New York Fashion Week 2019 Recap
NYC travel tips for beginners
The flight from SEA to NYC is no joke haha! Being well over 4hrs (I think it almost took 5) plus the 3hr time change difference when I lose those three hours, flying from coast to coast will leave you exhausted! Whew. Make sure you pack some snacks and water, and a good book (currently just read When Life Gives You LuluLemons and it’s a 10/10 for me). OR buy WiFi on the flight! I have been doing this lately when I fly alone and it seriously feels so good to stay connected and also get work done while flying. Because you will need it for this flight, especially if you are flying by yourself like I was. (Hey, @karlierae where you at?!) The drive from JFK to Time Square was pretty rough as well because I landed at 4:30pm, hitting all of the beautiful NYC rush hour and traffic. Thankfully the Uber ride is pretty straightforward and got me to the hotel in just under and hour and a half.
PRO TIP for traveling in NYC: Definetly download the Uber app if you are unfamiliar with cabs, because they can be much more straightforward to use. If you haven’t ever hailed a cab before it can be intimidating haha and it can feel like a lot to try to make sure they are going to the right address, that you don’t forget your card in the cab, etc. the Uber app keeps everything in one place. You can track how much $$$ you spent on traveling expenses, pay and tip, and split fares with friends as well.
where we stayed
The hotel we stayed at in New York this year was the LUMA hotel in Time Square. I roomed with Chandler (@candidlychan) and Kathleen (@kathleen.post) again; since meeting them last year we have really grown our friendships within blogging and outside of it, and I seriously LOVE spending time with them. Last year our hotel was several blocks from Times Square, still in Manhattan, but it seemed like we were driving everywhere just to get to events and parties, and so we decided this year to try and get a hotel that was more centrally located to where we knew we would be going. The LUMA hotel is right off of Times Square; close enough to easily walk into the heart of Times Square, but not right on the strip so you feel removed from some of the chaos that comes with it. We loved that we were centrally located around the events we needed to be at, as well as location in a place that had plenty of food and drink options around us. We were just a short Uber drive from the Empire State building as well.
I would highly recommend staying at the LUMA hotel in Times Square because of the location. If you are going to NYC to explore and stay in the city, you will be right in the heart of everything. If you have been to NYC several times before and want to be able to walk to shopping, food, restaurants and Broadway shows, staying here would be a fun change of pace. It places you right in the heart of the bustling city and at walking distance to so much sightseeing.
NYFW Q&A
What is New York Fashion Week?
Fashion Week started out as a kick off for fashion designers to showcase their upcoming Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer collections to the public, as well as give exclusive insight to the fashion industry. This is still VERY much a big part of what Fashion Week is, but as a blogger who’s focus is daily wear and more affordable, everyday style, this isn’t really how I view my role in Fashion Week. For bloggers and influencers who love fashion and consider this our jobs, Fashion Week is really an amazing opportunity to gather together to create, share ideas, talk about the future of fashion, what trends we see, get content, and create relationships! It gives us a chance to meet with brands in person, talk about clothing and style and share inspiration with one another for the next season. This includes (but is not limited to) fashion shows, designer showcases, photoshoots, meetings with brands, showrooms, events, and parties.
Why did you choose to go a 2nd year?
I can only speak on my own choices, but personally I chose to go again to Fashion week this September because I felt like it was a great opportunity; both in my business and social life. I loved NYFW last year because not only had I NEVER been to New York before, I was meeting so many new faces and friends that I had never seen before in person. It was so valuable to my career, especially because at that time I had just taken the leap into blogging full time a few months prior. I felt like it was the perfect time to meet all of my friends who I had met online, as well as create relationships face to face with some of the bands I loved and worked with. I decided this year that I would love to go again for these same reasons. I had been getting emails to events and shows and parties the few months leading up to NYFW this past Summer, and so I had in mind that I would go for certain events. I did get invited to a few shows, however as I explain below it doesn’t really seem to fit my personal brand so I declined, but knew that the events and brand meetings were equally as important, even if not as “flashy” or worthy of posting about. Overall I am super happy that I went for my second year of NYFW; the memories in this beautiful city, friendships that deepened, and brands that I got to connect with on a personal level is really incomparable. It has always been super important to me to keep up my personal relationships, and this is one way I do that for both brands and other bloggers.
Is your whole trip paid for your do you go on your own?
Actually nothing on this trip way paid for, nor was it paid for last year. Anyone can go to New York for fashion week if they want to really! You can reach out to PR companies if you want to get on the list for shows or get a seat. Plus lots of brands reach out to your prior to Fashion Week to invite you to different parties and events or showrooms. It just depends on what you want to make of the trip/week and what you hope to grow or get out of it. It also depends on who you are connected to and which brands you are working with or in contact with at the time. If this is your dream girl GO FOR IT! I highly recommend finding ways to get connected into the fashion community; wether that be posting on Instagram, starting a blog, or if you have a brand or clothing line, something that can connect your passions to the industry. You could also goto NYFW and just pay for tickets to shows if you love fashion!
