NYFW September 6th – 10th, 2019:
I can’t believe I am even writing this blog post, but I am so happy to say that my first time attending NYFW was AWESOME – crazy and hectic for sure, but awesome! I’m just going to dive right into this post because I have a feeling it is going to be a long one. Throughout this post I am going to talk about the event/shows I attended, what I wore, who I met, what I learned, things that didn’t go as planned, and everything in between! Let’s go!
Day 1: The unseen first show
Let’s just say the first day didn’t go as planned. It’s my first day of fashion week, well the first night of fashion week since the “show” I was attending didn’t start until 9:00pm. I was meeting up with my fashion week buddy, Rachel Hersey, a little bit before the show so we could shoot our looks and grab a bite to eat. I was loving my outfit and couldn’t be more excited to see what this show was going to be all about. Before I get into the little drama of the night, lets talk about my outfit.
Day 1 Outfit 1
This is probably one of my favorite looks I wore at NYFW. I have on this cropped blazer from the NastyGal X Josephine H.J edit, with my go-to AGOLDE 90s loose fit jeans, these lace up black heels from ASOS, and of course, my little Prada bag. For hair, I took some inspo from Bella Hadid and did a slicked pony with side swept bangs. For accessories, I kept everything gold. I wore my gold chain necklace from the NAKDFashion X Matilda collection and my customized “Maggie” necklace from MyNameNecklace.
Shop My Look
The ” Fashion Show”
To preface, Rachel and I already had a feeling this event/show was already odd because there was a “pre-party” on the rooftop for the RSVP’s, but no complimentary drinks…and it was open to the public… I mean I am okay with paying for my own drinks, but come on, not one drink was free? Hence why Rachel and I went out and got drinks/food on our own. After dinner, Rachel and I head over to PHD Rooftop lounge expecting to head on up and get our seats for the show.
We walk into the front of this hotel/lounge and we overhear the bodyguard tell this other group of people to wait in this line if they RSVP’d to go up and see this fashion show. Now this line is LONG – it’s out the door and down the block long. Somehow Rachel and I maneuver our way up to the front of the line and wait to head on up to the rooftop.
Its 9:30pm now and everyone is just confused. FINALLY, they starting bring people to the elevators and up to the roof to finally see this show…or so we thought. We get out of the elevator and this rooftop is bumping. There is a huge crowd of people partying on the dance floor, having a grand ole time, and Rachel and I are still…just confused. We see another crowd of people in the back taking photos of what looks to be the models who just walked the runway show…the runway show Rachel and I, and the line down the block, missed. We came to the conclusion that this designer sent out way too many RSPVs and overbooked the show.
So, I got blisters on my feet and stood in line for 30 minutes for nothing. BUT IT’S OK! I wasn’t going to let that ruin my spirits! Rachel and I took some cool photos, ate a cheese platter, drank some wine, and had a good night besides that! Plus, the more legit events were near in our future! Whew!
Day 2: the Mejuri event, French connection, and new friends
Day 2 Outfit 2
First, let’s talk about my outfit – this was another favorite of mine. I wore these WeWoreWhat red plaid overalls from Danielle’s new overall line, dr. marten platforms, and underneath the overalls, I had on this vintage sheer polka top. I thought the femininity of the polka dots contradicted the edginess of the plaid overalls and Dr. Martens boots – oddly complimenting each other in a really cool way #FASHUN am I right? For accessories, I have this black croc skin mini bag from this cute vintage shop I found on Instagram. Click here to see her brand.
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The Mejuri Event
Day 2 of NYFW – I hop off the train and take the subway downtown to SoHo to meet Rachel and, my soon-to-be-new friend, Jorji. I get out from the subway and, of course, it’s raining. It’s not even pouring, it’s that annoying type of rain thats misting, but still heavy enough to ruin your hair. BUT I’M NOT GOING TO LET IT RUIN MY DAY! I met the girls looking like a slicked-back potato head (thanks rain), and we make our way up to the Mejuri event.
And let me tell you, this event was awesome! The apartment this event was in was stunning – I wish I could live there. You could get a free ear piercing here (since Mejuri is a jewelry company) and there were makeup artists from Laura Mercier touching up girl’s makeup. AND THE BEST PART, there were hair stylists as well! You can bet your ass I sat my booty down in that chair so fast and said to the hair stylist, “please fix me.” Safe to say I got up out of that chair looking a whole lot better than I did when I sat down!
