Happy New York Fashion Week!
When I attended my first fashion week ever in February of 2017, I was blown away by the designers, the street style, the photographers, and the sights and sounds of New York City. I knew I needed to make New York Fashion Week an annual trip. So I’ve personally made it a commitment to attend NYFW at least once a year.
Because I’ve made a commitment to myself to attend fashion week at least once a year, I budget and plan the vacation the days for it. So today I wanted to do a breakdown of the real cost of attending New York Fashion Week for 4 days.
If you’re thinking about attending New York Fashion Week in the future but want to know how much to save for/anticipate spending, this blog post is for you!
The Real Cost of Attending New York Fashion Week Trip for 4 Days
Time off work: 2 Days
Like many other girls out there, I balance blogging with a full time job. This means that in order to do blogging events like fashion week, I use my vacation days at work. I typically accumulate 1 vacation day a month so I’m always aware of how many vacation days/hours I have. For NYFW, I’ll either take a Thursday/Friday or Monday/Tuesday off before or after the weekend. That way I get four full days of fashion week fun in!
Plane Ticket: $300
Since I’m flying from Seattle to New York, I typically will try to buy my ticket 2-3 months before fashion week. I picked up my plane ticket from Seattle to New York for about $300!
Food: $50 a day or $200 the whole trip
If you’re running in and out of shows, you will want to stop and eat for food! Typically I budget about $50 a day for food while I’m running around New York. That usually covers a brunch, dinner, and snack or a light breakfast/coffee, a late lunch, and maybe a late night snack or dessert.
New York Fashion Week Outfits $150-200
Surprise! Of course I created a fashion week wardrobe budget. While I do get a few pairs of shoes or sunglasses sponsored, I typically shop and style my New York Fashion Week outfits. I personally love creating my own street style looks!
Here’s a few things I picked up for New York Fashion Week and also exploring New York:
The “Shower Curtain” Dress from Crossroads $28
I actually brought clothing in and used the credit to buy this dress! So I won’t count this towards my actual budget.
The Pink Gingham Dress from Nordstrom Rack $35
It was over 90 degrees and humid the first day of fashion week! This dress was perfect for the hot, sticky day in the city.
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The Free People Dress – $50 and JOA x Chriselle Blazer from Nordstrom Rack $27
I bought both these pieces on sale! I thought they we would be perfect for fashion week and I also can reuse these items over and over again. This blazer is perfect for fall!
New York Experience #1 – The Color Factory $38
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I’ve learned to invest in experiences over the years, so I always look for unique experiences in each city I visit. I wish Seattle had all the amazing art exhibits that make their way through New York! So to kick off New York Fashion Week, my friend/photographer Karya and I decided to stop by the Color Factory. It was sooo much fun! I’ll be doing a behind the scenes blog post on this whole experience soon!
New York Experience #2 – The Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) $39
If you’re visiting New York for the first time, I highly recommend seeing the city from the Top of the Rock! You get a view of both the Empire State building on one side and Central Park on the other side. To beat the crowds of tourist, we bought our tickets a few days beforehand and selected the 8am time slot!
Other costs to consider when attending New York Fashion Week:
Hotels or Airbnbs – Typically I stay with friends in the city, but if I didn’t stay with friends I would have to factor the costs of a hotel or an Airbnb in.
Ubers/Lyfts/Subway rides – If you want to keep your trip cost effective, definitely use the subway! I tend to use more Ubers/Lyfts when I stay with my friends inside the city and I use the subway when I stay with friends in Brooklyn.
Photography – If you’re wanting to capture some of your New York Fashion Week looks, you’re most likely going to be paying for a photographer.
Shopping – If you’re planning to buy outfits in New York, then you also have to factor that costs in.
So how much did attending New York Fashion Week actually cost me?
Overall this four day New York Fashion Week trip cost me… between $750-$800. If I paid for a hotel or an Airbnb, I would probably budget at least $300 – assuming I would split the cost with a friend also going to fashion week! If I included the cost of the hotel/Airbnb, I would have spent about $1,000 this entire trip.
While this sounds like a lot of money up front, keep in mind that I invest in experiences, food, and clothes for this trip. I also buy my plane ticket a few months ahead of time to help spread out the cost.
Additionally, you don’t pay for tickets to attend New York Fashion Week. You inquire tickets and you’re invited to shows. You can read more about how to get tickets to New York Fashion Week here.
Here are also a few tips to save some money during New York Fashion Week:
- If you have friends in the city, consider staying with them to save on hotel costs.
- You can also be selective where you eat! Just make sure filter to one or two dollar signs on Yelp when you’re looking for spots.
- Shop secondhand or shop your closet! You don’t have to buy brand new outfits for fashion week. One of my favorite dresses I brought was from Crossroads Trading. Another purse I brought was from Value Village!
- You can also sight see for free around the city. Visit the Oculus, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, or take amazing photos in Dumbo!
There you have it friends! The real cost of attending New York Fashion Week (for a least four days)! Are you planning to attend New York Fashion Week next February or next September?
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Emma
Photos: Karya Schanilec Photography
Love this post Emma! I was actually really curious about the cost this morning – you read my mind!
This is a nice insight to attending NYFW. I have never been but assumed it would cost an arm and a leg! Love your pink gingham dress. You wear it well and you totally always inspire!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
I would LOVE to go! Thank you do much for doing a realistic cost breakdown. This will make planning a thousand times easier. Great blog Emma!
This was an interesting read and all the info you provided matches my experience except one thing – cost of accommodations.
I’m a Fashion photographer based in South Florida and have covered all the “Big 4 shows” except Paris. For NYFW it is literally cheaper to fly back and forth to Miami each day than to stay in the city! While there are always deals to be had with a lot of research and persistence, it’s more likely that your estimated budget would cover the first night’s stay ONLY. Even seedy hotels with a shared bathroom at the end of the hall routinely go for $200+/nt if you want to be in Manhatten. The further away you move, the cheaper it gets, but you’ll also increase your commute time exponentially.
Thanks for this! i certainty will follow this tips
Is there away to go to NYFW without be an influencer?