Next week, Fashion Weeks around the world kick off with Copenhagen, Berlin, New York, London, Milan and Paris, plus LA, Vancouver and other cities that have lower-profile but still exciting, innovative shows. If you’re an editor, writer, photographer, blogger, or just hanger-on (no shame), how are you going to decide what to wear to the most fashionable events in the world?

Refinery 29 editorial intern Beverly Fong

Believe it or not, you’ll want to dress sort of like you do every day, except a bit more nicely. Unless you have a hired car, seat assignments and your own mini-portfolio on Style.com, Jak & Jil or The Sartorialist, you’ll kill yourself either by tripping in your high, pointy heels or freezing to death in your sequined cocktail dresses. Here we’re outlining a few tried and true guidelines that have worked for us in Copenhagen and New York, and then listing other Fashion Week dressing guides elsewhere on the web. Cheers!

Our Tips:

• Wear well-fitting, neutral-based clothes. You don’t have to wear all black, but pack a neutral-based collection of items that fit like a second skin. This will keep you from looking droopy and like your clothes are just hanging off of you after wearing them all day, for a couple of days. Think: your perfect skinny jeans or a fitted sheath dress with bright, textured belts.
• Dress warm. Tommy Ton’s caught editors in Paris in carelessly donned fur coats — a perfect way to dress up your jeans or shorts-and-tights look while staying warm.
• Wear flat shoes. If you wear heels, even small ones, you will be miserable at the end of the day. Don’t you want to stay up for the parties? Try motorcycle boots or flat OTK boots that go with dresses and jeans.
• Bring a big bag. You’re going to need something roomy to stash invites, freebies, water, snacks, press kits and business cards.
• Dress like yourself. Fashion Week is kind of like the industry’s biggest branding moment, so dressing up like Leigh Lezark is only going to make you look like a wannabe. Dress according to your personal style, with one or two extra pops, like a bright scarf or studded top during the day: you’ll be more comfortable, confident and eye-catching.

Other Fashion Week Style Guides:

• “Debunking Myths About Fashion Week,” Fashionista.com
• “New York City Fashion Week,” WearevertheWeather.com (our tip sheet from September ‘09)
• “What do you Wear to Fashion Week? Bloggers Discuss,” Racked.com
• “Tips on What To Wear During Fashion Week,” Papermag.com

Hey, Travelistas! Wanna know what to wear for the weather? Just click on My Stylist and type in your location, date, and an occasion and let My Stylist do the rest. Join us on Facebook and Twitter for everything fashion and travel from WeareverTheWeather.com!

New York Fashion Week is one of the most stylish, cutting edge events of the year, attracting leading editors, photographers, models, designers, and It girls from around the world.

Fashion Week – which used to host only private, under-the-radar presentations for editors only – has turned into a rock-star-worthy parade of catwalk shows and parties at the tents in Bryant Park, at Milk Studios’ presentation spaces, and at galleries and stores around the city. And although everyone’s bemoaning the crippling economy, most designers are ready to bring back the beauty and have a little fun again.

Even if you’re not part of the official “in crowd,” New York Fashion Week is a major celebration of everything that makes the industry great: art, creativity, young talent, the retail industry and freedom of expression.

At Leifsdottir. Photo courtesy of Laura Milligan.

This year, New York’s sponsoring Fashion’s Night Out, an open-to-the-public, citywide event that you’ll need a stylish, but comfy, outfit for as you run around town visiting Anna Wintour at Macy’s in Queens, the bartending Olsens at Barneys, and other designers and industry celebrities as they bring fashion to the people. Here are a few tips for looking Fashion Week ready…

•    Stay comfy: New Yorkers are proud of their eclectic but chic personal style, but if you think you’re going to run around the city all night in a towering pair of booties or stilettos, you’re going to look anything but cool. Grab your flat gladiators or flat boots for when it turns chilly, and you’ll add understated punch to your overall look.

•    Pick one cool trend and tone everything else down: New Yorkers are of course some of the most stylish

people in the world, but even on a night that celebrates fashion and creativity, you’ll stick out (in a bad way) if you pile on too many trends. Paige Welborn, a twenty-something who lives in New York, reiterates: “As for style in New York, you might expect everyone to be on top of all the trends, constantly abreast of the must-have accessory or color of the season, but New Yorkers are less trend-focused than many other metropolitan areas… Think about it, New Yorkers are  typically highly driven individuals who come here to make their own unique dream come true. Nobody comes to New York to make another person’s dream come true, so why would they follow other people’s fashion tastes?” Stick with one of-the-moment item, like a black jumpsuit or Blair-worthy headband – and then turn to your collection of basics for everything else.

Beverly Fong at Rachel Antonoff. Photo courtesy of Laura Milligan.

•    Pack a blazer. It’s still the beginning of September, but the forecast shows that Fashion’s Night Out could dip into the high 60s or low 70s, so pack a cardigan or a structured blazer so you’re not in a rush to go home and get under the covers. Blazers also add a very slight mix of sophistication and edge to any outfit without going overboard.

•    Take a big bag. With all of the sales, extended hours and (hopefully) free swag you’ll get, you’ll look silly and unprepared with a tiny clutch. Grab a hefty tote or messenger bag for collecting goodies door to door. “When you don’t have a car,” Welborn notes, “you tend to prepare for the elements a little more by carrying umbrellas and scarves around with you. Because of this, handbags and scarves can be the ultimate accessories for a New Yorker.” She prefers a stylish and comfortable backpack, and “as a person who likes to bring my own food/water bottle/utensils in an effort to reduce waste, I always have so many things with me, and it’s so much easier to carry them in a backpack.”

•    Layer. Fashion Week hits right in the middle of September this year, a major time for transitioning weather. Think mid-high 70s during the day and mid 60s in the evening. Cardigans, scarves, boyfriend blazers, and even sheer tights are having their moment again.

written by Laura Milligan

http://www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

http://fashionsnightout.com/timeline.php

http://www.style.com/peopleparties/parties/newyork/

http://www.mbfashionweek.com/newyork/