Fashion Week for Dummies

It’s almost 7 February, which means that it’s almost Fashion Month. Editors, bloggers, buyers, stylists, photographers, and other fashion people fly, not very unlike a school trip, to New York via London to Milan only to conclude in Paris. Amayzine goes, as you know, to New York. Afterwards, Jet and I will also go to London and I’ll head to Paris with a friend by car. A lot of magazines or bloggers like to pretend they’re as important as Anna Wintour, and that everyone runs from show to show, which isn’t true. Of course it opens doors to work for Amayzine.com, but don’t think we sit front row, cosily next to Anna or Suzy at all the shows  we’re invited for. It’s such a hassle to even get tickets for New York. Mostly, the world can be divided into Those Who’ve Been Invited, and Those Who Haven’t Been, and that last group needs to request accreditation. ZDWU are buyers from really important shops and department stores, editors-in-chief, fashion directors, and, of course, a long list of celebs that see to the pretty pictures. ZDNWU has to turn to the accreditation system. First, you’ve got to register, which in the case of New York you can do a couple of weeks prior. Registering costs around $80, and is open to everyone, but only a very small percentage is accepted from the many thousands of people that register. It doesn’t lead to much if you’re one of the lucky few that has been accepted because the only thing you’re allowed to do now is to contact the brands to ask them for their permission to come visit.

If you’re unlucky, you might end up with $80 less, a very stressful week, and still with no entry granted. It works about the same for other cities, with Paris as ultimate highlight in difficulty. You can see a lot besides the official programme that don’t require you to have an invitation, which, in Amsterdam, we call Downtown Programme. So in case you’re in one of the fashion capitals, note the following events. Perhaps we’ll bump into each other.

1. New York has the Couture Fashion Week from 14 till 16 February. It only takes $150 to sit front row, and for $65,- they’ll assign another seat. The shows take a lot more time than the ‘real’ shows, somewhere between the 30 and 50 minutes, and they’re also spiced up with lots of performances. Honestly, the website doesn’t really look Couture, but rather like it’s just turned 1994, but who knows: the event might be really fun.
2. A very good way of visiting lots of places is to submit yourself as volunteer. For New York, you’ve only got to email the mdfw_volunteers [at] cfda.com, and check this page for possibilities in Milan. Prefer London? Here are the job openings for the British Fashion Council, the organisation that deals with all the affairs concerning the fashion shows.
3. Department store Lafayette in Paris hosted fashion shows every Friday last September. 30 minutes long, six models were showing “the latest trends by the most fabulous designer and couturier collections.” I don’t really understand whether they’re going to do so again this year, but it’s definitely worthwhile. Galleries Lafayette is kind of a really nice home.
4. You’ll still get a long way if you’re staying at home behind your telly. A lot of shows are broadcasted live. For New York’s programme, check here and for London check here. Paris’s programme remains unknown but will appear here, likewise Milan’s program