Overall, the Mejuri event was great. I got my hair done, took some cute photos with the girls, met some awesome new people like Viviane Audi and Sammy Rickey, was gifted some Laura Mercier makeup, and left feeling so freaking happy. (Literally fangirled when I saw Viviane was there, but tried to keep my cool)
Next up, the French Connection Event!
The French Connection Event
In my opinion, the French Connection event had some pretty high expectations to live up to coming from the Mejuri event… And it’s safe to say it exceeded my expectations. We walk into this gorgeous rooftop with flowers everywhere and models displaying the new French Connection collection. The collection was gorgeous and the display of everything was amazing. If you want to see videos of the collection, head over to my NYFW Instagram Highlights.
We were given complimentary champagne (with refills) and went along to mingle with people. I met so many new people, and IG friends that I finally got to meet IRL! That was one of the best parts about this event was meeting so many girls who I’ve known through IG and finally being able to meet each other!
After the French Connection event, Jorji, Sofia and I head back to the Nomad for drinks and food. Safe to say I maybe had one too many glasses of champagne at the event …. and maybe too many Cosmos at the Nomad…(my new fav drink – thanks Sof). Ended the night at a fun bar with my IG bffs, Ashleigh and Ressa (good times good times) and overall, had a really fun day!
Day 3: On The Runway – The Oxford Shows
I caught the 10:30am train and got into the city around noon. I met up with Rachel and Jorji and we walked around SoHo finding places for us to shoot. Today I wore my favorite outfit of NYFW!
Day 3 Outfit 3
Let’s talk about this dress… *heart eyes* … This dress is so freaking cool! It’s this faux leather, army green dress from the NastyGal X Josefine H.J. collection. This collection is probably one of my all time favs from NastyGal. And you will see as this post continues, I style a few more pieces from this collection throughout fashion week.
For shoes, I have on these black croc skin boots…again.. *heart eyes*… These boots are also from NastyGal. I will have these linked, but I guarantee these boots are already sold out – I will try to link similar boots if they are! To accessorize, I decided to wear my black croc skin mini bag you saw from my day 2 outfit. It matched perfectly with the boots!
Shop My Look
The Oxford Shows
After a couple events, Rachel and I head over to Pier 59 and make our way to the Oxford Shows. These shows lasted for about an hour and we saw 8 different collections from the following designers: Margaret Garrison, Empire Collection, Alicia’s Designs, All reclaimed by P, Dignified Women’s Apparel, Nykwale, Haley Manochi, and Y.H. Some of the collections I loved and others weren’t my style, but it was so awesome to experience my first runway shows! To see some behind-the-scenes, check out my NYFW highlight on my Instagram stories.
Day 4: Brunch
Today was a chill day. I had no fashion events planned, but went to brunch with another IG friend Elaine! We went to this cute little brunch spot in SoHo called Jack’s Wife Freda. The food is so good and the location is so cute! For brunch I had the dish Madame Freda. It was a pressed sandwich with prosciutto, cheddar béchamel, gruyère and a sunny side up egg – so cheesy and sooo good! After brunch, Elaine and I walked around SoHo to find a spot to shoot our looks.
Day 4 Outfit 4
Today I decided to wear this oversized blazer dress from, you guessed it, the NastyGal X Josefine H.J. collection. To accessorize, I wore this black belt to cinch my waist, these blue mules from Zara, and a blue shoulder bag to compliment the shoes.
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Glossier
Once we were done shooting our outfits, I had some time to kill before heading back home, so I decided to stop by Glossier. They redid the entire store and I wanted to pick up a few things for myself. Usually at Glossier, they only let a few groups up at a time and there is usually a wait before you can head up. Fortunately, I only had to wait around 15 minutes which was so lucky because usually the line is down the block. When I got in, the store was gorgeous. I ended up getting Cloud Paint in dusk, the Balm Dotcom in coconut and mango, Colorslide eyeliner in early girl, and their staple lipgloss in clear.
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Last Day and The Last Show
Welp, today is the last day of my NYFW! I only had one fashion show and it didn’t start until 9:30pm. So before, I met up with Sofia and Rachel in SoHo to shoot my last outfit.
