A Recap of My Experience At The New York Fashion Week

So last week (and a half?) was New York Fashion Week, where designers showcased their Spring/Summer 18 collections. It wasn’t my first fashion week, but it was definitely my busiest. Here’s my recap of the whole thing, including my highs, lows, regrets, and what I’m doing differently next time.

Wednesday, September 6

I showed up to my first New York Fashion Week show just a couple minutes after 2pm, semi freaking out because I didn’t want to miss any of it. As I walked towards Pier 59 Studios, I saw a bunch of photographers waiting to capture street style, so I stopped rushing and tried to look calm. All their shutters went off furiously.. right after I’d passed them! So I walked in the show feeling a bit bummed because whoever was behind me had a much cooler outfit. I knew I shouldn’t have tried the knotted dress over jeans look! And cuffing my jeans, what was I thinking? I was pretty much beating myself over the head in the ten or so minutes I was awkwardly standing in a corner since I didn’t have a seat assignment. Thank God for the people who didn’t come on time because I managed to get a seat!

Anyway, the Pamella Roland show was full of gorgeous evening wear that made me lowkey regret not making my bridesmaids spend $300 on a dress. The collection featured a lot of sequins, feathers, and embroidered details in rich dark blues, various shades of pink, and nudes. All my pictures are crap but here are my fave courtesy of Vogue.

After the show, I met up with Jonathan, and he took a couple pictures of my outfit then we grabbed something to eat. The next show was Mimmy Yeboah and all the way in Brooklyn, so we hightailed it on the L train. When we arrived, they hadn’t started seating people, so we waited outside for another 15 minutes or so. We were seated (front-row… yay?) around 7:30. As soon as we sat down I realized the show wasn’t starting anytime soon. Models were running back and forth without makeup or hair fully done. Music and A/V was still being setup. It was a complete mess. They tried to distract people from the commotion by serving wine, pizza, and cupcakes, but Jonathan was not having it. We were just about to leave at 8:30, but they promised to start soon. The show did not begin until a few minutes to 9pm. Africans, we NEED to do better. You can’t expect people to take you seriously unless you take yourself seriously.

On to the actual clothing. The collection featured a lot of gold fabric in a beautiful brocade that I actually liked, but most of the designs were more risque than I’d normally wear. I wasn’t too impressed with the menswear, but I LOVED this his and hers set.

Thursday, September 7

I spent most of Thursday doing my hair with Mielle Organics’ new Pomegranate and Honey Collection, then headed to Texture on the Runway. I was SO amazed by how much more official the New York Fashion Week show was this year versus when I walked in it! Plus I got to see a ton of my NYC blogger babes, but also meet a few recent Instagram crushes like Christina of Just Missed the Runway and Sade of Beyond the Pulpit. And my internet but now actual cousin since I married a Kenyan, Evelyn from the Internets!

When I returned home from the New York Fashion Week show, I realized that New York Times Fashion had shared a picture of me leaving the Pamella Roland show! Just when I thought my outfit was basic. Goes to show that you’re more likely to be noticed when you stop TRYING so damn hard. This advice works for relationships too fyi. Also cool and related, I was sketched for the first time by a fashion illustrator!

Friday, September 8

On Friday, I met up with Melissa of Melissa Chanel and we had brunch, did some light shopping, and went to the Lexus x Interview Mag Pop-Up. The concept was really cool, in that they were providing free makeup, hair, and nail touch ups for guests, who could then do a real photoshoot. The only problem was that you had to get each service done, and in a specific order, so the line backed up. We stayed for 15 minutes but then decided to leave and check out the Fenty Beauty launch at Sephora. I loved all of the different foundation shades, and the pigmentation of the highlighters, but I don’t need any more makeup so we both left empty handed (which I kind of regret!). We then met up with Courtney, Ty, and Avielle over Artichoke Pizza. Avielle just cut her hair and is giving me MAJOR fade inspo! I’m too chicken to ever do it though.

