my fashion week routine, explained

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• The speaker's fashion week routine has become significantly more complicated and chaotic in recent years due to attending multiple shows, which she embraces as part of the fun.  Copied to clipboard!
• Planning for Fashion Week is a logistical nightmare characterized by late schedule releases, requiring months of hypothetical brand discussions before securing actual invites, which are split between brand invitations and proactive outreach by her team.  Copied to clipboard!
• The speaker views attending Fashion Week as a hobby or vacation rather than work, prioritizing aesthetic alignment and elaborate looks for the events, contrasting sharply with her usual chill routine at home.  Copied to clipboard!

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Fashion Week Routine Introduction

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(00:00:00)

• Key Takeaway: The episode details the speaker’s fashion week routine, which has become more complicated as she now attends multiple shows.
• Summary: The speaker is pre-recording episodes in honor of Paris Fashion Week, which she will attend in two weeks. She plans to share her fashion week routine in unnecessary detail. Previously, she only attended one show per trip due to an intimate relationship with a specific brand, but now attends six or seven shows, increasing the complexity.

Sponsor Interruption: The Ordinary

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(00:00:23)

• Key Takeaway: The Ordinary offers accessible, quality skincare with formulations designed for specific needs, supported by a free online regimen builder.
• Summary: The Ordinary is presented as a brand focused on making great skincare accessible by pricing quality products reasonably. Their products feature formulations created in their lab to give skin precisely what it needs. Listeners can use code EmmaC10 for 10% off at theordinary.com.

Evolution of Fashion Week Attendance

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(00:00:58)

• Key Takeaway: Increased attendance at multiple runway shows has transformed Fashion Week into a self-inflicted, exhilarating chaos distinct from the speaker’s chill home routine.
• Summary: The speaker has never fully dissected her routine, which has grown more complicated as she now attends many shows, unlike years ago when she attended only one. She loves the rush and manufactured chaos of Fashion Week, finding it exciting because it contrasts with her very chill routine at home involving work, yoga, cooking, and eating.

Fashion Week as a Hobby

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(00:04:14)

• Key Takeaway: The speaker views Fashion Week attendance as a hobby or vacation, not work, driven purely by a love for fashion and experiencing runway art firsthand.
• Summary: She considers attending Fashion Week more like participating in a hobby or vacation rather than actual work, as she does not attend for financial opportunity. Her motivation is a genuine love for fashion, getting dressed up, and experiencing the art of runway shows in person. She confirms she is not paid to attend shows; she is there because she wants to be.

Initial Planning Phase

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(00:05:34)

• Key Takeaway: Initial planning begins months in advance, strategizing which brands to target before the official Fashion Week schedule is released about a month and a half prior.
• Summary: Planning starts months ahead by discussing target brands with her team, often based on new creative directors or brands she has recently worn. The official schedule is released late, sometimes only a month before the event, making early discussions hypothetical. This uncertainty means desired shows, like Margiela, might not even be on the schedule.

Securing Show Invites

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(00:07:25)

• Key Takeaway: Show invitations are secured equally through direct brand outreach and proactive requests from the speaker’s team, with acceptance depending on brand fit.
• Summary: Once the schedule is out, securing invites begins, with half coming directly from brands interested in her attendance. The other half come from her team reaching out to brands on her behalf, often mentioning her fandom or desire to wear their clothes. She accepts invitations based on mutual interest, sometimes passing if a brand isn’t a good fit, without taking offense if rejected.

Sponsor Interruption: Squarespace

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(00:09:08)

• Key Takeaway: Squarespace offers website creation using an AI-blended design intelligence tool, providing a free trial and a discount code for launch.
• Summary: Squarespace is recommended for those wanting to create a website easily, utilizing a design intelligence tool that combines AI and expert design for functional, unique sites. Users can start with a free trial at squarespace.com/Emma. A 10% discount on the first purchase of a website or domain is available using code Emma.

Sponsor Interruption: Activia

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(00:09:31)

• Key Takeaway: Activia probiotic yogurts and Dailies support gut health with billions of live and active probiotics, backed by 20 years of science.
• Summary: Gut health is highlighted as crucial for overall wellness, especially when feeling off. Activia probiotic yogurts and Dailies offer a tasty, easy way to improve gut health daily. Consuming Activia twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet can help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort.

Sponsor Interruption: Journeys

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(00:10:12)

• Key Takeaway: Journeys promotes its ‘Life on Loud’ philosophy of self-expression, featuring a music video cover by Gus Dapperton.
• Summary: Journeys has launched a new philosophy called ‘Life on Loud,’ emphasizing self-expression with volume up and rules off. Gus Dapperton covers the New Radicals song ‘You Get What You Give’ in his own style for the campaign. Listeners can check out the iconic remix at journeys.com.

