drank wine and I played with their son….well he tackled me 1000 times, showing me what it felt like to have a boy ha. I hated to leave the next morning.
NEW YOR FASHION WEEK – DAY 5
So we drove back in the city since we had to fly out that evening. We put our stuff in Tom’s office and ventured out to the city to be tourists. It was absolutely surreal to be in NYC on 9/11, the day so many people’s lives were changed 16 years ago. Every single american alive remembers that day, where they were, what they were doing. We headed to Times Square first. I wore the most comfortable Beyond Yoga jumpsuit of my life to see the city. If you haven’t heard of Beyond Yoga clothing you HAVE to try it, it so high end, comfortable and stylish! The best part was how chic it was even with comfort. The moto detail and drawstring waist definitely dressed it up and made it more fitted. Next we headed to Bryant Park and got coffee and sat on the lawn. We saw the most amazing hotel ever that we plan on going back to. Then we walked to Grand Central Station since I had never been. It’s even more beautiful than the movies. We jumped on my very first subway to head to the 9/11 Memorial. I did not touch anything. I was scared of all the germs. It wasn’t so bad though, but I did keep getting flashbacks of the subway scenes in Ghost. The actual site was closed off for family so we just walked around and ate lunch. Then we hopped back on the subway to get our bags. This time the subway proved to be like I was warned. I encountered this lady who was very off who kept talking to me and Matt was like “stop talking to her.” If you know me you know I can’t do that, I felt bad for her so I listened.
So you may ask, was it worth it? Honestly I’ll say yes but not for the actual fashion show portion. It was great to network with brands, meet with PR companies and spend time getting to know some of my insta blogger friends. I’d say for the last reason alone it was worth it. The only bad part about the PR company & brand portion os there are SO many bloggers there, I don’t feel you’re getting their full attention. They are not gonna remember your name when you leave because they’ve seen like hundreds of girls. A few tips for next year I’ll take with me…
- Map out your destinations and schedules. I did not do this hence the reason I missed multiple fashion shows. Coordinate appointments based on location because your Uber or cab will take 30 minutes or more. Even if it says a mile away, it’s at least 20 minutes. Try to be smart about the times and locations when you’re planning your day.
- Speaking of, your day is more than likely not gonna go as you planned. I missed multiple things and so did many friends of mine. Don’t fret. Make sure if you’re missing a show or late to an appointment that you let someone know though. Because that’s just poor etiquette and you might think they won’t notice, but they will.
- Bring snacks. The first two days I was on the go nonstop. The second day I honestly forgot to eat the whole day. I know what you’re thinking… me, forget to eat? Yeah I thought it was weird too but I did.
- Wear comfortable shoes. You’re gonna walk. A lot. Be prepared.
- Be nice. Introduce yourself to people. Not everyone goes in large groups so it’s appreciated when you are just plain friendly and inclusive. You never know who you might be talking to. I was so thankful for the sweet girls who made me feel included even though I wasn’t there with them.
Linking a few of my girlfriends New York Fashion Week posts so you can see what they have to say:
NYFW: WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT INSECURITY
WHY YOU SHOULD GO TO NYFW IF YOU’RE A BLOGGER
BTW my friend heather and I are giving a lucky winner an Eliza J dress of choice! I loveeee their dresses
a Rafflecopter giveaway
It was a great weekend exploring the city with the hubs and I can’t wait to go back in December with my lil sis. Until next time New York. Xo.
