Come with me to play designer by day and fashion week attender by night (and sometimes day, too).
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Who is New York Fashion Week for? This is the question that surfaces every fashion week. I ask myself every time I’m seated at a show, or when I’m standing and observing all of the invitees. Everyone has some reason for going. Maybe they’re writing. Maybe they have a following. A person reviewing a show will often be seated next to a person with no deliverable at all.
As for me: I’m an art director in a newsroom and the creative director at Byline. I’m pushing pixels, zhuzhing typography, and commissioning artists and photographers. So why am I spending my week running from show to show? I guess it’s just a love of the game.
While visiting New York as a kid with my mom and brother, I saw a photoshoot happening in Central Park. I don’t even know if my love for fashion and clothes had started to materialize yet, but something about seeing a model in a dress and photography in action made me think, I want to be part of that. I ended up having my mom take my picture next to the shoot. I felt glamorous.
Attending a fashion show gives me that same feeling. The crowds, the people who inspire my style, getting to see those people in person for the first time, seeing everything I often only witness through a screen right in front of me—all of it gives me that feeling. The skirts swish and the sequins crinkle. I listen to the conversations swirling around me, sometimes I lean in to hear someone's opinion of a show. No one’s waiting for my review, but I’m listening for everyone else’s.
The designer (not clothing) Michael Bierut once said in a lecture, “The best part about being a graphic designer is everyone needs one, and it opens the world up to you, it inserts you into worlds you never would have gotten access to without the skills you bring.” I’ve found this to be true. People, parties, and places have found their way to me because of the design services they’ve needed. Fashion week, in some indirect way, has been a thing I can experience because of what I do for a living. So come along with me! We do have to go back to the office when it's over, though.
I got lucky this year. Most of the shows I was invited to took place in the evening (remember, designer by day!). The weekend is a whole other story, but we’re not there yet.
Tuesday:
No shows for me today, but I hear Marc Jacobs is showing in the evening, and I think about how much of a banger that’s going to be. However, I did get to go on a sidequest to see an early screening of "Wuthering Heights" put on by Warners Brothers x Maude. I liked the film. The official reviews are mixed, but hey, the costumes got me excited for fashion week at the very least!
Wednesday:
My first show of the week is Collina Strada at 5PM. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go, so I dressed like I usually do to the office: Uniqlo slacks, a Nike fuzzy sweatshirt, and my Salomon slip-ons. Duality of man,I suppose.
The Collina show is full of exciting-looking people. Upon arrival, I’m offered a Synergy Kombucha, one of the show's sponsors, and I decline because I’m afraid it’ll explode in my bag. I have other places to go to after. I see so many familiar faces from the show's past, like Jasmine Brown and Kristen Bateman, two maximalist dressers I love seeing out and about.
Next is Mereurt Tolegen. Their presentation ran from 6-8 PM. I decide to walk from the Collina show in Chelsea, stop in at Cubitts West Village to pick up some sunglasses I ordered, then head over to Soho for Tolegen’s show. The designer was a semifinalist for the LVMH Prize last year, and it makes me happy that this week remains a great place to see emerging talent. This year's finalists, Colleen Allen and LII, are also showing in New York.
Tolegen’s presentation is great—feels like I’m back watching Wuthering Heights. The models do this thing where they stand in one place for a bit, then step down from the podium and move to another place, switching with another model. I don’t know how they coordinate that, but I’m impressed.
It’s almost 7PM, and a block over at Knickerbocker, the design director at my day job is having a party to celebrate his magazine’s new issue. I haven’t eaten since having a bowl of cereal at the office, so I pop over to Happier Grocery, browse the beauty section downstairs, as I always do when I go there, then buy some Cocofloss (I’m out) and a David protein bar to scarf while walking over to Knickerbocker.
The final show of my night is Grace Wang, right on the river in Greenpoint. It’s a bit of a walk from the train stop to the show, and the wind next to the river is so strong I feel like I’m going to blow away. The show's theme is outdoor wear, and it feels very Gorp Core—highlights include a full windbreaker dress, a model carrying a tent, and seeing Byline writer Ella Snyder walk the runway.
I Uber home, something I’m trying not to do, but it's late, and I think I deserve it.
Thursday:
I get to the office around 10AM. I have the Zankov show at 1PM, and then the Tibi collection preview at 3:30PM. It's cold, and I know it is, but I want to wear something fun, so I suck it up and wear a Tibi skirt with bright blue tights. The top is a little more business-coded, and I layer that with an Everlane ice blue polo. I don’t need to bring my laptop into work today, so I opt for a smaller Marni bag that can still fit my water bottle and other office essentials. The finishing touch is my salmon shoes with socks, which I fully intend to change out of and into Gucci heeled loafers I bring in a tote back when it's time to strut my stuff.
I walk out of the office with the heels clacking and tights in view, and I hope no one is looking at me confused. I train off to the show, and after it's done, I head straight back to get more work done before Tibi.
3PM hits and I’m off to Wall Street to Tibi’s showroom to check out their new collection, which does not disappoint. Standouts include a sequin top that I would die for, shoes with a sling that resembles a bra strap, and multiple sheer capes. I keep my slip ons on though, deciding my feet have been tortured enough for today. After the preview is done, I head back to the office before calling it a day.
