Paris Fashion Week is over, and I have to say I’m a little relieved.
I know I sound like a spoiled brat. Don’t get me wrong — FASHION WEEK WAS EFFIN’ INCREDIBLE and getting to experience it on my own terms as a freelancer was the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s been a non-stop adventure hopping from show to show, rushing to edit photo and video and hustling to meet deadlines. But nine days and eighteen shows later, I am spent. I’m glad I got to get a glimpse into the world of Parisian fashion, but I’m also kind of glad I can retreat back into my own less glamorous (but just as exciting) life now.
I do want to impart one last bit of knowledge, though, and that’s how YOU can experience Fashion Week too. While I managed to snag invites to the shows based on my own merits, I got to observe a lot of the gate-crashers and came away with some pretty handy tips:
- Dress the part. Luckily, this means just about anything, from high heels and high fashion like the fashion editors to jeans and sneaks like the photographers.
- Tote the right equipment. A visible notebook and expensive-looking camera should do the trick.
- Find out if invites were just snail-mailed or sent electronically as well. You can fib that you didn’t have time to print yours out.
- Figure out the deal with assigned seating. Some shows seat by section (A, B, C, etc.), while others have more precise assignments (row C5, seat G-2-B, etc.)
- Arrive early to scout out the scene — it will make it a lot easier to figure out the answers to (3) and (4), and you might score a pity entry from the guards.
Hope to see you behind the velvet ropes!
