Porter ticket booked? Toronto-based writer, Laura Stratford, shares her tips for how to prepare for New York Fashion Week to help you get ready!
One of the great things about being in Toronto is the relatively close proximity to New York City and that means never being too far from one of the fashion capitals of the world. While the flight is only an hour or two, it’s still super reasonable to drive down to the city for a long weekend as long as your passport is good to go. Start saving and packing because there are less than two months to get ready for the most wonderful week the fashion world has to offer. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for New York Fashion Week, and get a head-start on your upcoming stylish spree.
Know Where You’re Going
If you’ve been paying attention to the fashion world lately, you probably heard that February’s New York Fashion Week was the last one to be held at the legendary Lincoln Center. NYMag’s The Cut writes that NYFW, now organized by WME/IMG, will be have two new homes for the upcoming Spring 2016 showcase to be held Sept. 10-17, 2015. This year, the event takes place at the Skylight at Moynihan Station on West 33rd Street and Skylight Clarkson Square on Washington Street in downtown. The week-long event had been held at the Lincoln Center since 2010 and took place in Bryant Park for 17 years prior to that.
Fill Out and Apply for Any Travel Applications
It seems like an obvious suggestion but you can’t even imagine how many friends I’ve seen scramble to get a passport or visa a month before a flight, but this especially true for people traveling from outside North America. Unlike our English cousins, Canadians get a few perks that our faraway fashionista friends across the pond don’t when it comes to traveling between countries. Because the USA and Canada are so close, there are special rules for traveling between the two and you don’t even need to apply for a visa or the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). I like it because it’s one less thing to worry about. Also, going through all that paperwork is a drag. But if you’re traveling from the UK or mainland Europe, you probably won’t need a visa, but you will need to apply for the ESTA, according to this page from British Airways. Don’t forget about that, because the last thing you want is to get sent back home without even leaving the lobby at JFK International Airport.
Know Who’s Who and Who’s Showing
It’s always a good idea to do your research, because there’s nothing worse than someone asking you which designer you’re looking forward to seeing and drawing a big, dumb stare. This year, Fashion Week plays host to some really special designers you don’t get to see in New York every day. The New York Times reports here that Givenchy will show its spring 2016 line at this year’s New York Fashion Week to coincide with the opening of its new store in downtown Manhattan. The snubbing of the fashion mecca of Paris for New York is similar to a move recently pulled by Valentino for its new shop in Rome.
Clear Extra Space for Photos
As if everyone isn’t on Instagram already, I feel as though anytime there’s a festival or event my number of photos easily triples. There’s nothing worse than being ready to take an amazing shot or video and then being rudely notified by your phone that you’re out of storage space. Oh, the humanity! If you’re planning to take a bazillion photos of Fashion Week (which you probably are), make sure to backup your phone and free up plenty of space for all those fantastic photos you’re about to take.
Binge Watch All of “Project Runway”
There’s nothing to get you ready for Fashion Week quite like “Project Runway.” The series continues to be a staple of both reality television and high fashion plus it’s always exciting to bet on which designers will make it to Fashion Week. With 13 seasons under its belt, there’s almost 120 hours of “Runway” available, so it’d probably be best to get started now if you want to be done in time for season 14 this August.
Thank you, Laura!
xo
(All images by Tommy Ton)
The post How to Prepare for New York Fashion Week S/S 2016 appeared first on Gracie Carroll.