What it’s really like going to Fashion Week

New York, London, Milan, Paris. For about a month twice a year the fashion world packs their lives into a suitcase (or five) and travel around the globe going from one fashion capital to another. New collections are presented and all eyes are on the models and their long legs in the latest pieces. New trends and tendencies are shown, some new faces are discovered and a ton of photos are taken. It all looks very glamorous, fun and fab, but what it it really like going to fashion week? We tell you our story.

So Doina and me have been quite fortunate to attend Stockholm Fashion Week and Fashion Week Milan. There was a huge difference between the two, and I remember just how surprised we were by the whole experience. As you maybe know, we are based in Stockholm and Milan so it was natural to visit fashion weeks in these cities. Here are some of the things that happened to us and that reveal a more real side of fashion week where it’s not all glitter and rainbows, but more like sweat and uncomfortable shoes.

So our FW adventures started in 2012 while we were studying in Milan, but back then we would usually either work back stage or try to sneak into the show (there were no fancy invitations for us yet). What we discovered with our classmates is that sometimes you can talk the doorman into letting you in, or sometimes if you come a bit late and you have the right attitude you can just walk right in, no questions asked (trust me, it’s a true story). The first show we attended “normally” was for Elena Miro and it was incredible. Just being there and witnessing the whole thing felt so surreal. Talking about surreal, the amount of photographers capturing street style was crazy!! In Milan they would block the whole street and you couldn’t help but to laugh at the situation. Still, no matter how ridiculous it all seems your ego gets a little boost every time the camera is pointed at you. Of course the crazier your outfit the better, at least in Milan. Stockholm is probably world’s capital of minimalism, so street style stars here tend to dress a bit differently. I feel the photographers mostly capture the faces they already know, which are great, but we might need some fresh faces too. Although the fashion week in Stockholm is not as ‘popular’ as the one in Milan, I still like it more. Everything is waaaaay better organised, the locations of the show are always quite close to each other so there is no much crazy traffic like in Milan. Everything just seems to go much smoother and there’s way less stress. There was this show in Milan in 2013 where we didn’t get in (and we had the invitations, I swear!) and something like that would NEVER happen in Stockholm. Also, people tend to have more casual outfits and attitudes so if you prefer a bit more drama Milan is better for you.

Still, regardless if it’s Milan, New York, Stockholm or Belgrade, fashion week is fun, but it’s also a lot of work. It is a fabulous week filled with the best outfits on and off the runway, but it takes a lot of time and energy and it’s good it only happens twice per year. We need time in-between to recharge before the fashion madness starts again.