So Fashion week/month is upon us…and I go hard!
I’ve been covering the US/European circuit for at least 4 years now, and what can I say? It’s a grueling, trying time. The show/party/travel schedule is off the chain, writing is exhausting, and dealing with the personalities sometimes requires Herculean efforts.
Here are a few things I do to prepare for the Olympics of the style world.
1. Rest up
Doesn’t this bed look comfy?
I take it super easy in the weeks leading up to Fashion Month, declining most party invitations, hitting the gym, and getting organized. I’ll be honest: it can be a little boring, but then I realize I’ll have more parties and events than I can shake a stick at before I know it. During the next few weeks, I’ll undoubtedly yearn for the comforts of my bed, so am getting a few more extra hours in in advance…fashion week fatigue is oh so real.
2. Book last minute flights and hotel stays.
I fly to Europe on United, but also have to book flights from London to Milan, then Milan to Paris. And while I’m staying with friends in London and Milan (the most cost efficient way to go!), I still have to book a place in Paris. I couldn’t recommend AirBNB more highly! Hotels in Europe are ridiculously expensive, especially the nice ones! Rent yourself a cute little apartment for a fraction of the price and you’ll be sorted. I’ve yet to have a bad experience with an AirBNB (though I’m pretty sure my last Parisian apartment was haunted…! But the location was great! Lol).
3. Take everything to the tailor or dry cleaner. Put taps on your shoes.
Nothing looks better than clean, tailored clothes. I put everything that needs cleaning in the cleaners and take things in for alterations. Once you’re in the thick of it, there’s simply no time! Also, make sure all your shoes are heeled. In New York, it’s easy (and cheap) to get heels replaced. Everywhere else, it’s a pain! In London, the guy at the shop below told me it’d take him a week to replace my heel (thus the continuous lean).
In Paris, it cost me dern near 40 euro, and again it took forever. Save yourself the headache and get everything reinforced now.
4. Do some last minute shopping; plan outfits.
Anyone who tells you they don’t plan their looks, even a little bit, is lying. Fashion Week is a job; and you have to dress the part! Also, since my mind is typically focused on a million different things, the last thing I want to think about after a long day is putting together something cute! So I plan everything out so I can just wake up, put on my ensemble, and go.
5. Get fancy: Nails done, hair done, everything did.
How fancy you get is up to you! Of course I have to get a nice little updo, and I get a gel mani and pedi so my nails don’t chip. I get one mani/pedi before NYC, and another before Europe. By the time you get to Paris, you’ll need to get your nails done! I found a place called L’ongle Fantasie at 183 Rue St. Denis in Paris that does pretty good mani/pedis for decent prices.
6. Stock up on food.
Ish is real in the field!!
Some may say fashion and food don’t go together, and generally they don’t! But if you’re in need of meager sustenance, I’d recommend stocking your home fridge up on the essentials: breakfast foods, green juices, and quick and easy meals like eggs and pasta. Usually you can eat on the go for lunch and even dinner, but I hate waking up and not even having a bowl of cereal or a banana to get me going! Focus on quick and easy, so fruit, yogurt, eggs, or even prepared meals.
7. Get my calendar together.
Shows are all over the map! I take one Saturday to color code the calendar, depicting shows I must cover for Vogue.it, and shows I want to cover for Fashion Bomb Daily.
Packing for Europe is a feat in itself, and undoubtedly deserves another post! The short story is that you pack as much as you can, then go shopping by the time Paris comes around…because everything has most likely been worn and reworn or you’re simply tired of looking at it.
That’s pretty much it!
My fellow fashionistas, how do you Prep for Fashion week?
