What It’s Like to Attend a New York Fashion Week Show

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If attending a New York Fashion Week show has been a dream of yours, allow me to help make it a reality. If we haven’t met yet, I’m Gina, and I’m an aesthetic traveler who loves pretty places (and pretty outfits)!

I went to my first NYFW event in 2025, and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. I saw 3 shows and roughly 15 designers showcase their Fall and Winter Collections down a runway in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. If you’re planning on attending a New York Fashion Week show, this post walks you through buying tickets, what to wear, and what to expect at the show.

Side note – I don’t know what got into me during this trip, but I got a wild hair to edit a lot of my photos in black & white. Do we like B&W? LMK in the comments!

ANYWAY…

Like many women who love clothes, my obsession started when I was younger. As a little girl, I grew up admiring my mom’s closet. My mom never owned anything that was designer or overly expensive, but she managed to make everything she wore look fabulous. She had a knack for putting together outfits and always looked nice, no matter where her clothes came from. She taught me how to accessorize and how to style my own clothes as I got older. My photos will tell you I directly inherited her love for feminine style and sparkles. So, of course, this post is dedicated to my mom ♥️.

Now that you understand my nostalgia, let’s get on with the show!

Can Anyone Attend A New York Fashion Week Show?

YES! Well…I mean, kind of.

The shows with high-end designers are reserved for celebrities, influencers, and other high-status guests. But anyone can buy tickets to other shows throughout the week.

Where Do You Purchase Tickets for New York Fashion Week?

Tickets are sold from a variety of websites, but I purchased mine from The Bureau. The Bureau is a company that showcases fashion shows and helps designers get to the next level of their career. There are other companies and shows that do similar things, but The Bureau is one of the best and really prioritizes taking care of their clients.

When I purchased my tickets, General Admission was $85, and VIP was $210. They also had weekend passes and day passes available. Of course, these were more expensive…especially the weekend passes, which were over $1,000. Keep in mind, prices will increase as you get closer to the date!

My friend Kelly went with me, and we chose the VIP ticket. This included admission, front row seating, a gift bag, plus a hosted bar and VIP lounge. I honestly didn’t think was a bad price for such an iconic NYC event!

• Side note – Unless I really missed something, there was no VIP lounge once we got to the event…only a VIP line to get in.

You are able to purchase individual tickets for shows during the 3-day weekend (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) of Fashion Week at various times throughout the day. Kelly and I chose Friday at 6pm, and then went to dinner in Manhattan afterward.

• Pro Tip: The best shows are either Friday or Saturday. Sunday is often reserved for kid’s fashion shows.

A Word About Booking Your NYFW Tickets

One thing to keep in mind when purchasing Fashion Week tickets is that you really don’t know what designers you’ll be seeing. The ticket websites do not give you any information other than where you need to be and what time you need to show up.

If you look at the CDFA Fashion Calendar schedule, this will show you a list of designers and shows, but most are invite only. Before I realized this, I tried to book my show around the designers I wanted to see, until I realized that the times for the shows I was able to purchase and the times for the shows on this schedule didn’t exactly line up. The takeaway: prepare to be surprised!

Attending the NYFW After-Party

You know what they say: “after the show it’s the after-party.” Normally, this is where a lot of the models and some of the designers go after the show to mingle, drink, and network. The General Admission price was $140, and the VIP price was $350.

What Do You Wear To New York Fashion Week?

I can’t even lie, I couldn’t wait to type this section 😉.

To put it simply, you just have to know your personal style and look put together. I saw a lot of fur coats, all-black outfits, monochrome colors (ex – red dress, red tights, and red heels), and sparkles. ALWAYS sparkles. Many people carried designer bags and/or wore designer sunglasses, even to the later shows. Furry bucket hats were also a vibe, and I’m reeeeally glad I brought my white one.

I chose to wear sparkly boots both nights that I attended and made sure to accessorize well. The first night, my top and pants were all black because I wanted my sparkly boots and jewelry to pop. I chose a one shoulder top from Joah Brown that was completely mesh in the back and paired it with layered, mixed-metal necklaces, including a lariat that I wore down my back.

ANYWAY…(again)

The second night, I wore nude crop top with 3D pearls, black leather shorts, nude tights, and my furry bucket hat. If you’re coming to the city in February, I would heavily recommend one (mostly for the cold, but also for the fashion).

If you are attending shows during multiple nights, I would recommend switching up your outfit with 2 completely different looks. If you wear all black the first night, wear a lot of color the second, etc. Originally, I had only planned on going to one show, so my outfits weren’t vastly different, but I made it work!

What To Expect At A New York Fashion Week Show with The Bureau

All shows from The Bureau are runway shows. On one end is a large screen showcasing either the designer’s name or a video backdrop that represents the theme of their collection. The other end of the runway is a large group of professional photographers. This is where the models stop to pose. There were 2 rows of chairs on each side, and a group of people standing behind the chairs who got general admission tickets.

Like I mentioned earlier, the tickets Kelly and I bought didn’t really explain what designers we’d be seeing. We honestly didn’t know what to expect, but I have to say, I was SO impressed with The Bureau. Everything was on time and so put together. The collections were stunning. The open bar had really good Prosecco. They also included models of all shapes and sizes, which was so refreshing to see.

After attending 2 shows, these are my takeaways:

• The showtime listed on your ticket is when they let you in the door, NOT when the show starts. (I was originally planning on getting there at 5pm for my 6pm show, and I’m so glad I didn’t!)
• There’s a backdrop for all your Instagram moments, like the one I stood in front of in my earlier pictures.
• If you didn’t get VIP tickets, you were standing
• We saw 4-5 designers at each show
• The show is laid out runway style, where the models walk down the catwalk, pose for the camera, and come back.
• The designers always walk out at the end of their segment and have their moment with their models and their creations.
• After the show, you are able to talk and network with models, designers, etc.

Some of the Designs I Saw at Fashion Week

If you are looking to break into the fashion business in any way (model, design, work with designers as an aesthetic traveler who will showcase their styles around the world…*cough*), this is an incredible opportunity to meet people. I met producers, photographers, makeup artists, models, and designers. It was incredible to hear everyone’s story and see how much work and talent goes into making a production like this.

Even if you’re not looking to break into the fashion world, going to a NYFW event is a once in a lifetime experience that anyone who grew up admiring their mom’s closet would love. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some shopping to do….