Dose of Prose
First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the treasure chest…
I can’t believe this year marks my third time attending LA Fashion week! From being a guest, to a member of the press, I feel like I have seen every behind-the-scenes aspect of LAFW and to say I have some thoughts on the event would be an understatement. After posting a recap of the shows on my Insta stories (you should give me a follow if you haven’t already) I’ve received some questions from you about how I’m able to attend the show and what it’s really like, which is what has prompted today’s post. If you’re new to my blog and don’t know me, first of all, welcome! Secondly, it is essential to note that I keep my content raw and real, meaning I don’t sugar coat things. So if you’re looking for an authentic, blunt opinion, you’ve come to the right place.
Disclaimer: it is not my intention to bash LAFW, the volunteers/organizers of the event nor BASIC magazine. I am simply sharing my personal experience – what you do with this information is up to you.
How to Attend LAFW (for free)
You don’t have to be famous, work in fashion nor be an influencer to attend LAFW. It is advertised to be exclusive, but really, anyone can go. However, if you do go, it probably won’t be for free. Essentially, in order to attend fashion week, you can pay for a ticket, be invited, be a volunteer, or have a media/press pass. You can also apply to attend, but you have to meet certain credentials in order to be accepted (ie. you must be a buyer/merchandiser, media/press, or VIP/celebrity).
I’ve had the opportunity to attend lots of fashion/blogger/influencer events, but not because I was invited, but because I found out about the event myself. Yes, I am a blogger, but I’m not “Instagram famous,” meaning I don’t have a large following to where I would be deemed as valuable or important enough for brands to want to sponsor my content or invite me to brand trips/events. That’s okay though, they will one day. 😉 In the meantime, Facebook, Instagram and Eventbrite have been my go-to resources for events around LA. The good news is, once you attend one event, social media has that creepy algorithm that refers you to other similar events. If you want me to make an in depth post about how I attend events for free in LA, leave a comment and let me know, but for LAFW specifically, I found out about it through Facebook events. I was just scrolling and saw the event pop up in my newsfeed. The event stood out to me because up until that point I assumed that fashion week was only a “thing” in New York, Paris and Milan, not LA. I was excited about the event and thought it sounded like fun…until I saw the prices. The lowest price was general admission for one night, which began at $100. The rest of the tickets went up to $500! However, at the time, I was a stressed out grad student, who needed a break and wanted to treat myself, so I went ahead and paid for a $100 ticket. Needless to say the money was well worth it – I had a great time and connected with some awesome people.
As a result of me attending the first show, I was added to the LAFW email list, so every so often I was contacted about LAFW related events. One day I received an email about a LAFW “pre-show” which basically was a mini version or preview of the official LAFW shows. Of course I wanted to attend, but I wasn’t trying to pay for a ticket (which started at $200 by the way…more than last year!). This time around I tried to finesse and negotiate. I knew that I probably wouldn’t get a free ticket, but I at least wanted a discounted ticket…so after sending a tactful, intentional email explaining how I attended LAFW in the past and that I was a blogger, I somehow managed to get an upgraded VIP ticket (worth $300) at a $200 rate. The power of networking and negotiating is very real, my friends. At the time, I thought it was a win situation for me, but looking back on it I realize now it was not a good deal. If you keep reading you’ll see why I think LAFW should be free and if you have the chance to attend, you should think twice before you do.
Long story short, I was able to attend LAFW for free for the last two seasons because I had a media/press pass from one of the sponsors of LAFW, BASIC magazine. If YOU want to go for free, you either need to be friends with a designer, model or someone associated with LAFW. Basically, it’s about who you know, not what you know. I connected with BASIC through my university at a random networking event on campus. A few months later I received an email from them to me asking if I wanted to participate as a writer for LAFW and I jumped at the opportunity. My work with BASIC is a whole other story in of itself (let me know if you want me to spill the tea on that), but I’ll bite my tongue and say that the negative parts of my experience with LAFW were amplified by the disorganized nature of my interactions with the magazine. Basically, it was my job to write a recap of the shows, run social media and interview the designers, but I was given little-to-no direction about anything. I was given lots of tasks with high expectations, without any feedback. Whenever I would reach out asking questions, nobody from the magazine would answer me. I had to follow-up multiple times to even get my work to be published in the e-magazine last year, and this year, who knows if it will be published at all. Ooof, I think I’ve said too much already…anyway, the point is, I couldn’t relax and enjoy the event as a guest, but I still had the invaluable opportunity to interview the designers and I had access to backstage, where I was able to see the village it takes to put an event like this together. I observed a lot and wanted to give you insights and my perspectives on what to expect before you attend LAFW. Let’s get into it.
The Truth About LAFW
1) Everything is fashionably…late.
It’s probably not my place to speak on this since I am a person who always runs late and typically never pays attention to time…so you know it must be serious for somebody like me to talk about somebody else being late, haha. On a serious note though, I’ve improved my bad habits and I’ve gotten a lot better with being on time, caring about time and respecting other people’s time. LAFW, unfortunately, does not. The program may say the “doors will open at 6:30pm” and that the “show starts at 7:30pm” but trust me, that is far from the case. The first show will typically not begin until around 9 or 9:30pm. If you combine the fashion presentations with intermission and getting everyone seated (more on this later), let’s just say you’re in for a long night. Basically, there is a lot of standing and waiting, not just for the shows to start, but for drinks, food, to be seated, etc. Everything won’t be over until around midnight realistically. If you’re a patient, extroverted, night owl looking to party, this may not be a problem for you. But I think the timing of the event is important to keep in mind, especially if you are paying for a ticket. My advice: show up at least an hour late and you’ll be right on time.