Saturday, September 9

On Saturday I was supposed to attend a show by Aryea Kolubah, but I had to sleep in and take care of some things around the house. I’m SO sad I missed it because I actually LOVED all the pictures I’ve seen from the show, AND Aryea is only 22 (and Liberian)! Had I known, I would have skipped out on Mimmy Yeboah to have enough energy for better things. I’m definitely going to keep my eye out for this designer, and I can’t wait until the runway pieces are available for sale because I want them all. I mean, look at these!

Once we got the house in order, Jonathan and I went to Macy’s to pickup something for him to wear to the Philipp Plein show later that night. He wasn’t on the list, so I was paranoid about making him look fashionable to increase our chances of getting him in! We bought this floral bomber jacket that I absolutely love, but we’ll see if he ever wears it again.

The Philipp Plein show turned out to be the equivalent of trying to get into a club – something I haven’t done in YEARS. We waited in a ridiculous line for about 40 minutes, just to be told we were in the wrong line. It seemed like everyone in NYC was also trying to go to the show! After all the hullabaloo of getting in, I didn’t like or even understand any of the looks. It did end up being worthwhile though because the show doubled as a Future concert and a Teyana Taylor performance, so at least we got those for free. 

Sunday, September 10

On Sunday after church, I ventured into the city for the Tracy Reese presentation, thanks to Cantu! Cantu provided all the hair products for the show, and I was impressed to see how the products were used on various types of hair. I also won a Tracy Reese dress to wear to the show, and rocked it with my new bag, a leather jacket, and a pair of booties. The actual presentation was pretty amazing – all the models were saying affirmations of their beauty in their native languages. It was weird from afar to see the models talking to themselves but once you got closer and actually heard “my name is ____. I am strong. I am independent. I am loved” etc, it was very moving. I loved the clean lines and unique tailoring of the classic pieces – there were a couple of items I’d love to have in a different color!

The Tracy Reese show had a ton of black celeb sightings, including Whoopi Goldberg, June Ambrose, Skai Jackson, and Justine Skye. I actually went through a phase where I was OBSESSED with June Ambrose so meeting her was a serious fan girl moment for me. I didn’t even have enough courage left to get a picture with Whoopi because I used up all my energy with June! Her oversized blazer (above) AND her daughter’s printed mismatched set were both looks I’d rock – in neutrals of course!

After the New York Fashion Week show, I stopped by an event with HVS Beauty at the 11 Howard Hotel, because my boo Ronke was the invited guest. It was actually a networking event for Nigerian makeup influencers, so I felt a bit out of place – I can do my makeup pretty ok but I definitely don’t consider myself a makeup guru… or even a makeup person! My throat started to hurt so I ducked out early – but not before getting this shot at the hotel that I’ve seen all over Instagram.

Monday, September 11

On Monday, my plans were to shoot a project with a haircare company and then head to the Hakan Akkaya show. The shoot didn’t end until 2:15, so there was no way I’d make it to the show which had started at 2. I was super bummed about it because the clothes actually seemed wearable, and the whole collection was black and white!! I’m actually digging the men’s looks, especially those stripes.

I really loved my makeup from the shoot (done by Akua Robinson!) so I snapped a few pictures of it as well as my outfit. By this point I was OVER heels, so I built my outfit around sneakers and totally loved my elevated business casual look.

Tuesday, September 12

On Tuesday I was supposed to attend the Sherri Hill show, but I couldn’t breathe due to congestion so I stayed home and nursed my cold. I’d been to a Sherri Hill show before, so I knew it was going to be sparkly eveningwear, and didn’t feel so bad about missing it. But still, both Jamie Foxx AND Kennan Ivory Wayans were there as both their daughters walked in the show, and I would have loved to see my childhood TV icons (I LOVED the Jamie Foxx show!).

Getting sick during NYFW is actually pretty common, but it still sucked that I missed a couple shows that I would have really enjoyed. And with the exception of Pamella Roland, Texture on the Runway, and Tracy Reese, some of the shows that I did manage to go to weren’t worthwhile. Since this is my first fashion week being invited to more than 3 shows, I will do more research on the designers ahead of time so I can make wiser decisions about which shows are priorities.

Either way, I had tons of fun during the New York Fashion week, and am still recovering from all the hoopla. Back to my regularly scheduled program – which hopefully includes getting back to my blog posting schedule!