My first NYFW Experience.
NYFW was nothing short of a beautiful memory. I have been dreaming of attending this weekend of fashion ever since I was a little girl. September NYFW to me was the best weekend of the year, every year. Looking forward to seeing my favorite designs in the Vouge magazines when I was little, to growing up and seeing my favorite YouTubers vlog their NYFW experience, I always dreamt that one day I would be a part of it. Last year I saw so many micro-influencers getting invited to NYFW and I knew I had to make it my goal next year. Many emails later and lots of my summer being prioritized with this, I successfully got invited to 3 Shows! In this article, I am going to share how my experience was, my OOTDs, and my favorite looks, as well as share my tips for anyone aspiring to go next year or this upcoming February 23’! My Experience.
Night 1
All the shows I attended did not allow plus ones (which is fine!), but it was my first NYFW and I was nervous. I knew this is what I wanted to do so I went into the city alone and decided that I would do this by myself. It was a huge step in my life that I understood I needed to make despite how scary it seemed. When I got to the Venue everything was a lot simpler than I thought. My shows were running behind schedule so I ended up waiting around 30 minutes in line to get into the venue before cocktail hour began. When cocktail hour started pictures were being taken at the front door and gift bags were being handed out. It was such a fun and surreal feeling.
Each design kept getting better than the next and my jaw was simply on the floor. From the shining sequins on the statue of liberty designed gown, and the matching bags correlated into each outfit, all the pieces had so much thought and hard work put into them. To the energy in the hall, from all the models killed on the runway, everything about the Jessica Jade collection was nothing short of breathtaking. After the show was finished I headed home since I live over the bridge and it was past 2 am before I got home, however, there was an after party I was invited to that I wish I could have attended :( This show was just stunning and I cannot wait to see the work that Jessica Jade does in the future.
Night 2
Night two was a different show with many different concepts. I was invited to the show by a designer named Renacio, however, the show contained 4 different designers with extremely different abstractions. There were all different aesthetics in this show ranging from punk, all the way to ballroom gowns! This was something so cool I would have never imagined all being in one show. This show was especially cool because I got front-row VIP seats which were simply insane! I truly enjoyed this show and I’ll include some of my favorite looks!
The designers of this show included: Inherent, Punk Majesty, Just BE 72, and Renacio. The first designer to display their collection was Inherent. Inherent is a versatile clothing brand that partners with local and national organizations helping to build awareness around men’s mental wellness issues like anxiety, depression, stress, and self-doubt. This is something I enjoyed learning about this brand and it makes me happy to see the brand supporting issues like this. I truly enjoyed the Inherent Collection. The next Collection displayed was Punk Majesty. This brand is the polar opposite of my personal aesthetic yet it was so tasteful to see. The models killed it (per usual) and the whole environment was pure magic. The splash of punk mixed into the rest of the elegant designers was truly something I didn’t know the show needed. The next designer was Just BE 72. This brand is super modern and chic. Their collection carried many different styles of cocktail attire and even some prom attire. I could see myself wearing some of their pieces to all different types of events. Their outfits ranged from mini dresses to pantsuits and even some gowns! Just BE 72 even had dancers come out and perform before their walk, it was so well planned. Now for the last designer of the night, and to wrap up my NYFW experience, Renacio. This brand was nothing short of amazing. The way the designer incorporated a storybook fairy tail into the show was simply beautiful. The music was the factor that honestly pulled the show together. Not only were the pieces so elegant and divine, but you could tell how much patience and dedication was put into each outfit. My personal favorite was the ballerina ballroom gown because simply, what is there not to love? The models not only had to walk the runway but they played the most perfect roles for their characters. Overall this show was magnificent and set such high standards for future shows.
My Outfits
On the very night, I got invited to my first show, I knew two things. I wanted to wear a dress, and I want it to be sparkly. With me only being invited a week before the show I knew it was going to be hard finding something I not only loved and felt confident in but also something that would ship in time. I had some ideas in mind and looked to Pinterest for inspiration but I still did not know what I wanted, where to get what I wanted, and also what price takes into account. I browsed across a few outfits on various websites but when I was directed towards ASOS, I was sold on about 12 different dresses. My favorite option was this embellished sequin mini dress with a unique and gorgeous sailboat design. This dress was tied in the back and it was 100% polyester. When I finally narrowed it down to this dress and this dress only I paid around $20 in shipping just to make sure it would come in time. This dress was simply beautiful but if I was already buying something, let me buy a few accessories. So I did. I mean I have been in due for a new leather jacket, and this dress needed a chic yet edgy look to add to it. I also wanted to purchase a handbag to go with this. Simple white was the vibe I was looking for and I found just that! Overall I was so sad to take this outfit off at the end of the night and I may need to reuse this outfit sometime soon. I will link everything I purchased under the pictures down below.
My outfit for night 2 was not as exciting but it was something so different for me. I was more focused on night 1 so I only looked on a few websites for the second outfit when I decided I was to keep it casual. I bought this outfit from one of my favorite websites - Princess Polly. This outfit was a white pant set and WOW did I love this. Pants (especially these types) aren’t my go-to outfit for fancy events like this. I love a good skirt or dress. This outfit has been in my cart for a while now and I was always waiting for the time I would cave and buy them, and I couldn’t have picked a better event. I felt so confident and chic in this outfit. It was overall such a powerful outfit and just great quality. I wish I got better pictures in this outfit but I did post quite a lot of me in this outfit on my Tiktok ( @_giannalove ). I genuinely loved this outfit just because I am shocked I purchased this AND made it work. I will also link this piece under the picture!
My advice
My advice to anyone aspiring in attending NYFW next season: Prepare, Do your research, and Follow up.
Prepare: What your going to want to do is draft some sort of email to the brand’s shows you want to attend (if they aren’t reaching out to you first). Obviously, I have a little bit of a social media following which I mention in my email as well as prepare the brand with my media kit. This will help them with an understanding of why you should be invited because you can post their designs to the people who follow you.
Do your research: How exactly do you find a brand’s email or if they are even having a show this season? The NYFW website updates the designer’s scheduled dates about 3 weeks BEFORE THE ACTUAL WEEK OF NYFW! You can also reach out to previous designers you know who had the show’s in the year prior and see if they are having shows again When you know the brand’s date and time, you can find their email on their website or for a better chance of an answer you can search for a PR email! This is going to be very time-consuming and I suggest you organize and make spreadsheets. The more brands you reach out to the better your chances of attending!
Follow up: At this point, all the hardest work is done. Now you just need a follow-up email. Usually, this will be the most helpful step because thousands of people are sending these brands messages as well so their emails are filled up. To get to the top of their emails I would recommend sending a follow-up email after about a week of no response. It could be a small message just saying that you hope their week is good and you are following up on your previous email.
With this article coming to and end I would love to thank the brands that Invited me and truly made me have a grand time. I would also like to thank my mom immense amounts because without her I definitely would not have been able to tackle all of this planning. Lastly I would like to thank all of you who follow me, without your continuous support I wouldn’t have been invited and able to experience this, so thank you! Until February’s NYFW…..
