To say New York Fashion Week has changed is an understatement. Aside from the actual runway shows, it honestly feels like night and day. I can only comment on my experience over the past 12 seasons, but wow, what a difference 6 years has made.

As my longtime followers know, this blog started as a means to get invited to fashion week. I had no idea how I would make it happen, but I just knew that by building an online presence, I would somehow find myself invited. My entire mindset at the time could basically be summed up by Dan Humphrey’s confession in the finale episode of Gossip Girl, “If I wasn't born into this world - maybe I could write myself into it.”

And that’s exactly what I did. I started my blog the night I attended my very first fashion show, as a crasher no less. Desperate to be a part of the madness, my friend and I managed to sneak our way into the last show of the season, Anna Sui. That one show was so magical that it inspired me to start a blog which literally set the stage for my entire career path.

By the following season, I received my very first invite from Nanette Lepore, and by my 4th season, the invites were pouring in. I even found myself on the list of an after party with the likes of Cara Delevingne, Naomi Campbell, and Rihanna. Needless to say, I wrote myself into the fashion industry, all right.

The biggest difference between now and then is that the beginning was full of magic and excitement about the clothes, rather than just a jam-packed schedule. I was attending shows years before other bloggers, so there was a sense of exclusivity. The front rows were filled with celebrities and editors and because Instagram wasn’t popular yet, people actually watched the shows. Another huge difference is that all the shows took place in one central hub, Lincoln Center. That meant many of us would spend our entire days in the tents, getting our hair done, chatting, or working in the media room between shows. There was a calm amidst the NYFW craziness.

What I miss most is Lincoln Center. With the shows now dispersed between different venues all over the city, not only do you have to choose between many of them, but you no longer have a second to breathe. If you aren’t rushing at all times, you simply won’t make it where you need to go. I’ve heard NYFW was even better when the hub was at Bryant Park, but I can’t speak to that as I wasn’t even living in New York City yet.

While the good ol’ days of New York Fashion Week were, well, good, the future also brought with it some really positive changes. I now have friends in the industry and there is nothing quite like attending NYFW with a friend, getting photographed, and running around the city together. It’s fun.

As a seasoned blogger, I also get some pretty awesome invites AND I even get a seat. Definitely a step up from my standing room only days. Free Lexus rides between shows is also a MAJOR plus.

The downsides that came with all the changes primarily stem around the better-than-thou attitudes of some of the people who now attend and with the rise of Instagram, FOMO on whatever you didn’t score an invite to is real. Then again, because so many of us have become friends over the years, we love inviting each other as our plus 1’s. Many of us have also stopped stressing so much and just attend what we want, when we want, for no other reason than to have a good time. And a good time it was. That’s a wrap Fall/Winter 2019!

Photography: Laurel Creative

xx Esther