TPM Fashion Week 101

Fashion week… it’s a magical event that occurs throughout the year, that a lot of people just simply don’t understand. Some people ask ‘Why is this a thing..?’ while others question ‘Who, what, where, when, how..?’

As ladies who were once asking these questions ourselves, we thought we’d put a little Fashion Week 101 guide together, just in case any of our Posh gals have questions that they don’t know where to find the answers to.

• Why are there multiple fashion weeks? Wouldn’t you think they’d all be the same?
- There are multiple fashion weeks because every location has something different to offer. Trust us when we say that nothing is repeated. Although there are enough ‘Fashion Weeks’ in the world that it is literally fashion week somewhere at all times, the ones that gain the most attention and hold the most influence are what we call the big four: New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, and Paris Fashion Week. 

• Why do they need a whole week? They couldn’t possibly have enough clothes to showcase that they need that much time.
- Ohhhh but they do. And here’s why…
NYFW had 255 shows in 9 days (Sept. 9-17)
LFW had 129 shows in 6 days (Sept. 17-22)
MFW had 66 shows in 6 days (Sept. 23-28)
PFW had 90 shows in 9 days (Sept. 29-Oct. 7)
That’s a total of 540 unique shows in 4 major cities across the globe over 29 days. Whoofta, they’re some busy people!

• But who actually wears these clothes? I could never go out in the items I’ve seen.
- Well that’s a tricky one. Sometimes there’s a lot of theatrics in a show that makes you wonder that, but those are to showcase the imagination of the designer and is tailored to editors of major magazines, where collections like that may actually be featured. It’s also good to keep in mind that there are tons of different types of shows (couture, ready-to-wear, mass production, etc.) so not all of them are meant to literally be worn right off the runway.

• What’s up with the timing of the shows? Why am I seeing runway shows with spring/summer items when it’s hardly fall yet?
- Fashion weeks are typically 6 months out from the current season. Fall/Winter items are showcased in the Spring (February and March) and Spring/Summer items are showcased in the Fall (September and early October). There are also some lesser-known shows in the off season called Resort Wear (mid-winter) and Pre-Fall (mid-summer). Being 6 months out gives retailers (examples: H&M, Target, Forever21, Gap) time to spot those trends, design relevant items, and have them in stores by the time the appropriate season rolls around. 

• Okay, so why are normal, everyday people never invited? I want to go!
- Sorry, major fashion shows are rarely (if ever…) open to the public. They are invite only. Designers hire Public Relations firms to handle the guest list and seating arrangements. People invited are typically members of the media, buyers, editors, bloggers, friends of the designers, or celebrities. The system they use to arrange the seating is, simply put, based off of how important you are. So, it’s basically like getting invited to the cool kids party in elementary school only to show up and find out you were ranked amongst your peers à la Mean Girls. 

Fun Fact: Celebrities are paid to go to fashion shows. It basically works as: the bigger the celebrity, the bigger the check, the bigger the press exposure. So beware of seeing a celebrity at a fashion show and thinking “oh, this must be one of their favorite designers,” because you never know, they could’ve hated the whole thing. Our #poshsquad thinks it’s best to just decide for yourself what you love. 

• Oh… Well if I’m not important enough to be invited then why should I care about it?
- Well, because it has a lot of influence over what you see in stores. By designers inviting industry leaders and influencers it allows them to decide what trends they love, what trends they hate, and ultimately decides what they’re going to give valuable space to in their stores - which in return, will determine the items available for you to purchase.