RECAP: NYFW 2018

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Wow guys! My first NYFW in the books! It’s been such a crazy week, but also amazing. I loved the energy of the shows and the fashion did NOT disappoint!

If you want the short and visual recap, please check out the video below:

Want more? Here’s a recap of each day!

Day 1: ACID NYC // Aranyani // KavenLiu Dimor

Day 2: Style Collective Convention 2018 @ NYFW // FWO Gala

Day 3: Modilize Launch Party // Oxford Shows

Day 4: Chiara Boni La Petite Robe // Dan Liu

Day 1:

Nolcha Shows – ACID NYC

My VERY first fashion show was ACID NYC and it was definitely one of my favorites of the entire week! The show was also sponsored by Clear Eyes and InstaSleep and they had a really cool area where you could get you “Eye Portrait”.

ACID NYC had a lot of brightly colored pieces and super fun prints in classic silhouettes like a dramatic ‘salsa’ maxi, jaw dropping mini dress and flowy jumpsuit. The game changer of this show were the novelty purses! I counted the following designs: Cherry Pie, Lime, Lemon, Empanada, Taco (personal fave), and Chocolate Covered Strawberry (also personal fave).

Literally #obsessed with this dress from ACID NYC (Photo via Nolcha Shows)

Taco purse + jumpsuit, sushi cross body, and the chocolate covered strawberry clutch! (Photos via Nolcha Shows)

Nolcha Shows – Aranyani & KavenLiu Dimor

The two evening shows were hosted by Vanessa Williams (wut?! Yes, her). Aranyani’s show was first – the collection had a variety of handbags from clutches and crossbody bags to messenger bags for men. All featuring India-inspired illustrations. My favorite part of this show were the model’s make up – bright eyeshadows and liners. Photos via Nolcha Shows.

KavenLiu Dimor’s show was a bit unexpected. I found his style and that of Dan Liu (discussed later) to be very similar. It’s interesting that while the American designers showed a lot of bright colors and florals, the Asian designers show a lot more plaids, collars, and babydoll silhouettes.

KavenLiu Dimor’s collection was very couture with sharp cuts, bell sleeves, and baby doll dresses. The model’s heads were wrapped in cellophane which I…I’m sorry, I didn’t get it. I didn’t ‘get’ a lot of the artistic aspects of the shows, so I guess I can’t appreciate art. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Photos via Nolcha Shows

Day 2:

Style Collective Conference 2018 at NYFW

The second day of NYFW was spent at the Style Collective Conference. I actually didn’t expect to get a lot out of this conference because I’ve bought so many other platforms on blogging and upping side-hustle my game. But I was so so wrong! The speakers were so amazing and uplifting and I had been kind of in a blogging/Instagram rut over the past few weeks and this totally pulled me out of it. Also, I met one of my blogger idols – Brittany Sjogren! Btw, she’s so kind and down to earth and let me take this epic photo of us together!

Me and my friend Lindsay snapping some pics in the photo booth! (above two photos via Style Collective and Bora Images)

Later that evening, my friend Lindsay and I went to the NYFW Gala at the DV Club. The DV Club was a bit strange – it reminded me a lot of the Armani Caffe in Paris. There was open bar, but it was only Rose or this weird beer/tea hybrid beverage. A girl in the bathroom told me the beer/tea makes you bloated, so I just a had a couple glasses of rose….until they ran out. The party itself was OK, it was a very strange mishmash of people and the food and alcohol ran out very quickly. So Lindsay and I decided to leave and get some actual food around 11PM. The only place close we could find was an Italian spot near Times Square. It was actually delicious, and I left feeling full and tired.

Day 3:

The morning kicked off with meeting up with Claire who is a fellow member of the Style Collective and photographer. She is amazing by the way, and I recommend her 1000% if you’re located in the UK. I had a quick photo sesh with her at the New York Public Library. See the photos from our great sesh here where I’m styling the perfect skirt for Fall!

Next, I went to the Modilize App launch party in Soho with my friend Amy. I’m very excited for this app to go live. The whole premise from my understanding is that it’s kind of like Liketoknow.it, but you can search bloggers by their measurements so you can find someone with your same size and body shape to more easily find clothes.