Show Selection Intentions

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(00:11:09)

• Key Takeaway: Show attendance is chosen based on two main intentions: supporting brands she is a big fan of, or attending debuts of new creative directors to observe brand identity shifts.
• Summary: The speaker selects shows based on whether she is a dedicated fan of the brand or if a new creative director is debuting, which presents a riskier but interesting experience. She balances these intentions when assembling the final schedule.

Travel Logistics: Milan and Paris

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(00:11:33)

• Key Takeaway: The speaker typically attends Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, preferring to skip New York and London to avoid a month-long travel commitment.
• Summary: Fashion Week is a series of events (NY, London, Milan, Paris), and the speaker finds doing the full circuit too long, usually sticking to Milan and Paris, or just Paris. Traveling to Paris from LAX is simple, but flying to Milan requires a layover, usually in Paris.

Flight Booking Preferences

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(00:12:54)

• Key Takeaway: She prioritizes afternoon European arrivals to maintain a better sleep schedule and prefers efficient, short layovers, even if it means risking a missed connection.
• Summary: She aims for flights landing in the afternoon to avoid disrupting her sleep schedule, as evening arrivals cause her body clock to be ‘fucked up.’ Since LA to Milan lacks direct flights, she accepts a layover in Paris, preferring a short connection time for efficiency, even though it’s risky if delays occur.

Pre-Travel Recovery Buffer

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(00:14:21)

• Key Takeaway: The departing flight from LA is booked at least 48 hours before the first event to allow for flight cancellations and necessary recovery time from the long travel day.
• Summary: A 48-hour buffer before the first event is crucial to account for potential flight cancellations. The long travel day (up to 13 hours for Milan) leaves her feeling sluggish and uncomfortable, requiring time to return to homeostasis before commitments begin.

Hotel Selection Strategy

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(00:15:06)

• Key Takeaway: Hotels are chosen to be centrally located to minimize traffic exposure while actively avoiding those popular with other Fashion Week attendees to ensure faster service.
• Summary: She avoids hotels heavily populated by Fashion Week attendees because busy elevators and crowded restaurants slow down necessary quick trips. Central location is vital because show venues are scattered, and being central offers the best chance of minimizing traffic exposure, which is severe during Fashion Week.

Pre-Fashion Week Prep

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(00:17:58)

• Key Takeaway: The week before departure is dedicated to cramming in necessary work, like pre-recording podcasts, and essential personal grooming, primarily hair maintenance.
• Summary: She uses the week before to complete extra work, such as recording podcasts and cramming in business meetings, as she won’t have time during the trip. Necessary physical prep is limited, usually involving a hair trim/tone and sometimes bleaching eyebrows to allow for more dramatic makeup looks.

Red Carpet vs. Fashion Week Prep

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(00:20:38)

• Key Takeaway: Prep for red carpet events is far more intense (facials, massages) because they are more visible and offer only one chance to ’nail’ the look, unlike Fashion Week’s multiple opportunities for redemption.
• Summary: Red carpet events demand more over-preparation because they are highly visible, feeling almost like a sport where one must nail the look immediately. Fashion Week allows for redemption; if one look fails in photos, she has several other events to redeem herself with a new look the next day.

Sponsor Interruption: Cozy

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(00:22:11)

• Key Takeaway: Cozy furniture is modern, practical, and modular, allowing users the freedom to easily switch layouts and colors to match changing home aesthetics.
• Summary: Cozy furniture is designed to make daily life feel more comfortable while remaining visually appealing. Their modular and customizable sofas allow users to easily change the layout or style if they desire a new look. This offers freedom to change one’s mind without replacing the entire piece.

Sponsor Interruption: State Farm

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(00:23:18)

• Key Takeaway: State Farm insurance is positioned as the reliable, ‘real deal’ option, contrasting with settling for inadequate or disappointing alternatives.
• Summary: Insurance should not be settled for superficially, just as one shouldn’t settle for a doll-sized chair when ordering vintage furniture online. State Farm is presented as the reliable choice for necessary help, embodying the motto, ‘Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.’

Sponsor Interruption: Mentos Gum

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(00:23:43)

• Key Takeaway: Mentos Gum encourages refreshing mundane moments by suggesting small efforts like trying a new workout, ordering differently at a coffee shop, or elevating one’s outfit.
• Summary: Keeping things fresh applies beyond just breath; one should refresh the mundane moments in their daily routine. Suggestions include putting extra effort into an outfit or trying a new coffee order. Mentos Gum is available in flavors like Spearmint and Fresh Mint.