2) The dress code doesn’t really matter.
The invitation may say “cocktail/black-tie attire” but from what I’ve seen, that dress code is more of a suggestion rather than a requirement. I understand that everyone has their own individual style and people interpret things differently, but, from what I’ve observed…the crowd at LAFW is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get. Some people will have on full glam with dresses and suits, while others will opt for streetwear…and there’s always people who go above and beyond and wear some over-the-top costume. Oh, and let’s not forget about the group of folks who wear sunglasses inside as part of their weak attempt to look chic/cool. Haha, okay, maybe that was a little harsh…but what I’m trying to say is, you could literally wear jeans or pajamas to LAFW and still be the most fashionable person there. The reality is that there’s not a ton of people who know how to dress nor how to follow basic directions (at least not in LA), so don’t overthink your outfit. Wear what feels and looks good to you and you’ll be just fine. If you still need some pointers though, check out my post, Styling for Special Affairs to get you started.
3) Skip opening night.
There are pros and cons to opening night of LAFW. It’s up to you to decide what you prefer. Let’s start off with the pros: there is an open bar all night (free drinks!), there’s usually some activities and/or performances to keep you entertained (besides the fashion show itself) and the show will involve a featured designer (often someone who is well known internationally and not just local to LA). All of this sounds great, right? Well, not quite. Although you can get your alcohol fix on opening night, you won’t satisfy your hunger needs, because there’s no food! Food is provided on the other days of fashion week, just not opening night. It’s a trade off I suppose because the other nights, although the food is free, the drinks are not. Pick your poison on that one.
Yes, there is a featured designer show, but the key word here is show, singular. That’s right, there is only one show on opening night, compared to the 4-5 shows on the other nights! I mean, unless you really love the featured designer, want free booze and maybe see a live painter or random band playing, I don’t see the hype in opening night. In my opinion, skip opening night and go to LAFW on the other nights. There’s usually a fun theme, food and overall you get the most bang for your buck because you’re exposed to what you came there to see – fashion!
4) Get ready to play musical chairs.
If I had a dollar for every time I was told to move from my seat during LAFW, I’d be rich. I came to LAFW to enjoy the show, not reenact Rosa Parks (yikes). Basically, when you enter the venue and check-in, there are two separate lines you get into, either general admission or VIP. From there, you get certain wrist bands as well. For VIPs, you get priority seating, but for the regular folk, it’s basically the luck of the draw, meaning you might have to stand during the show and not get a seat at all. When it gets closer to the time of the show, a host will announce on a microphone for everyone to head towards the entrance to the runway, which is blocked off and heavily secured by bodyguards who could probably snap someone in half with their pinky. A long line will form and they’ll let a few people in at a time and seat them. Some chairs have guests names on them or just the word ‘VIP.’ The rest are not labeled and you’re taken to your seat by an usher.
What I’ve noticed is that people are very territorial over their seats and that the seating is ultimately up to the discretion of the usher. In between each show, everybody is forced to leave the room, so even if you wanted to get the same seat every time, you couldn’t. I’ve observed people rushing to the front of the line and arguing with security demanding a certain seat because of who they are or what they do. Everyone is herded into the room like cattle and it’s so stressful to watch, imagine being a part of it yourself. All I can say is that I think there should be a more organized, civilized way of seating at LAFW. If you don’t care whether you sit or stand, then this won’t bother you. But for those who want a good seat…good luck. You may or may not get what you want.
5) All guests are equal, but some guests are more equal than others.
This goes along with the seating situation…but basically, unless you’re Beyoncé, you’re not getting any special treatment at LAFW. I’ve attended as a regular guest, a VIP and as part of the media and I’ve been treated the same every single time…as someone less than. It doesn’t matter how many backstage passes or VIP wristbands you have, if you don’t look a certain way or if you aren’t deemed important by the biased, subjective discretion of the ushers, then you are placed on the back burner. I wasn’t able to get a seat in the front row nor priority seating every single time as promised. I spent more than one occasion having to convince the ushers of who I was and where I should be seated, explaining how I was allowed backstage, etc. Thankfully, I was connected with the woman running/overseeing LAFW, who vouched for me and basically told others who doubted me to shut up and leave me alone. It helps to have friends in high places, that’s for sure.
I know that racism and prejudice exists and I’m fully aware that judgement is prevalent, especially in an image based society like LA, so I’m not surprised by the way I was treated. I just want to put this out there for those thinking of attending LAFW…or any ‘exclusive’ event in LA: be prepared to be seen or treated like a nobody, but stand your ground and don’t allow the pre-conceived judgments of others to ruin your experience. For me, I pick and choose my battles, and I have selective hearing, so when someone is speaking BS to me, I usually tune it out. At the end of the day, I choose not to waste my time and energy on things and people who don’t serve me. When it comes to LAFW, you get what you pay for and just because something is free, doesn’t necessarily make it better.
Overall I believe that LAFW does have potential to be as reputable as the other fashion weeks, but it’s not quite there yet. Once again, I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to attend the event over these last few years, but I believe there are substantial improvements that need to be made when it comes to the professionalism, operations and protocol of the event. Ultimately, the experience is what you make it. If you’re reading this and you have attended LAFW, let me know your experience! If you have any further questions about LAFW, feel free to drop those too. Otherwise, I’ll catch you in my next post!
Until next time,
Kaamilah
