I have been waiting for the perfect time to do this… The gag is there is no such thing as perfect timing. Last month I went to New York Fashion Week. My experience was mind blowingly, amazing and beyond what I can explain but I will try.

Two years ago I purchased Fennella Like Whoa’s NYFW GUIDE. I thought 2017 would be the year but unfortunately it wasn’t. The next time I thought 2018 would be the year but it also wasn’t. So 2019 I promised myself not to make any promises I wouldn’t be able to keep. I tried being more real with myself and that meant forsaking some of my fairytales. 

April 2019 I covered my first fashion week in Minnesota. I got invites and press seatings and basically special treatment for being a blogger lol. I got to network with so many amazing people and my whole experience was wonderful. In May the thought of NYFW was skipping in my mind but once again I didn’t have the funds and time to go. I kept thinking of ways to make it happen but ultimately came to the conclusion that I had responsibilities at hand. Mid May early June I got an email from Fennella about fashion week once again.  I thought: “This geh can’t get tired lol.” I once again sold myself the idea of this experience. After doing some intense research I realized that me going would be possible. 

I used Fennella’s PR list to send emails to designers and started looking on AirBnb for places to stay. By June I convinced my sister to go with me and also my friend wanted to tag along. 

Where to stay

We got the Airbnb in Harlem a little bit closer to Manhattan. Our daily commute was between 20-40 mins to get to the shows. The place was very nice and modern. It was a spacious studio apartment with two beds, a kitchen and bathroom. Our host was amazing. We enjoyed our stay. Everything was perfect. The only thing that concerned me a bit was the neighborhood. We kept getting catcalled at night when we were on our way home from the shows. Everything else was great. 

Flights

My greatest worry was the plane tickets. I didn’t have the money for it but I started saving and before long my dad gave me some money to add up to buy it. We travelled with Sun Country. At the time I was eyeing a very cheap ticket on their site for Newark New Jersey. If we went to Newark that meant that we would need a ride to get to our Airbnb…. so I phoned my aunty and ask her to give us a ride to our Airbnb. 

The Shows

I spent the whole three months emailing designers and looking on Eventbrite for shows. By the the time we got to New York I had a full schedule of shows we would attend for the next five days. The thing about getting into industry shows is you have to look and act the part. They usually have standing room tickets and they can only give it to you if you are confident. Most times just walk up to them and explain that you need a ticket. If you don’t get a ticket take advantage of the free press. Some photographers might want to take your pictures so always look your best and you might see yourself in Vogue.

What To Wear

It is important to wear statement pieces. I am a visual person so whenever I have some big event to attend I create vision boards to plan my outfit. I planned six outfits on my vision board and made most of the statement pieces myself to save money. 

Outfit 1

I went for Brunch vibes, something simple yet intricate.  I’m not really a pantsuit person but I believe there is a first time for everything.  I made the feather heels and fan. Those were my statement pieces.

OUTFIT 2

I had the privilege of working with this amazing clothing brand from Ghana. I reached out to the creative director concerning fashion week. I initially wanted to pull some pieces from his website: Elegancewearfashion.com but he gave me full creative reign and allowed me to design my own outfit. I am so grateful to this angel for allowing me to be me and for giving me the opportunity to design for women like me.

OUTFIT 3

This look was birthed out of curiosity. It had been a while since I designed myself a pair of shoes so I decided to take my old skill for a spin and see how it goes… well it turned out amazing! I might even launch my own collection.

OUTFIT 4

I was on a highhhh with this look. Barbies are cute but we all know Bratz dolls are bomb. I was a whole Bratz Doll.

OUTFIT 5

The statement piece in this outfit is from elegancewearfashion.com.

OUTFIT 6

I visualized a very simple but vibrant look and as usual I delivered!

All in all. NYFW was amazing! I didn’t have the funds or any clue as to what I was doing but I took a bold step and it paid off chille. I don’t want to make this post long so I won’t go into details but if this is something you want to do I would advice you to go for it. It’s a difficult but rewarding journey. I would do it all in a blink of an eye if I could. In my next post I will go into more details on how you can plan your trip and the resources I used. Till next time love bugs ❤️