Packing Strategy: Carry-On Only

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(00:24:20)

• Key Takeaway: The speaker packs only a carry-on, backpack, and small purse for the two-week trip, planning to re-wear items and utilize hotel laundry services.
• Summary: She strictly limits luggage to a carry-on size, planning to do laundry at the hotel or a local laundromat if necessary for the two-week duration. This constraint forces her to select pieces that can be mixed and matched effectively.

Packing Focus: Weather and Vibe

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(00:25:12)

• Key Takeaway: Packing prioritizes checking the current weather and establishing an overarching ‘vibe’ (e.g., all black, retro, French chic) to ensure all selected pieces coordinate.
• Summary: Weather is the first concern, determining silhouettes like bringing light sweaters but no heavy coats for warmer ready-to-wear weeks. Establishing a vibe allows her to select a collection of mix-and-match pieces rather than individual outfits, maximizing options within the carry-on limit.

Elevated Aesthetics for Fashion Week

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(00:29:23)

• Key Takeaway: Fashion Week packing prioritizes elevated aesthetics over comfort, similar to dressing for Disneyland, to fit the chic theme of the occasion.
• Summary: She packs more elevated outfits for daily wear during Fashion Week because everyone else is chic, and she wants to participate in the air of fashion. This includes packing heels, which she typically omits on casual vacations where comfort is the top priority.

Travel Day Intensity and Distraction

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(00:31:26)

• Key Takeaway: Long European flights necessitate pre-flight sleep deprivation to maximize sleep time in the air, managed by downloading random YouTube videos for distraction.
• Summary: The long flight to Europe is more intense than domestic travel, especially with her airplane anxiety. She often sleep-deprives herself to sleep as much as possible on the plane, preparing by downloading random YouTube videos, which she finds more calming than movies.

Arrival and Immediate Fittings

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(00:35:43)

• Key Takeaway: Upon landing in the afternoon, the speaker pushes through exhaustion to stay awake until evening to adjust to the time zone, immediately starting fittings upon arrival.
• Summary: Fittings begin as soon as she arrives in Europe, as she never does them in Los Angeles beforehand. She forces herself to stay awake after an afternoon landing to quickly align with the local schedule, despite being exhausted from the flight.

Fitting Process and Collaboration

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(00:36:30)

• Key Takeaway: Fittings involve a trial-and-error process with a tailor present, followed by immediate discussion with the stylist, Jared, to finalize hair and makeup concepts based on reference images.
• Summary: Brands send clothing options to her stylist, Jared, who curates selections for trying on, often requiring tailoring adjustments. After selecting an outfit, they immediately discuss hair and makeup, finding reference images that match the desired vibe. The goal is to ensure the final look incorporates the artistic input of the stylist, hair artist, and makeup artist.

Show Day Schedule and Execution

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(00:42:04)

• Key Takeaway: The speaker limits herself to a maximum of two shows per day to dedicate significant time (4-5 hours) to complex hair and makeup looks, including wigs or piercings.
• Summary: She limits shows to two daily to ensure maximum effort is put into unique looks for each brand, requiring extensive time for complicated hair and makeup, sometimes involving wigs or glue-on piercings. Getting dressed can also take up to 30 minutes due to corsets or taping down finicky garments.

Show Experience and Aftermath

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(00:46:02)

• Key Takeaway: During the show, the speaker focuses on ensuring her phone is silenced while simultaneously immersing herself in the runway presentation and critiquing the looks mentally.
• Summary: The first action at the venue is a photo call, followed by interviews if media outlets are present, before the show begins. While watching, she triple-checks her phone is silent and immerses herself in the music and looks, critiquing the collection internally. The experience ends quickly, followed by immediate discussion with her stylist in the car.

Downtime and Self-Care

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(00:49:33)

• Key Takeaway: Time between events is spent prioritizing sleep, attempting to maintain a workout routine in hotel gyms, and relying on room service or quick grocery store snacks for efficient eating.
• Summary: She is generally too tired for after-parties, preferring to rest due to exhaustion and jet lag. She tries to keep up her workout routine, though it’s limited to hotel gyms, and relies heavily on room service or quick grocery store purchases for food efficiency.

Concluding Thoughts on Fashion Week

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(00:53:38)

• Key Takeaway: Despite initial skepticism about pretentiousness, the speaker deeply cherishes Fashion Week as a meaningful extension of her fashion hobby, grateful for the support that enables her participation.
• Summary: She acknowledges the stereotype of fashion people being mean and the superfluous nature of fashion shows but has found wonderful people and come to deeply appreciate the art. Her father notes that attendees like her intentionally make the experience more chaotic than necessary. Her ability to attend is directly linked to the support and time listeners spend with her podcast.