Six Rows of Separation - What It Takes To Get In To The Shows at New York Fashion Week

This is one question that I have been asked a few times, "how do you get invited to the shows?" Well you bat your eyes a few times and wala! you're in. Easier said than done, really. Unless you're an editor for a big magazine like Elle, GQ and the likes OR a buyer for a high end store, well good luck with that. For the rest of us bloggers well with persistence, hard work and knowing a few important people will make it happen. The press pass/card from IMG, who handles the shows held during fashion week, cost $80 for the early registration and $120 for late registration. Hold your horses right there, that only gets you in to the lobby and not the actual shows. When approved by IMG, after sending your credentials and necessary information they in turn will send you the PR list of each designers showing for that week and contact them personally but that doesn't guarantee you for an invite, either. Nothing is guaranteed until you receive an invite from the designer's PR people. I know, a ton of work. Who said that making it in the fashion world is easy?

So what's the second option? Well, if you happen to have $1500 lying around somewhere, you can use it to buy tier 2 show packages for limited reserved seats on every show held on Lincoln center through AmEx . . . if they're still doing that, the proceeds will benefit the Vogue Fashion Fund.

Any other option? Pull a Salahi and sneak in, I wont really suggest this one but Lincoln Center is just so chaotic that people actually get in without a press pass or lie about it. Unfortunately, security has been tighter ever since the move to Lincoln Center.

Anything else? well try to go to a smaller show by an unknown designer sometimes you'll be surprised. This has happened before, another editor/press person can't make it to a show and give away their sits, with proper heads up to the designer's PR people.

Or stay at home since most of the major shows are streamed online nowadays.

So hypothetically speaking, let's say you get in so who's what and the rest.

First/Front row, umm any fashion student can enumerate each and every person sitting on those nicely lined chairs. These are the who and what is fashion to the known world. Major Editors, Major Buyers , Major bloggers and Major celebrities. Anybody with a Major . . . impact on the fashion world.

Second and third rows and so forth are filled with not-so-important VIPs, buyers, bloggers (ME!) and press and assistant editors. with a dash of relatives of somebody from the backstage and PR people's people.

And the standing room? I don't know and I'm not being obnoxious or anything but aside from late attendees I'm not really sure who or what they do.

Some say that it's better to avoid the chaos that is Fashion week but to me it's exciting, hard work yes but very exhilarating. Some people jump off planes, bungee jump off a bridge, sure I can do that but going to New York fashion week gives me that rush too.

The calm before the storm