The Fashion Editor’s Guide to Dressing for Fashion Week

I vividly remember my first New York Fashion Week. I’d only lived in the city for a couple weeks, and I was working as a fashion assistant at a magazine when an editor forwarded me a seat to one of the shows she couldn’t attend.

I sprinted home after work, dropped off my bag, rummaged through my sparse clothing rack and tried to put together a look that might make Anna Wintour’s head turn. Ultimately, I failed pretty hard. My ensemble involved a striped tank top, velvet skirt and some ratty black boots (AKA budget pieces from an extremely broke recent grad’s wardrobe).

Three years and six fashion weeks later, I finally have the whole getting-dressed-for-NYFW thing down.

MORE: 14 of the Best Androgynous Street Style Looks from Men’s Fashion Week

Dressing for fashion week should be fun, but it also needs to be practical. As a fashion editor, I’m constantly running  between runway shows, designer presentations, breakfasts, dinners and afterparties. It might sound glamorous—and don’t get me wrong, nothing compares—but a weeklong marathon of events requires some combination of comfort, versatility and statement-making style.

(I made the horrible mistake of attempting to wear heels and uncomfortable clothing my first season because #fashion, I but quickly learned from that mistake and wore sneakers and jeans the next day.)

Courtesy of author.

I always gravitate towards layers, prints, bold colors and statement items. They get the job done, and they can help you stand out in a crowd of designer duds (if you’re trying to get snapped by street style photographers, and honestly, who isn’t?). Level up by grabbing a few friends to attend shows with, and consider coordinating outfits for a killer Insta shot.

MORE: The Best Street Style at European Fashion Weeks Fall/Winter 2018

Ahead, you’ll find 17 tips you can turn to when getting dressed this fashion week. And remember, have fun with your outfits—don’t overthink it. This is your opportunity to dig up those statement pieces hiding in the back of your closet.

I fully intend to wear as many fanny packs and vintage dresses as I can. And I can’t wait to bust out the newest addition to my closet: sequin ass-less chaps (which I plan to wear with jeans, of course). Cheers to almost-Fashion Week!