The party was good and I got my hair and make up retouched before hitting the roof deck where I had a quick photosesh with an awesome photographer (2 photo seshes in 1 day?! Talk about my happy place!).

Then, Amy I stopped by Chelsea Pier 59 for the Oxford Shows. We saw two jewelry designers (Lesunja and DM Jewelry Designs) , a gown designer (Megan Cannings), Daykeyla,  Meticulously Eccentric (one of my favorites of the collective). Pier 59 is what I will call the ‘2nd Hub’ for NYFW, here there were NYFW signs all around and there was a large lobby with a welcome desk, bar, and restaurant. There was also a large outdoor deck for the champagne/wine reception after each show. I liked the venue a lot because you had a place where you could just chill out and get food between the shows. However, the shows themselves weren’t as intimate and had seating which I would say was similar to that of a cattle auction. BUT, I still sat in the front row here, so I really can’t complain.

Also, I saw a ton of other Style Collective members at this show, so it was a lot of fun being able to see and hang out with some familiar faces.

Here are some of my favorite looks from the show:

Megan Cannings

Gorgeous gowns that made me think of all things spring, light textures and pastels. Photos via Oxford Shows and The Garnett Report.

Meticulously Eccentric

Bright colors (def a trend for next spring/summer), and mod shapes, this 60’s inspired collection had me swooning during the entire show! Below are my favorites – I would totally rock any of these looks. Photos via Oxford Shows and The Garnett Report.

You’d think the day would be pretty much over now, right? WRONG! We still had more events to go to. Around 6PM we decided to stop by the Chelsea Market to rest our feet, grab a drink, and just chill for a bit.

At 7PM we went to the Indocino in Soho for the Fashion Canada Curated panel. This event was pretty cool, and not to mention there was champagne and poutine! The panelists included the CEO and President of Indochino, a Canadian Plus-Size model, a Canadian designer, and a Canadian fashion writer.

The panelists discussed some of the hot topics in Canadian fashion and what makes Canadian Fashion unique. Here are my key takeaways:

1. Canadians have a sense of ‘Do Good’ philanthropy that is often translated into brands. For example, using up-cycled materials, donating proceeds to a good cause, etc.
2. They’re working on size inclusivity but it’s not as good as the US right now. A driver of this is lack of funding (Canadian designers receive funding grants for their collections).
3. They reign supreme when it comes to outerwear.
4. Poutine + Champagne = A Great Dinner

At the end of the night, I took the subway back to my hotel to grab my bags. Then I took the last train back to Philly at 11PM. Exhausted doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt, but I really missed Lola and my bed!

Day 4

The last day of NYFW for me ended up being the biggest and man, so many celeb sightings too!

At 4PM, I saw Chiara Boni La Petite Robe at the REAL NYFW hub at Spring Studios.  I only had a standing ticket, but ended up snagging a seat in the last row. The seating was one again like that of a cattle auction.

The looks from Chiara were of a similar theme to the other shows: florals and bright colors! Here are some of my favorite looks. Photos via WWD.

My last show was Dan Liu and in-between that and Chiara, I decided to chill out in the Papyrus Coffee Lounge. The drink that people in line told me to try was the Blush Latte – housemate raspberry syrup and white chocolate. It was surprisingly good, and I needed an afternoon pick-me-up!

The lounge was a surreal place to be. The people-watching was THE BEST here, and I was literally feet away from Ryan Seacrest, Ashley Tisdale, and Lindsay Vonn! From time-to-time people would come up to me and chit chat, and especially the veterans of NYFW would give me some good tips, or insight on how to make the most of seeing a show at Spring Studios.

The Dan Liu show was definitely a show. A man in a white wolf mask came out and did some dramatic dancing before the models came out. I honestly didn’t get the artsy part – I’m here for the fashion! (Images via Gettyimages)

Similar to KarenLiu, Dan Liu’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection was full of school-girl inspired Peter Pan collars, shift silhouettes and classic black and white color blocking or prints.

After the show, I made sure to get some Ramen from Kuro-Obi at the Vanderbult UrbanSpace along with a donut from Dough for dinner. After eating, I proceeded to sleep for a full month until I was able to fully recuperate and actually edit my footage from this amazing NYFW!

Did you go to NYFW this year? What was your favorite part?