If you’ve never experienced New York Fashion Week from start to finish, it’s hard to describe the sort of beautiful chaos that ensues season after season. Without a doubt, the weeklong saga is one of the most rewarding of the year for people who, like me, prioritize fashion above all else. That being said, it’s also the busiest, with prep starting far in advance and work lasting from sunrise to sunset (and then some) for a majority of attendees. By the time the last finale of the week commences, there’s usually a synchronized sigh of relief, quickly followed by the realization that you’re already late for the airport, off to London to do it all over again.
Between fashion shows located all over Brooklyn and Manhattan, presentations taking place in every available time slot, previews, re-sees, and of course, dinners and parties, there’s no shortage of things to do and get done. So to give you an inside look at what NYFW is really like for seven of Who What Wear’s editors, we thought we’d open our gratitude journals/diaries/outfit-picture books/survival guides to all of you. Scroll down for 72 hours of NYFW, as told by WWW. And stay tuned for updates as more editors share their highlights.
“I woke up bright and early despite my late night of fashion week kickoff parties that sent me to bed at 1am because I had quite the busy day of appointments. The runway shows don’t really start until tomorrow so today was all about getting a preview of some spring and fall collections. My first stop was Nadine Merabi, which is a London-based brand that specializes in party wear—right up my alley. I got to see every jaw-dropping item in their collection up close and personal and decided I had to try everything on. I ended up walking away with the most beautiful cropped blazer and tweed matching set that I can’t wait to wear. Then I hopped in a cab to the Upper East Side where I previewed Larroudé’s shoe collection and actually showed up in my favorite denim shoes from them. The event had me so ready for sandal season. Unfortunately, the water in my building was shut off, so today’s work-from-home session took place at one of my favorite cafes Gotan. Warning: the place is extremely busy at 12pm, so naturally, that is the time of day that I ended up there. Working through the chaos, I checked off some stories on my list and then made my way to the final preview of the day LaPointe. Their feathery, netted, and sheer pieces made me want to catch a flight to Coachella immediately.
“I changed for a low-key evening where I stopped by Clinique’s Black History Month event and got to meet up with my friends to check out a cool new spot. Public Hotels just opened private and heated igloos on their rooftop and the view from up there was amazing. We could see both downtown and uptown at once plus the food was incredibly delicious. Getting together with your girls before fashion week truly kicks off is crucial for the mental health. I’m officially ready for the busy days ahead.” – Sierra Mayhew, Associate Fashion Editor
On Sierra Mayhew: Banana Republic Uma Denim Trench Coat ($270); 7 For All Mankind Classic Denim Shirt ($188); Goldsign The Martin High-Rise Straight-Leg Jeans ($295); Larroudé Candy Denim Mules ($330)
“Technically, I only went to 4 shows today yet somehow I feel completely defeated…in a good way? After a very rich lunch at Lure Fishbar complete with one too many crispy rice appetizers and decadent spicy crab pasta, I headed across the Williamsburg Bridge with the help of a chic Blacklane SUV for my first Rodarte show ever. The show was located at an old bank in Brooklyn and yes, I had to try to keep my cool as I walked inside for many reasons. Besides the fact that there were more A-list celebrities seated in the front row directly next to me than I could count, the set design was one of the craziest things I’ve seen at a fashion show as of late. In the middle of the runway was a glitter-covered tablescape lined with silver glitter-adorned chickens, bread loaves, and romantic tall flickering candles. Naturally, the clothes themselves were other-worldly and I left feeling like splurging on a Rodarte gown wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Later in the evening, I went to a triathlon of shows: Jonathan Simkhai, Prabal Gurung, and Dion Lee. Each one served a very different vibe that I haven’t quite fully comprehended as I sit here and type this with pizza on one side of my laptop and a glass of wine on the other. For now, however, all you need to know is that Emily Ratajkowski closed Jonathan Simkhai, Prabal Gurung was held at the New York Public Library, and Dion Lee showed a no-pants look that makes me genuinely scared for the fact that I think this trend is really becoming something. And with that, goodnight.” – Lauren Eggertsen, Editorial Director
On Lauren Eggertsen: Source Unknown Box Pleated Skirt ($175) and sweater; Zara Metallic Slingback Heels ($50); Prada Medium Brushed Leather Supernova Handbag ($4400); Hugh Ugoli Bamboo Dress Socks ($17)
“Ah, day three of NYFW. While I had high hopes, I’d be gallivanting about the city, going from show to show; once I woke up, I realized I needed to have a more chill day than initially planned. Don’t get me wrong, I live for seeing collections IRL, but after traveling to Copenhagen for fashion week, I woke up this morning spent. So, I emailed a few brands to move appointments, threw on a cozy sweater dress, and dragged myself to my local coffee shop. After successfully fulfilling my daily caffeine intake requirements, I walked back to my apartment. I spent a few hours writing a trend guide for Who What Wear and working on an outline for an upcoming cover story. I then decided to clean up my place, as I had yet to unpack any of my outfits from Copenhagen and my apartment looked like a department store after Black Friday. Once I’d solved that issue, I began planning outfits for the remaining days of NYFW. This season, I was able to borrow a few incredible vintage pieces from What Goes Around Comes Around and rent some items from Rent The Runway, so I began styling all of those to ensure that I had a few looks covered for the coming days. After that, I was ready to head out for the day, so I grabbed an Uber and headed to Spring Studios, where a ton of runway shows are held every season, for Tia Adeola. I was so excited to attend Tia Adeola’s show this season as I could not make it last year, and she’s one of my favorite Black designers right now. The show started a little later than expected, but it had a beautiful introduction where an opera singer came out in a full lace dress and walked around the runway. While Tia Adeola’s pieces are always super pretty, I was obsessed with her sheer black gowns that featured draping at the shoulders. After the show, I decided to avoid going back out into the cold and went down a floor to grab sparkling water and french fries (aka fashion week fuel) at Spring Studios’s restaurant with a few of my fellow editors. We talked about shows and caught up to kill some time before Sergio Hudson.”
“While I wasn’t bouncing from show to show all day, I’m so glad I was intentional and went to Sergio Hudson because it was so worth it. He also happens to be a Black designer I live and die for, so having the privilege to see his work is something I cherish deeply. This season, we, of course, saw a nod to the classic tailoring he’s built his brand off of throughout the collection. But the show was refreshing because we saw Hudson branch out and try something new. The collection was filled with touches of ’80s nostalgia reflected through neon-hued minidresses and pointed shoulder pads. There were so many fun looks in this show, it brought me so much joy, but I was mainly obsessed with Hudson’s take on the Canadian tuxedo—the dramatic shoulder pads and wide-leg jeans styled with a matching Brandon Blackwood bag were just *chef’s kiss.*” – Jasmine Fox-Suliaman, Fashion Editor
On Jasmine Fox-Suliaman: Jenny Bird Nouveaux Puff Earrings ($120); What Goes Around Comes Around vintage blazer; Aritzia Melina Pant ($148); Mansur Gavriel M Frame Baguette ($545); Steve Madden heels
