What To Wear at NYFW

Being at NYFW made me feel less fabulous than I’ve ever felt.

Prior to NYFW, I carefully raided my closet and made a very organized list of all the clothing items I would bring along for the week. You can read about this in my post Packing for NYFW. I thought I was overly prepared.  I had packed all my show-stopping pieces that would surely get noticed and felt really good about my trend-right curated outfits until I arrived at my first show. As I navigated through a crowd of bloggers, influencers and industry pros who were all decked out in the latest, most coveted designer items, I immediately felt unstylish and second-guessed my entire wardrobe. I thought “is this how people dress in NYC all the time? Or is it just Fashion Week?” But I had to work with that I had brought along with me, as I wasn’t going to drop hundreds (thousands, realistically) of dollars on completely new outfits. So here are my six “best” outfits that I wore throughout the week and advice on what to wear if you’re planning to attend NYFW.

Being at the NYFW is the dream of too many people, but if you would like to take fashion to another level you can use the services of wholesale screen printed t-shirts and print out your own designs to create the most eye catching shirts.

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Street Style at NYFW & Advice on What To Wear

NY Fashion Week was the most eclectic and fabulous event I’ve ever attended. Everyone wore truly stunning, artistic ensembles with unusual print pairings, unique color combinations and over-the-top details from embroidery to sparkles. Among the notable trends: bold accessories like obnoxiously oversized belts, black hills gold ring and giant dangle earrings; pops of neon with business-like beige or grey neutrals; a plethora of leopard and snake-printed pieces; bold statement boots; UGLY dad sneakers. Seriously, everything from intricate, feminine prairie dresses to carefully-tailored suits were paired with the (truly hideous, orthopedic-inspired) Balenciaga dad sneaker (if you don’t know what these look like, see here). Dad sneakers seem to be the new high heel. And each one is more awful than the next.

Are the majority of fashion week attendees wearing the latest designer pieces? Yes. And at first impression, if you’re not wearing something designer, you won’t get noticed. That’s not true at all, but it certainly feels like it when person after person walks past you wearing a quilted Gucci fanny pack or Off-White “For Walking” boots (I swear, I saw these on at least six different people, how original…) If you’re in the market for luxury clothing and accessories for New York fashion week or any special occasion, you may visit luxury consignment stores online. The entire week made me envious that I cannot afford gorgeous designer pieces but I kept reminding myself that a LOT of the people who attend NYFW events are influencers and industry professionals who have stylists or are gifted items to wear for exposure. I’m not one of those bloggers who is gifted designer apparel to wear to these such events, yet. Maybe some day, that’s the dream! But for now I have to rely on my own income to add fabulous pieces to my closet.

Chatting with other bloggers and influencers throughout the week, I learned that many of them have 3-4 outfit changes PER DAY! They may have 5+ shows and/or meetings to attend daily, and it would be fashion week suicide to be seen and photographed in the same outfit twice. While I could see myself doing this if I had the means (the closet) to do so, doesn’t that sound exhausting?! Think about how much advanced planning it would take to prepare even three outfit changes every day for seven days! I give these people a lot of credit who do this. That being said, Fashion Week is work for so many people and it’s your opportunity to really impress.

So what should you wear to Fashion Week? Your wildest, most outlandish pieces, preferably worn together. Have a shirt that you can wear backwards? Cool. Wear it. Those heels that you’re scared to wear out of the house because they’re too loud? You’ll fit right in. Pile on the accessories. Layer pieces together in an unorthodox manner. Let your creativity shine. I kept asking myself (and my friends) if my outfits were “too much.” No such thing at Fashion Week. In fact, looking back, I’m thinking how much MORE I could have done. I now have a much better idea of what to pack for next time.

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My Best Outfits

Zara Rose Gold Leather Jacket / Julie Brown NYC Black & Metallic Wrap Dress / Sam Edelman Studded York Sandals

Shop this look + similar options:

Black Turtleneck Crop / Balmain x HM Teal Velvet Pants / The Kooples Leopard “Emily” Bag / UO Snake Belt / River Island Leopard Platforms / Zara Leopard Ponyhair Earrings

Shop this look. All similar products, belt exact match:

ASOS Striped Top / TopShop Leopard Skirt / Calvin Klein Scarf (vintage, as top) / ALDO Square Studded Earrings / Red Handbag / Chinese Laundry Avenue Pumps

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The rest of my outfit pictures were unfortunately taken with an iPhone, so quality is mediocre. Note to self, travel with a photographer next time you attend NYFW!

Pretty Little Thing Snake Pants (+ bandeau made by me) / Zara Black Blazer / The Kooples Leopard Emily Bag / Steve Madden Edit Velvet Booties

Shop this look. All similar items, boots are exact match:

UO Studded Embroidered Leather Jacket / Nike Cropped Hoodie / Calvin Klein Scarf (vintage, as top) / TopShop Selina Snake Bag / BooHoo Ripped Denim / Chinese Laundry Avenue Pumps

Shop this look. Bag & heels exact match. All other similar items:

Reeeeaally bummed I didn’t get better photos of the outfit below. This fit was photographed a lot but I can’t seem to find the pictures or photographers anywhere online, they’re impossible to find!

River Island Red Baker Boy Hat / TopShop Marble Earrings / Zara Plaid Tweed Jacket / Kendall & Kylie Striped Bandeau / Zara Mustard Trousers / Red Handbag / ILYMix Glasses

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There you have it, folks. My wild, unusual outfits that I stressed over continuously. Which outfit is your favorite? Which would you never wear in a million years even if you were paid? Were they too safe? I love to read your comments and feedback. I hope at least, if anything, this post is helpful in providing guidance and inspiration to your fashion week attire (or just gave you everyday outfit ideas!) Maybe next time I attend FW, I’ll be adorned in Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada…. like a basic bitch.

And if you liked this post, you’ll probably also enjoy my previous post What to Expect when Attending NYFW

As always, thank you for reading! XOXO