Can’t you just feel the buzz in the air? Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicks off in just two days, and it’s not just the tents and the shows but the events and the hottest bars and restaurants in town that all get taken over by fashion’s elite. I can’t wait to get out on the town and see who there is to see (and who they’re wearing!)
More than 80 designers are planning to unveil their Spring/Summer 2014 collections simultaneously on-site and to consumers via live-streaming video, about the same number as last year. In addition, backstage footage from brands will appear on social networks such as Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+ and Vine. Members of the fashion press, too, will be reporting live from the front row, following up with slideshow-accompanied reviews on their respective news sites.
I’ve gathered the best resources for enjoying the goings-on via your desktop, mobile phone and social media. If I’ve missed any of your favorite resources, please let me know so I can share them with everyone else!
Live and On-Demand Video
Fifty-nine shows will be streaming live from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, headquartered in Lincoln Center, and another 15 will be streaming from Made Fashion Week in downtown Manhattan. You can see complete schedules on the official website of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and at madefashionweek.com. In the latter schedule, livestreamed shows are marked in red.
To tune in live at any time, I recommend bookmarking the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week YouTube livestream and Made Fashion Week’s livestream on Rightster.
Fashion News Sites
Looking for high-res photos of individual looks or more comprehensive show reviews? Check out these five destinations:
Style.com
Thorough collection reviews, plus real-time, high-res photos. A new “Fashion Tracker” lets you view the latest Fashion Week-related tweets and Instagrams on a world map.
The Cut
Zoomable, high-definition photos and concise roundups of reviews from across the mediasphere.
Women’s Wear Daily
Reviews and highlights from the collections.
Heard on the Runway
Blog-style coverage and slideshows from The Wall Street Journal.
On the Runway
The New York Times’ style blog contains short updates from on and around the runway, often accompanied by slideshows.
Twitter + Vine
I’ve created a Twitter list featuring nearly 50 of the best Twitter users to follow for play-by-play action during NYFW, including Lucky editor-in-chief Eva Chen, The Cut’s Stella Bugbee, the WSJ’s Elizabeth Holmes and the Financial Times’ Vanessa Friedman. If you use TweetDeck, I recommend creating a separate column for this Fashion Week list for the duration of the shows.
To monitor the broader conversation about Fashion Week, follow the hashtags #nyfw and #mbfw.
Few apps are more popular among the Fashion Week set than Instagram, who often upload photos — and, for the first time this season, videos — to the platform mid-show. Some of my favorites are Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman, the WSJ’s Elizabeth Holmes and Robin Kawakami, Lucky’s Eva Chen, Style.com, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and T Magazine.
Tumblr
Looking for immediate, photo-rich coverage of New York Fashion Week? Tumblr is your best bet. My picks: Tumblr.com/NYFW, WGSN, WWD, Ann Street Studio and Christian Siriano.
Like Instagram and Tumblr, Pinterest has become a popular repository for backstage footage. This season, Pinterest has gathered them together in one place: pinterest.com/fashionweek. I particularly recommend boards from Oscar de la Renta (who will be “live-pinning” the show again this season) and WWD.
Google+
Google has created a NYFW hub on Google+ with running backstage footage and a schedule of Hangouts with designers, including Rachel Zoe and the sisters behind jewelry brand Dannijo.
If those weren’t enough, here are a few additional resources worth looking checking out:
Fashion Plate Prix Fixe
"As some of the world’s top tier designers unveil their latest collections, chefs from Lincoln Square’s finest restaurants will showcase their own creative talents by offering New Yorkers sumptuous meals at can’t-beat prices. Fashion Plate Prix Fixe is open to everyone with special lunch or dinner menus and/or drink specials offering the public an affordable and exciting opportunity to rub shoulders with stylish sophisticates."
The Legacy of Fashion
This article beautifully articulates the influence that fashion has had across the world and across multiple industries.
"What may have started out as a simple platform to give American designers a place to showcase their work has turned into an international venture that has benefited not only the targeted subjects -- the designers, but has helped the hotel, food, and entertainment industries as well. It has made icons out of ordinary people. Legends of greatness have emerged as a part of history. It has inspired the lost, the undecided and the dreamers."
New York Fashion Week Spring 2014: What to expect
This is a great synopsis of the event and how it contributes to the city.
"And though it all may seem like one big frilly, frivolous happening, a recent study by Fordham University found that more than $860 million is pumped into New York as a result of Fashion Week."
Fashion Week: Eight apps to keep you updated
Finally, for the tech-savvy among us, a list of the must-have apps for the entire event.
Don’t forget to stay in touch with me! I’ll be posting Fashion Week updates on my facebook and pinterest pages all week.