Friday:
TGIF! I work from home today and have 2 shows, FFORME at 2PM and Area at 6PM. I’ve been to FFORME before, but never Area, so I wake up excited. Since I don’t need to go into the office today, I decide to dress a little more capital F fashion. I landed on a look I actually would wear to work, albeit on a warmer day without all the accessories: Balenciaga boots that my mom gave me years ago, J Crew shorts that are too big for me but I’ve seemed to figure them out finally, a Ganni cardigan from The Real Real a Tory Sport reversible puffer, a lil Boden headscarf, and the same Marni bag from yesterday, this time with my wallet actually in it. This look is giving juicy summer tomato, but in the winter.
After the work day ends I head back into the city for Area. Lots of fun conversations are happening around me, including someone lamenting that “The girls were drunk last night’ but they themselves were not. Once the show ends, I hear my name, a rarity since I hardly ever know anyone at these things, but its Byline contributor David Spector! He was shooting the show, and we had a nice chat before I took myself back to Brooklyn to sleep.
The Weekend:
The work week is over and so are my dual-persona fashion week days, now it’s all about the fashion. I have 5 shows Saturday and 5 shows Sunday, I don’t make it to them all, but I try!
Saturday starts early with Campillo at 10AM. I know I’ll be in the city until around 5PM since Prabal Gurung is at 4PM, so I decide to do my routine that I call “Vagabond of the city” and just carry everything I’ll need for the day in a huge bag. Since it's Valentine’s day, my outfit is inspired by a chocolate covered strawberry, and I wear pink and red , my favorite color combo. Campillo’s show is in the Boom Room at The Standard, and even though I’ve been there before, I seem to forget the entrance and go into the hotel, which leads me to just being on the hotel elevator with guests going out to get coffee or bringing their bags to check out. After going to ~3 different floors of the hotel I realize I’m in the wrong place and go back down to the lobby, and find the correct entrance. I make it in time, and enjoy the show - in particular this sculptural jacket took a hold on me.
After the show I go to a coffee shop around the corner and do work for a few hours before my next show, Anna Sui at 2. The Anna show is at the National Arts Club in Gramercy. One of the best things about fashion week is being able to go into places I’d never have a chance to otherwise, and this place is the pinnacle of that perk. It's absolutely beautiful and warm.
As I walk out after the show, I see none other than THE Marc Jacobs, and Collina Strada’s founder Hillary Taymour and her dog. I tell Hillary I love her dog and how he was so well behaved during the show. “He loves fashion week!” she says. Me too, lil guy.
It’s Valentine's day, and my boyfriend told me he wanted pie instead of chocolate. So between the hour after Anna Sui and before Prabal Gurung, I go to Petee’s Pies and pick up 5 slices of individually wrapped pies, and put them in my big ol bag. Inside Prabal Gurung, my seat assignment is standing, but in a moment of pure luck and ecstasy, they need to fill a seat in the front row, and I get placed there. That happens pretty often at shows, and when you’re chosen, it feels so special. There's also water bottles in the front row seats, which was huge, because I was beyond thirsty. I end up sitting next to Kristin Corpuz, an internet acquaintance, and now, a real life one!!!! Making friends with neighbors happens often. You are smushed together for about an hour, after all.
Once the show is over, I hop on the train back to brooklyn to grab a valentines dinner with my boyfriend. We do something casual and plan for a nicer dinner Monday, since I told him I might get an invite to the Khaite show this evening and therefore have to keep my night open. Really wishful thinking on my part, but hey, gotta keep my night open just in case.
Sunday:
Final day - we did it, we’re here. If you read this much, that's great, thanks for that. We got Cult Gaia at 2, Zoe Gustavia Whalen at 3 (uh oh, a back to back!), then Private Policy at 5.
I’m dressed more casually today, mostly because I’m tired. I’ve been thinking a lot about the color chartreuse, especially since I’ve been seeing it on the runway so much, and put on a Jason Wu skirt of the same color (with leggings underneath). I throw on a J Crew rollneck (I have 2 and I need more more more more), Onitsuka Tigers, and a wool Kassl jacket from The Real Real.
Cult Gaia is scene-y in a fun way, with celebrity sightings such as Lukas Gage and Pete Davidson. Cult Gaia also sent physical invites this year, which was a first for me. A standout in the show were these little guys.
When Jasmin Larian Hekmat came out to greet the audience, she hugged her kids, and carried one with her backstage, which was very cute.
I then zoomed across the Brooklyn Bridge to get to Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen’s show. This show had another memorable designer walk out, with the designer taking off her socks and shoes, and getting into a bath, soaking in it while the models did their final walk through the runway. Always entertained.
After the show ended, I went to Scarr's pizza for a slide and a ginger ale, then walked for a half hour to Webster Hall for the Private Policy show. Waiting for guests were to-go boxes of noodles, two lunches. The exhaustion finally catches up and I decide to head home after the show ends.
Goodnight and until next time!!!!
MAD
