NYFW

New York Fashion Week 2017: Day 2

Two piece Dress: Dillard’s | Shoes: Nordstrom | Jacket: Nordstrom | Purse: Charming Charlie

Day two of fashion week started out with an early morning shoot with Ban Avenue Photography at the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a Christmas miracle that Kylee and I were only 30 minutes late after the night we had before. Not sure if advil, water or coffee was getting the MVP title that morning. The pictures from that shoot will be on the blog Monday along with a blog takeover by my girl Kylee so make sure to check it out!

After our shoot, we made our way over to Amika in Brooklyn to get our hair done for the day. The retro style salon had a cool vibe and I decided to go with statement curls and a french braid. I use Amika’s dry shampoo on the reg so I was excited to see how they would style my hair! I might add that we also stopped at Starbucks and grabbed our first PSL (pumpkin spice latte) of the season. Definitely a note worthy occasion!

Next up, we headed back to our hotel, changed into something a little more comfortable to run around the city in. RewardStyle was hosting a come and go party at a rooftop location so we stopped by there to mingle with bloggers, throw back some champagne and take yet another rooftop pic (because the limit does not exist when it comes to NY rooftop pics!).

Our first productive meeting of the day was with Bauble Bar, my hands down favorite place for trendy accessories. I might as well buy stock in the company since I own half of their jewelry collection. It was my second time attending their showroom and it never disappoints! If you are in the industry and heading to New York at some point, I highly suggest stopping by.

Outside of Bauble Bar we found a little slice of heaven, aka food truck heaven. This traveling food truck market is open until September 23rd right outside of Madison Square Park. If you haven’t gotten the gist already, fashion week is chaos and food is not a priority (shocking, I know). So stumbling upon fast and good food was a total blessing. We loaded up on empanadas: mac and cheese empanadas, pulled pork empanadas, curried chicken empanadas, etc.

For the rest of the evening we changed once more into a more cocktail attire and met up with blogger friends at the Roof at South ParkOne of my Houston blogger friends, Dawn, put together a happy hour so that all of us could get together and catch up on our fashion weeks so far. So many Houston blogger friends went to fashion week this year so it was so fun getting everyone together plus all of our new friends in a different city. Yash, our Houston photographer and good friend met up with us to take pictures outside of the event which is where the above pictures were taken. After drinks, all of the roomies (Britt, Kelly, Kylee and I) ended the night at Butter, an extremely nice and yummy restaurant. Check out my fabulous roomies below!

I had planned to go to two shows (Katie Gallagher and Cindy Motiero) this day but my schedule just did not allow for it 🙁 I’ve learned for the coming years that I will put more thought into planning out my schedule. While I love going to shows during fashion week, events and parties where I get to meet new people and make lasting memories are where I would prefer to spend my time.

Thank you all for letting me relive my fashion week experience with all of you! Tomorrow on the blog I will be recapping day 3. If you like these sort of posts and would like to see more, you can view all of my NYFW posts here.

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New York Fashion Week 2017: Day 1

Dress: Chicwish | Sneakers: Nordstrom | Purse: Goodnight Macaroon | Earrings: Bauble Bar | Lipstick: MAC “All Fired Up”

Photos by: Ban Avenue

I hope you all aren’t sick of hearing me talk about fashion week yet because I am just getting started! It was my second time to attend this year, and if it was any sort of sign of fashion weeks to come, I would say that they are just going to get better and better each year. It’s crazy being able to visit fashion shows, parties and events of brands that I have come to know in the industry alongside fashion bloggers all over the world. New York Fashion Week truly is a pinch me moment that I don’t think will ever feel “normal”.

As a heads up, there is a lot coming to the blog this week. I will recap each day that I was there as well as answer questions that I have been asked about attending fashion week and working with brands and PR firms. In the meantime, I updated my Everything You Need to Know About NYFW blog post that houses the best information for anyone wanting to attend fashion week next season.

Day one of fashion week started extremely early and with very little sleep, but rest assured it was my favorite day! Kylee, from Whine to Wine, and I caught a 6 am flight out of Houston so that we could hit the ground running (hence the comfy sneakers). After checking into The Courtyard Marriott, we had our first meeting at Bollare’s showroom. Bollare is a PR firm that represents several brands that you will recognize such as Wrangler, Spiritual Gangster, Chinese Laundry, Triangl, and many more. While there we ran into Christine from Hello Fashion blog and I fangirled this year just as hard as I did last year when I met her!

After loading up at Bollare, we headed to our hair appointments with Redken. The location of the appointment was in one of the Dream Hotel penthouses with a terrace overlooking New York. This would be the first of many tipsy rooftop shenanigans throughout our trip! I ended up getting Laced hair extensions and a fishtail braid. Check out this post to see more of the look!