What is the role of a blogger/influencer during fashion week?
You might be surprised to learn that we actually are not going to Fashion Week or attending any events in sponsorship with the brands. Sometimes a brand might reach out if we have worked with them in the past and ask us to talk about the event or post their clothing while we are in NYC, but rarely are girls in this realm of blogging paid to go to shows or events. This is actually super exciting for me and YOU because I can pick & choose which brands I want to see and meet with and connect with. It is exciting for YOU because you know that whatever I share with you is genuine and something I am excited about, not something I am getting paid for. As far as our roles go, I think everyones role looks slightly different! Some girls go strictly for shows and events. Some girls go to meet the brands that we have talked with for the last year and meet them face to face. Other girls go to connect with their blogger friends & to network. Since we work along day in and day out haha it is really nice to get to be together with girls who have the same passion/job/dreams as us. You could think of these girls as my co-workers haha! And this is a work event to meet with brands and other bloggers to connect, network, and prep for the Fall/Winter season.
ortzi restaurant
The first night we got to LUMA we had dinner at their restaurant, Ortzi. It is sort of fancy American and French tapas dishes, meant to be shared between several people. We ordered about 6 small dishes and shared them all together. I would recommend having your server walk through the meals and plates since it is not in english; this was super helpful for us to pick what we wanted to try. I figured it was also a good time to try some things that maybe we wouldn’t ever order at home or would have the rest of the week. I think it’s fun to try something like this at least once on every trip you take. Steer away from your usual faves and try something new & it might surprise you! The ambiance of the hotel and restaurant was very low-key and classy; the restaurant itself being low lit and mood lighting. It seemed like the perfect place to grab a drink and a meal for a date or after a crazy work day. It was a greta place fuel up and kick off our stay in New York for the busy next few days we were going to have.
The rest of the trip was not nearly as fancy as this dinner haha; between events and parties we honestly do not spend a ton of time going out to eat. We really did MUCH better than last year, where we literally would forget to eat and then be at events starving haha!! This year we mostly survive NYFW on lots of Starbucks coffee (you HAVE to try the new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew omg it is heavenly and Fall in a cup, especially if you only like cold coffee like me and are not a fan of the PSL!) and snacking. I did get Tendergreens one day between meetings and thought the BBQ chicken salad + green juice was the PERFECT combo to kick my body back into gear haha! The food is definetly not the most glamorous part of Fashion Week haha but hey we do what we can to stay fueled up!
empire state building @ sunrise
This was an extremely cool opportunity because we actually got reached out to by the Empire State Building (getting that email.. like I am sorry WHAT haha?!) to get a tour of the building and see the views from their highest viewing deck. The two slots they offered us were either in the afternoon right when we had a meeting, or a 6am sunrise viewing. Initially I was like umm am I even going to be able to get UP that early haha!! But I am SO glad that we did & honestly would pay to do it again and again and recommend this to everyone traveling to NYC. The views when you first step outside and see the sun juuust start to peek up were unreal. I kept saying over and over, “I have never seen a sunrise like this” because it was truly amazing and beautiful. As the sun started to come up even higher it started to warm up a bit (it was much colder than I thought it would be) and the light touching all of the massive buildings everywhere was incredible. Never have I ever seen views like that, and I truly think it is one amazing experience and way to see the city in a new light!
brooklyn bridge @ sunset
This was another one of those moments that I am not likely to forget anytime soon. We had wanted to go to the Brooklyn Bridge again this year to make up for the fact that last year it was DUMPING rain and super windy when we went haha it was such a crazy mess. This time, we decided we would go at sunset the night before we flew out. It was PERFECTION. Honestly, it was one of the prettiest views I have ever ever seen. The sky was clear and bright, and we got to watch (with thousands of other people) as the sun set down into the city. The sky was changing every two seconds it seemed like; it went from a pale yellow, orange, then purple and teal to a very deep blue, all in a matter of minutes. Our timing was perfect. I was happy that I was able to get a few photos on and of the bridge because it was just so incredibly stunning!!
I would definitely recommend trying to get onto the bridge right before sunset, maybe give yourself a half hour before the sun says it is going to set. Because there are thousands of people everywhere it can be sort of overwhelming to walk the bridge so the three of us just pushed through and got to where we wanted to be to get photos. Make sure you watch out for bikers LOL they will not stop for you & will so much as run you over before they stop haha!
