How to Dress for Fashion Week on a Budget

It’s that time of year where New York City streets become every fashionista’s playground. That’s right, New York Fashion Week is just about here, and it is time for outfit planning to commence! With street style making almost as big of a splash as the runway shows themselves, an eye-catching and on-trend #ootd is the key to standing out. And while standing out takes strategically planned, inspired, unique looks, it also requires connections and a budget. So whether it’s your first fashion week experience or you’re a regular, here are a few tips and tricks to standing out at New York Fashion Week on a budget.

Get Inspired

Find inspiration and create a mood board for the week. Take a look back at last season’s runway presentations forecasting trends for the current season! For instance, a few reigning trends during the September SS19 shows included the color coral, edgy lace, women’s suiting, and chunky headbands. So to show up on trend and in style, why not consider wearing a coral suit, or style an edgy lace dress with a thick pearl embellished headband when putting together looks for fashion week.

Utilize Industry Connections

To create these fashionably flawless outfits, many bloggers and fashionistas use their hard-earned connections with designers, brands and agency showrooms to “pull” or select items to wear to fashion week. Cultivating relationships with designers, agencies, boutiques and vintage shops is undoubtedly hard work but well worth it when creating outfits for NYFW. Not only does this provide exposure and compliment the designer’s seasonal collection, but this is a great way to be on trend while staying on budget. Remember, fashion week is ALL about connections. Be prepared with business cards and don’t be afraid to network; this is the perfect opportunity to cultivate relationships for future NYFW pulls, too.

Check Out Your Favorite Department Store

If you do not have connections like these within the industry, do not worry! With both inspiration and a budget in mind, show-stopping NYFW street style looks can be created by shopping at popular retailers. When choosing to shop retailers for fashion week, check out department stores like Nordstrom and Century 21. Retailers like these often carry statement designer pieces from designers like Emilio Pucci and Chloe at lower prices that are easily interchangeable into a fashion week wardrobe.

Check Out Some Fast Fashion Hotspots

And if you are considering keeping costs even lower, contemplate shopping stores like Zara, TopShop, and Aritzia. Retailers like these carry on-trend items with unique hemlines and standout colors, which are perfect for New York Fashion Week sidewalk shots. Forever21 is an excellent go-to for eye-catching accessories. Adding a distinct framed sunny or statement earring to a look completes the outfit, designer or not! Remember, there is nothing wrong with sporting a designer piece alongside fast fashion items OR exclusively wearing statement pieces from your favorite box retailer.

Remind yourself that fashion is all about how you wear an item, not where it is from. Stay in your lane (or in this case budget) because the best fashion week street style stems from how you wear what you love.

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