New York Fashion Week: Take Three

I gushed about my very first fashion week here and there on Zipped, but was so busy having the time of my life that I didn’t really take the time to sit and write it all down. My second fashion week experience was a little rockier, which you can read about here, and I was all about playing it safe in my wardrobe. I was going it alone, and with that stress I wanted to keep everything else no-nonsense: I wore only black, white and flats and tried to be as much of a wallflower as possible.

This was my first year going as a full-time blogger, and I put a lot of pressure on this trip. This time, I was going in with several contacts and connections and roommates that I was sure to make the most of it. I even packed dresses and heels, which are almost a foreign language for me, because who cared? I wanted to have a little fun. If there’s one place you can become someone else for a day, it’s New York City. It’s fashion week. Fashion is fun.

At the same time, putting so much pressure on myself wasn’t the best set up for self-confidence. I discovered quickly that there’s a weird balance in between trying to remain unnoticed at a party, while still giving an air of enjoying oneself and seeming approachable. Most people at fashion week give off an air of “I’m judging you and your outfit,” which is what I try to avoid. Don’t get me wrong, I am staring at all of the outfits one-hundred percent, but with appreciation. I absorb all the different looks during fashion week in a state of heart-stopping fascination. Everyone is all doing their own thing, and it’s easy to forget that at fashion week. It’s easy to throw yourself into blogger land and think you have to claw your way to the top and cast away everyone around you.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t quite fit into the fashion industry because I’m the kind of person that thinks it’s cool to be nice. I do! I think it's cool to be a kind and thoughtful person and sticking your nose in the air just opens you up to more unpleasant smells. Often times at fashion week I feel insecure, and there is no part of me that wants to make someone else feel like that. Lucky for me, it’s not always a solo venture. My roommates at fashion week—Alyssia, Kelsey, and Tamara—are proof for me that there are nice girls in fashion. Fashion may be a thriving and conniving industry, but it’s also one of the most fun, and too many people forget that. Yeah, blogging is a business, but it’s also an appreciation for the beautiful art that built this industry.

I’m not singing the song of the high and mighty here. I’m nothing near the best in the biz or the purest of heart and mind, but I do think a lot of celebrities/bloggers/editors/fashion people are misunderstood. Even though we as bloggers are choosing to put ourselves in the spotlight, it takes a lot to try and live up to the curated lives we throw across the Internet. I promise you, blogging is more than taking a pretty picture. Fashion bloggers, to me, are the best version of the girl next door. We give you fresh perspective for your everyday, but with hyperlinks. We let you see how we see the world, but with hashtags. The easiest way for me to get through the most expensive and most exhausting week of my life is to give the other girls grace. It’s easy to forget at fashion week, but everyone is all doing their own thing.