Life: How To Survive Fashion Week Like A Pro

#VeniVidiVici

Fashion week + catching up on work + visitors = a severely bad cold. Now that I’m fully recovered from being sick, I’m ready to share my crazy, hectic, but amazing experience at New York Fashion Week: Men's. But before I get to the nitty gritty, let's start with 9 of the most important tips that have helped me — and hopefully can help you — to survive one of the biggest weeks in fashion:

1) Make sure to wear or bring comfortable shoes. I cannot stress this enough. This is one week where beauty is NOT pain. You need to remember that a handful of fashion shows and events will occur outside of the Skylight Clarkson Square (the new home of NYFW) which means you’ll be running around the city like a mad (wo)man so do your feet a favor and bring a comfy pair of shoes.

2) Although you’ll be too busy to eat, make sure to pack snacks. The venue will have pre-packed meals that you can purchase but there's a catch: the meals are kind of pricey. Also, if you’re expecting to look for a place to grab a bite, just note that most of the restaurants are 4-5 blocks away (remember, these are New York blocks), so having a couple of snacks in hand will help you. How did I refuel? Two words: Hot Cheetos.

3) Because we live in a digital world, you’ll constantly be instagramming, snapchatting, tweeting, and texting. To prevent yourself from being a fashion week newb, don't forget to bring all of your chargers. We all know that the worst thing that can happen is seeing that ugly 10% notification, so make sure you’re overly prepared.

4) Instagram handles > business cards. Enough said.

5) Sunglasses will save your life. I always thought everyone at fashion week wore sunglasses to look cool but now I know better — it’s actually worn to hide how exhausted everyone looks! For example, the second and third day of NYFWM was hot, humid, and rainy and after running back and forth from West Village to Chelsea, I’m 99.9% sure that my eye liner was all over my face. Thanks to my Urban Outfitters sunglasses, I was able to temporarily look chic when entering Skylight Clarkson Square.

6) O.K., I get that it’s fashion week and you will be surrounded by some of the most fashionably people in the world but remember to be you and dress for yourself. Photographers love seeing authentic and original outfits that elevates a person’s personality, not a person who’s wearing the latest trend.

7) Step out of your comfort zone and network, network, network! Smile and introduce yourself to everybody. You’re at one of the most important events in fashion, meaning you’ll be surrounded by tons of important people.

8) You’ve made it to fashion week for crying out loud so take time to put your phone down and enjoy the show IRL (I hate that acronym but it felt right to use).

9) And last but not least, do NOT arrive fashionably late. Ironic isn’t it? If you’re attending the shows as press or if you received a standing room ticket, I highly advise arriving 15 minutes prior to the show. By arriving early, you’re able to find a spot with the best view and you get first dibs on available seats.

Are you a NYFW survivor? Leave a comment and share your tips, tricks, and lessons on how you survived one of the biggest events in fashion!