Next up, we headed to a Shopbop (one of my favorite retailers) pop-up event announcing their new site rebrand and fall collection. They had limencello drinks, a huge swing, PUPPIES, and a beanie making station. This was one event that I was extremely excited to get to attend as I shop their site all of the time! If you haven’t heard of Shopbop, I like to say it is very similar to Nordstrom. They carry many designer brands such as Tory Burch, Rebecca Minkoff, Stuart Wietzman, etc) and have a Friends & Family sale twice a year where everything is discounted up to 25% off. Stay tuned because one is happening soon! I will update this page when the sale starts.

The last event of the day was a VIP party with Sam Edelman. I had been working with them for a few months prior to this event so getting to attend their party during fashion week was surreal! By this point, the drinks had been flowing all day and it was at this point Kylee and I realized we had not eaten since 5 am and food was a MUST.

We headed back to our hotel that housed the most amazing rooftop club and danced the night away after drunkingly ordering one of everything off of the bar menu. Cheers to day one!

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Instagram Round-up: NYFW Outfits

Since I am in the midst of traveling the world (literally sitting at the airport now), I wanted to go ahead and give you a quick sneak peak at the outfits that I wore while I was in New York for Fashion Week. In the coming weeks, I will also have blog posts on each of these outfits, as well as recaps of each day including all of the events and shows that I attended. Easily shop any of the below pictures by clicking on the product below it or shop everything I took with me here.

If you are interested in learning more about New York Fashion Week before I get to my next posts, check out all of last year’s posts here and be sure to check back in the coming weeks for my full schedule and outfit posts!

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New York Fashion Week Tips

I’ve said it so many times but I want to start this post off saying it once more, anyone can go to fashion week! Whether you are a blogger, work in the fashion industry, or it has just been on your bucket list for years, anyone can go to New York fashion week. That being said, you definitely will have to put in some grunt work to get into fashion shows and parties. Since I’ve been around the block, hopefully these tips will get you ready for fashion week too!

