HOW TO GET NOTICED AT FASHION WEEK
Dear Fat Anna Wintour… how do I get noticed at fashion week?
Reader: What does it mean to be “noticed”? Do you want your Doechii moment, looking so fierce that the whole industry gasps: “behold, a new fashion icon!” This is what I pictured my first fashion week would go like. I soon realised no one actually cares that much. Plus celebrities have whole teams whose job it is to get them seen.
There’s different camps. Journalists who trek around shows all day and report back are stylish but sensible. Sneaker collabs with buzzy designers, carabiner skirts, vintage cardigans, designer caps, fluffy coats and oversized sunglasses. Items which signal your superior sartorial knowledge without being too cumbersome.
Influencers and celebrities look more exciting (and impractical). If I get stares on the tube en route, it’s a pretty good sign that my look will get some attention. Giant platforms and bulbous garments guarantee a street style snap, but they make travelling from show to show quite hellish. Especially if you don’t have a Zone 1 hotel or a personal driver, luxuries reserved for the most high-profile talent and publications. A crazy look ≠ being noticed. Perhaps you have a signature, like Beka Gvishiani of StyleNotCom’s blue cap.
Networking beforehand is much more exciting. The easiest way to get photographed at a show is to wear the brand in question. Designers often lend out clothes to attendees; it’s worth asking! PR showrooms also lend garments for events to get press for their designers. Also, do you have friends in fashion? Make-up or hair artists, stylists, designers? Work with them! They might push you out of your comfort zone.
If you plan to go all out with your look, focus your efforts on one or two events a day – doing a quick change when necessary. Last season, drag queen Krystal Versace shared how she wriggled in and out of outfits in her taxi between shows. I got changed in a Five Guys toilet.
Don’t forget: You can stand out by just being a genuine person. In these rooms, there are people who stare through you if you don’t have the right follower count or job title. Take the time to actually connect: a couple of great conversations are much better than 20 surface-level ones. IRL interactions matter as much as getting a good photo for your socials. You may not get a job offer immediately, but every fashion week will add collaborators, colleagues, and comrades.
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