Last Day Last Outfit
For my last outfit of fashion week, I styled these burnt orange faux leather joggers from the NastyGal X Josefine H.J. collection… lol. These joggers are perfect for fall and can be worn to dressed up or casual. For this look, I decided to wear this cropped white button down from Get Choosy and my strappy black heels from ASOS. To accessorize, I wore my go-to gold jewelry.
Shop My Look
Liu Yong X Rishikesh SS20 Collection
After shooting our outfits and grabbing some dinner, Rachel and I made our way to the NYFW Shows location for the Liu Yong X Rishikesh SS20 collection. Liu Yong is one of China’s top 10 fashion designers and based this collection off of RESHIKESH. RISHIKESH, originated from the English name of Reshikesh, “the City of Yoga” in India.
“Our brand RESHIKESH is based on Yoga culture and highly integrated with the “Street Culture” and “Punk Style” from casual wear. Adopted the world first Garment Wash technology, we create unique and distinctive style in fashion sportswear, winning great popularity in middle-end and high-end female customers aging from 18 to 38.”
The show was awesome and I thought the collection was cool! Definitely a nice fusion of “street culture” and “punk style”.
Final thoughts, What I learned for next year, and a quick Q+A
Overall, this fashion week was awesome! It’s so surreal to me that I was invited to even 1 show let alone of couple of shows and events. It was so cool to style outfits for brands and step out of my comfort zone when creating different looks! I met so many awesome people – some new and some from IG I’ve been following for a while and finally got to meet in person! I can definitely say I’ve made some great, new friends. The whole week was hectic and crazy, but so much fun! Definitely learned a lot for next year.
What I learned for next year
For starters, commuting into the city back and forth every day IS NOT THE MOVE – it honestly was so draining. Next year, I definitely want to stay in a hotel. I’m sure it’ll make things so much easier to go from event to event, and if I have any outfit changes, I can just head back to the hotel rather than changing in a Starbucks bathroom lol.
For the rest, I thought I’d make a list!
- Don’t commute, stay in a hotel room
- If there is a even a slight chance of rain, just bring the umbrella
- Plan out outfits/order items way in advance – last minute I ordered this top to wear and it didn’t come until Fashion Week was over
- Shoot looks in the morning to avoid mobs of people
- If you have multiple events or shows, you should probably have outfit changes
- Send thank you emails to brands
- Remember to drink water – obvious, but I found myself to be super dehydrated when I got home lol
- Don’t be afraid to say hi to anyone and everyone and strike up conversation
I am having a hard time thinking of some other things, but those are the main ones that stick out on my mind!
Quick Q + A
Over on my Instagram stories, I asked you guys to ask me any questions you want me to answer about NYFW.
How did you get invited to shows? Did you reach out to brands or did they reach out to you?
This was the most asked question I got! So for me, I reached out to a bunch of PR people from brands. I also reached out to a lot of PR companies that work for designers/brands that are presenting their collections during NYFW. Some get back to you and a lot do not – don’t take it personally especially if you are a mirco-influencer. I also did get some people reach out to me inviting me to shows. Also, going on to Fashion Week Online can help you get free invites to events if it’s your first year and you want some smaller things to go to. I didn’t get invited to any of the big designers shows, but that is definitely my goal for the upcoming years. I hope that answered this question, if you want any clarification, please feel free to DM me on Instagram.
What was your favorite show/event and why?
The French Connection and Mejuri events were definitely my favorite because I met so many awesome people and I was able to met some IG friends in real life as well. My favorite fashion shows was probably the shows I saw at Pier 59. I thought it was awesome seeing 8 collections one after the other. It was fun being able to see the differences and diversity throughout all the collections.
What was your inspiration when picking out outfits?
When I was trying to find inspiration for my NYFW outfits, I looked a lot on Pinterest, but also looked at my favorite fashion bloggers like Danielle Bernstein, Cass Dimicco, Josefine H.J, Xeniaadonts, and a few others. I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and wear things that really aren’t “up my alley”.
I hope you enjoyed this very long NYFW post! It was so much fun to write and even more fun to attend. I already have so many ideas for my outfits next year and I can’t wait to see how I will grow from this NYFW to next! If you have any questions, or I didn’t answer your question in the Q+A, please DM me!
xx, Maggie