BEFORE NYFW

  • Be proactive with fashion show invites– No matter your size, there is a show for you. Some fashion shows will be invite only, but some are open to the public. The key is that you have got to put in the work and reach out to as many fashion shows and event contacts as possible because they are not going to come to you.
    • When should I start reaching out? Start reaching out about 3-4 weeks in advance. Brands and PR firms will not confirm attendance to shows until the week of so this gives you plenty of grace time. I suggest reaching out in order of importance. For bigger brands or parties, I would reach out first as these will fill up faster. For smaller brands, reaching out 1-2 weeks in advance is plenty of time as they will be looking for people to fill their seats.
    • How do I know who to reach out to? When in doubt, email everyone you can find a contact for. Utilize your good friend Google as well as LinkedIn. Each brand’s website should have a PR or marketing email. Contact them. There is an official NYFW show list that is published. I highly suggest going to down the show list, hitting up Google for each brand’s contact and emailing them your pitch. If you can find more than one potential email per brand, even better! If the brand is represented by a PR firm, even better. Contact the PR firm and let them know that you are interested in going to that brand’s fashion show/party.
    • What do I say in my pitch email? I suggest having one generic email for brands and one for PR companies. That being said you should personalize these for shows that you really want to go to or have a connection with. Tell them why you want to go to their show. Have you featured them in a blog post? Link to that exact blog post in your pitch email. For both instances, state the dates that you will be in New York and ask for an invitation to any shows or events that they might be coordinating. My typical email goes something along the lines of this; “Hi my name is Shelbi and I am the fashion blogger behind the blog, It’s All Chic To Me. I will be attending New York Fashion Week September 7-12th and would love the opportunity to attend any shows or events that you are coordinating for ____”
    • Follow up– Make sure to follow up with brands that might not have gotten back to you. They are receiving hundreds if not thousands of emails a day concerning fashion week so if you get to be a week out and you still have not heard from them, send a follow up email. Also, if they come back and say that there is not room, ask to be put on the waiting list. It can’t hurt and chances are people will back out and you will get a spot!
  • Share, share, share! –  Odds are you probably know several other people going whether they are local or far away. Connect over social media and share those contacts! My biggest piece of advice is to divide and conquer. Once you start getting responses back from shows, share the yes’s with your friends and vice versa so that you will know somebody else going! Nobody wants to go to shows alone and this way you gaining hopefully just as many contacts as you shared with others. Win-win!
    • Start a community google doc – My friends and I did this last year and it was GOLD. If you know people going, get a community contact list started early so that you can have all of your contacts in one place. We made sure to add the brand’s name, contact name, RSVP and who all was going to the show.
    • Facebook groups – If you are not already in several blogger or fashion Facebook groups, now is the time to join! If you search “New York Fashion Week” or “NYFW” on Facebook, several should come up and this is where people will be sharing their plans and contacts. If you are already in groups that have bloggers, strike up a conversation to see who is going and if people want to start sharing contacts. This should be a huge tool for you!
  • Make sure you have these tools– If you are not already signed up for Fohr Card and Fashion GPS (download on the app store), go ahead and do that NOW. Fohr Card is a website that brands use to see what your rank is as an influencer. Fashion GPS is an app that brand’s use to send out invites. This makes it super easy once you are there because all of your show invites will be in one place. Each show will also have a ticket barcode that is listed in the app and you will have to pull up in order to gain access.
  • PR firms are the way to go– I cannot stress this enough. While everyone is all hyped up about all of the fashion shows during fashion week, do not forget about PR firms. I’m talking about ones that you have worked with as well as ones that you might have just connected with for fashion week. If you get the chance to set up a meeting with a PR firm that you are currently working with, take it! There is nothing better than putting a face to a name and making a real life connection. This can only help you grow your connection with that firm and hopefully establish a long term partnership.
  • Packing tips
    • This is your time to dress a little crazy– There are street style photographers EVERYWHERE and the more “out there” you dress the better. Still stay true to your brand but don’t be afraid to wear something you might not normally get the chance to. Now is your time to get creative! You might just find yourself on sone major fashion website 🙂
    • Wear comfortable shoes and bring flats – My #1 piece of advice is to wear comfortable shoes. You will be walking a TON and WILL get blisters so just prepare yourself. Bring bandaids on bandaids because you will need them. If you plan on wearing heels, bring a pair of flats to change into between shows. Something that can fit into your purse is best so that you don’t have to carry your shoes around in your hand (#fashionfauxpaux)
    • There is no need to bring more than 2 outfits per day- From experience, it is best to pack one “day” outfit and one “night” outfit. Chances are the day will be filled with shows and/or meetings all over the city so wearing something that is both cute, functional AND (most importantly) comfortable is a necessity during the day. Do NOT wear heels during the day. You will have enough blisters as it is. As for what to wear for your “day” look, you will see everything! Jeans are certainly not too casual but don’t be afraid to rock a dress or skirt with sneakers. For reference, I will be wearing sneakers with every single “day” look. For night, this is when you can dress up and throw a pair of heels on! Make sure they are comfortable though.
    • Partner with showrooms or local brands– Almost every brand during fashion week will have a showroom that will let you borrow clothes, wear them during fashion week and then return them. This is HUGE y’all for multiple reasons. This way you don’t have to by or pack as much stuff. Less money spent and less crap to lug around! Also, if you have worked closely with any brands back home, ask them if they will let you borrow clothes for fashion week. Odds are they will say yes if you agree to tag in your social media while you are there. This is great exposure for them!

DURING NYFW

  • Getting around town– Most people will use Uber which is why the surge pricing and traffic is INSANE. It might seem like a hassle at the beginning but I promise the subway is the way to go. My first year I spent close to $400 on Ubers alone if that tells you anything. Unfortunately fashion week events are ALL over the city. You will save SO much time, money and stress by using the subway. We asked a local every time we used it which way to go. They are more than happy to help you out. And if you absolutely must use an Uber, grab a few friends to ride with and then use the “Split Fare” function directly in the app.
  • Bring an extra battery– Even if you think you have the longest lasting phone battery there is, bring an extra. Make that two.
  • Arrive to fashion shows early– Even though every fashion show starts at least 15 minutes late, plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before show time to ensure that you get a seat. Chances are if you have a priority standing ticket and are early enough, you will get a seat! If you do have a seat and notice 5 minutes (or less) before the show starts that there is open seating in closer rows, go ahead and snag the seat!
  • Uploading to Snapchat/Instagram– Since you will obviously be sharing your NYFW experience on social media, a quick tip to the wise so that you actually enjoy your experience and don’t piss anyone off. Instead of uploading directly to Instagram/Snapchat during a show/party, take pictures and videos sparingly during the event and then upload everything at once after the event is over. This will ensure you make the most of your time and don’t miss anything! Pro tip: I used my time in Ubers or the subway to catch up on posting to social media.

If I missed anything or if you are just wanting more information on NFYW, including what I’ve worn in the past or how to get invited to shows or brand meetings, the easiest way to find NYFW posts I’ve done in the past, is to type “NYFW” into the search bar on the side bar of my blog or click on any of the below links. If I didn’t answer one of your questions or you would like to ask anything else, leave me a comment or shoot me a DM on Instagram and I would love to help you attend NYFW too!

