Do you ever wonder about the (crazy) fab outfits that bloggers and fashion industry people wear to Fashion Week? This season, multiple references to old Chinese ladies in Chinatown came up regarding the sometimes over-the-top streetstyle looks that appear at fashion week season after season. If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember me sharing on stories how once I got off the train back in my regular neighborhood and away from the NYFW mayhem, a random guy passed me on the street and goes “what the hell are you wearing?! You look completely crazy!” For reference, here is what I was wearing:
Hot pink Marc Jacobs tee | brown faux leather puffer | brown patent skirt | white mules | bracelet handle bag
Now, in the realm of fashion week looks, this one isn’t even anywhere NEAR the craziest! However, I totally get what he was saying (and was in no way offended- he’s kind of right- and ended up sort of inspiring this post {thanks random guy outside the train station!} )
I’m going to aim to answer the three main questions I get about dressing for fashion week here:
1) why the crazy outfits?
2) where do the clothes come from/ what do you do with them afterwards?
3) how do you ‘plan’ your looks so that they reflect what’s happening with streetstyle in general?
Here we go!
1) So why the crazy outfits…to be brutally honest, most fashion people, bloggers included, are aiming to get photographed by streetstyle photographers, online publications, other bloggers etc. The opportunity to get “noticed” for your outfit in the age of social media has really changed the fashion week streetstyle game- one of the most controversial parts of fashion week is the streetstyle aspect- is it outweighing the focus on shows themselves? Maybe. When you arrive to a show, there’s always the inevitable try-hard girls parading back and forth outside the show hoping to get snapped by a photographer- not to hate on them or anything- being picked up by an online publication can really boost your career in this industry- girls, DO YOU- I, in the other hand am usually A) running late B) have to pee C) would rather catch up with friends before the show (although I did get interviewed and snapped by two streetstyle photogs this season and I have to admit it felt pretty damn cool!). The other main reason, at least for me, that we dress in EXTRA EXTRA outfits is because it’s kind of my only chance to play fantasy dress up! As a teacher, it’s not like I’m going to wear the looks I wear to fashion week on the daily- so getting to plan outlandish outfits, wear and photograph them is just plain old FUN- and let’s me (and us, if I’m speaking for industry people) step out of reality for a week.
2) So… where do the clothes come from and what do you do with them after you wear them for shows?
Anine Bing tiger sweatshirt | red leopard midi skirt | white combat boots | tan teddy jacket | pearl clips
To answer the first part of the question- sources for clothing: there are basically three ways bloggers/ industry people get clothes for fashion week.
1. Designers send/ gift them clothing and accessories (for free usually) to wear to their own show. This really only happens to big time bloggers with hundreds of thousands (or more) followers or celebrities/ socialites.
2. Designers LOAN them clothing or accessories, allowing bloggers/ fashion people to do “pulls” (you’ve prob heard every blogger and her mama posting “doing pulls for fashion week today!!!” on her stories the weeks leading up to fashion week. You basically get to pick from the showroom, “borrow” some looks for (usually) free in exchange for covering that brand/designer in your social media posts during the week. This process is more open than straight gifting, meaning that even smaller bloggers can make this happen- I’ve done pulls with a few designers for fashion weeks in past seasons, some through me reaching out with a proposal, and other times the designers/ showrooms/brands have reached out to me.
3. We BUY THE CLOTHING OURSELVES or GASP use something we already have! 75% of my fashion week looks are self purchased- I’m very particular about having control over what I wear; also I like to be sure that what I buy isn’t a one time piece- it must be able to be remixed in my wardrobe after fashion week has come and gone!
Oversized pinstripe blazer | high waisted jeans | brown suede shoes | pearl headband | tortoise bag
As far as the second part of the question – what do you do with the pieces after fashion week is over: if you’ve borrowed from a brand or designer, obviously you return the clothing or accessories. For any gifted items, some bloggers sell or donate them; some probably keep them and maybe rewear them. Personally, like I said above, I make sure that anything I buy myself to wear for fashion week, I know I can and will remix into regular life outfits. For instance, the pieces in the “crazy” pink and brown look: the puffer I wear as my regular winter coat, the neon pink t/shirt I’ll wear under blazers with jeans or with denim shorts come summer. The patent skirt was on loan, so I sent it back.
For the tiger sweatshirt/ red leopard skirt look: I purposely saved the white combat boots for fashion week, but bought them bc I know I’d wear them all the time this winter and spring. I already love and wear printed midi skirts, so the red leopard one was a no-brainer- I’ll rewear it with sweaters and tees in the coming months. The Anine Bing sweatshirt, while pricey, is a hero piece of my wardrobe- it can be dressed up or down and I’ve already worn it with a leather mini AND leggings with sneaks on two different occasions.
As for the brown blazer and jeans look, which was prob the “tamest” of my fashion week looks: you guys know I love a blazer, so I’ll obvi rewear it with tons of tees and jeans, with tights and boots or over a dress. The jeans and shoes I already owned, and the pearl headband and bag were both under $100 and I know they’ll be pieces I reach for to make basic outfits feel special and current (if you didn’t know it, headbands and all hair accessories are having a MAJOR moment right now).
3) How do you plan your fashion week looks, in terms of being “on trend” but also standing out, AND fitting in?
Neon green sweater | green polka dot drill skirt (sold out, similar here) | white combat boots | croc and clear bag | leather moto jacket | white sunnies
I probably start planning my looks a month or so in advance. To be REALLY honest, I’m not a super organized planner; I kind of just let ideas come to me based around pieces I see that excite me and jot them down in a notes tab in my phone! Usually what happens is I come across pieces I know will be good for fashion week- based on current or upcoming trends or just standout pieces that I LOVE – and screenshot them in my phone. Then, as fashion week comes closer, I build looks around those pieces. Also, you have to remember that fashion week designers show for THE FOLLOWING SEASON- meaning the shows that just happened last week (February 2019) are looks for NEXT FALL, not this coming spring. So what bloggers and industry people do is go back to look and shows’ images and runways from last fashion week to kind of see what will be relevant style-wise NOW, if that makes sense? Also, being aware of streetstyle and reading current streetstyle blogs like WhoWhatWear keep us apprised of what’s going on in fashion as well. So for instance, I already owned the neon green sweater above. As fashion week drew closer, I purchased the green polka dot skirt to pair with the neon sweater bc I knew that bold colored monochrome looks were very current, green is having a definite moment, AND head to toe monochromatic looks tend to do well with streetstyle photographers. I paired the green pieces with white accessories (boots and sunnies) for a modern pop, and added the clear and croc bag as kind of the one “non-matching” item of interest. The moto jacket I already owned and literally goes with everything.
So that’s it! I hope I answered some of your “burning” (haha!”) Fashion week related questions here! Shoot me an email, dm, or comment if there’s anything I didn’t get to in this post- and stay tunes for the next post where I’ll be sharing what I learned from the runways this season in terms of upcoming/ staying trends and styling tricks!
Xo, ❤
Christine
thelittlegoldmix 