2017

INSTAGRAM ROUND-UP: NYFW OUTFITS

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK 2017: DAY 1

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK 2017: DAY 2

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK 2017: DAY 3

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK 2017: DAY 4

AN END TO NEW YORK FASHION WEEK 2017

THAT’S SO 70’S DENIM JUMPSUIT

NYFW BLOG TAKEOVER + BEST PHOTO SPOTS IN NYC

2016

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK – DAY 1

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK – DAY 2

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK – DAY 3

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK – DAY 4

 

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New York Fashion Week – Day 4

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

NYFW street style: fringe skirt + choker top

Top: Express | Skirt: Similar (under $15) | Shoes: Johnston and Murphy | Earrings: Kendra Scott | Sunglasses: Similar

Our 4th and final day of the trip was possibly the busiest of them all. Gotta go out with a bang right? We woke up early to take pictures because lord knows you take as many pictures as possible when you’ve got that pretty New York skyline backdrop. Several outfit photos later and it was time to pack up all of our luggage. Considering it looked like a bomb went off (and that is putting it lightly) in our room, the fact that all 4 of us were able to get everything packed up and cleaned up in under 20 minutes was a NYFW miracle.

11 am: Bauble Bar showroom appointment– Bauble Bar is a jewelry company that I have always loved. Their jewelry is always so on trend and full of personality. After visiting their showroom, I’m convinced it is what pink dreams are made of. The cutest set up I have ever seen and I even got to bring a couple goodies home with me! I picked out these  tassel earrings and blush choker.

12 pm: Irina Vitjaz fashion show– This show was so much fun to experience. The collection had such a whimsical appeal and I loved how each piece brought movement into the garment. From puffy sleeves and skirts to deep V necklines, the collection had a broad scope of beautiful pieces.

1 pm: Verdad presentation– This was our only presentation of the trip. The good thing about presentations is that they are usually for a lengthy period of time and you are free to come and go as you please. We were able to see the Verdad collection up close and personal which was really cool considering we had only been to fashion shows before this and those you don’t get to get as close and personal with the clothing. The Verdad collection consisted of a modern spin on denim so almost all of the pieces included some cool way to incorporate denim into a high fashion garment. I think it’s safe to say that denim will never go out of style!

3 pm: Leanne Marshall fashion show– We definitely saved the best for last. The Leanne Marshall show was hands down my favorite show to attend. Leanne Marshall was the season 5 Project Runway winner. Her collection consisted of bright colors, crop tops, flowy materials and sheer dresses. I loved how feminine and truly gorgeous each piece was. There were many other shows that we saw that I liked a handful of the collection, but I can honestly say I loved every single piece from the Leanne Marshall show! Especially the finale dress. O. MY. GOODNESS. Carrie Bradshaw would own that dress for sure.

4 pm: Charming Charlie appointment– I have been working with Charming Charlie for months now and wanted to finally be able to put a face to a name so this was one of my most important meetings. We had to reschedule multiple times throughout the weekend but I am so glad we got to meet the PR ladies and check out the huge New York shop. It was AMAZING! 2 stories full of clothes, purses and jewelry! I was in heaven 🙂

I can’t forget that we also had to make a pit stop for lunch at Shake Shack (yes, that’s 2 days in a row). I made sure to get a burger WITH meat and fries to make up for the day before. If you are in New York, you have to add this one to the list!

After our last meeting of the day, Britt and I made our way back to the hotel to grab our things and race to the airport. Racing around seemed to be a reoccurring theme for New York but we somehow made it out alive. We barely made it onto the plane before both of us passed out from exhaustion. Mouths wide open and sweet dreams of the past 4 days filled our minds as we dove into a deep slumber.

NYFW was hands down a dream come true for my fashion-loving heart. I grew up watching Project Runway, sewing my heart out (pajamas being the only successful thing I ever made), playing “dress up”, and wearing high heels for as long as I remember. I’ve always had a love for fashion and putting clothes together. It’s an art and I am so fortunate to have been able to witness first hand where all of the magic begins. From runway shows to brand meetings and let’s not forget meeting some of my favorite fashion icons, NYFW went well above any expectations I had going into the week. I’ve said it once before and I’ll say it again, if you are a fashion lover and you don’t have NYFW on your bucket list, your dreams aren’t big enough!

Thank you SO much for reading my NYFW recap series. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to relive each day through these posts. I will be taking a short break and then will be back for my tips and tricks to attend NYFW so that you can be with me there next year 🙂

*Thank you Johnston & Murphy for making this post possible. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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