Lauren’s New York Fashion Week Experience: A Social Media Manager’s Dream
From a LoveShackFancy Sponsorship and Choosing a Designer Look to Sitting Front Row
NYFW was always an idea or concept in my mind that seemed so cool but never quite attainable, especially as a California native who didn’t study marketing in college. (I studied biology, ha!)
I had gained previous experience as a social media manager working for product-based beauty brands, but it wasn’t until I started working for the fashion-adjacent brand Hollywood Fashion Secrets that something so unattainable and dreamlike became a reality. It has honestly been a true bucket-list experience to attend fashion shows through my passion for social media and this brand.
In hindsight, having silicone pasties and Fashion Tape backstage at a fashion show seems like an obvious, no-question solution. But it’s also about proving that these products, which are unseen by the public while in use, can provide a successful return on investment for a large-budget sponsorship. And the way to demonstrate that is through social content.
While that idea initially seemed daunting to me, this past September 2026 marked my third NYFW attending with my company, so I felt the calm of a seasoned traveler. Ever since I started working with Hollywood Fashion Secrets, I’ve had the pleasure of truly getting to know New York City better with each work trip. I can honestly say this past September trip has been one of my favorites.
What It Really Looked Like to Take Hollywood Fashion Secrets to NYFW
While I brought my three pink BÉIS bags with me, including a carry-on, checked bag, and personal item, about half of the contents of my luggage consisted of extra products to give away, posters, filming supplies, and a giant tin of Fashion Tape. Very on-brand.
To maximize my limited time in New York, I had made a plan to execute and film my very own out-of-home content. This included hanging up large posters with free Fashion Tape attached to pre-cut strips, similar to those flyers where people can tear off a phone number for a contractor they might want to hire later. Shoutout to the lucky few who were able to snag some of the freebies I scattered across SoHo.
Probably the most fun element of my suitcase, though, had to be a giant replica tin of Fashion Tape. And when I say giant, I mean giant. It was about the length of your arm, whereas the actual tin is closer to the length of your index finger. Running around the streets of New York with this oversized marketing prop in tow really helped me get into a very Carrie Bradshaw, but also marketing girly, state of mind.
Of course, these were just the sprinkles on the whole sundae of New York. The main focus of our trip was the LoveShackFancy show, where Hollywood Fashion Secrets was the Official Underpinnings Sponsor. We had dedicated access backstage and during fittings, along with seats to watch the show itself.
From Backstage Chaos to Navigating Content Capture
I had on this gorgeous plum midi dress loaned to me by LoveShackFancy, and I loved it so much that I ended up wearing it the entire day. I woke up that morning feeling excited because I knew it would be one of those days I’d remember as a core memory of my career. After getting ready and grabbing a quick Leon’s Bagels breakfast, I put on my dress, our Backless Adhesive Bra, and headed out for the day (the bra really made the whole look come together, literally).
(just see the before and after of our Backless Adhesive Bra on me)
The LoveShackFancy SS27 show was held at Dante, a bar and restaurant on Elizabeth Street in SoHo. While the actual show took place there, most of the magic, and most of my work, happened across the street.
All of the hair, makeup, and model preparation took place in a rented space. Granted, the building was beautiful, just not the biggest. The beauty of being a social media team of one is that I was able to snake my way through the narrow walkways between director’s chairs filled with models getting their hair, makeup, and nails done by multiple people at once.
I made my way around the room, squeezing behind makeup artists to capture getting-ready shots featuring our branded star hair clips that I had asked them to use. I also went around asking models to hold our core Hollywood Fashion Secrets products for backstage, behind-the-scenes content. I knew these getting-ready moments would make up the bulk of our most important content and were also the main reason I was in NYC in the first place. I went around interviewing models with an adorable mini pink RØDE microphone, asking them what their pre-show secret was. While filming all of this, I was simultaneously planning in my head when and how I would edit and post everything in real time.
Of course, filming is the fun part, but editing has always been the other half of the job that hasn’t come as naturally to me. Thankfully, with time, as with a lot of things, I’ve gotten much better and faster at turning around content in real time to align with event timing.
Once the models were ready to get dressed, they headed across the street to take photos in their looks and prepare to walk in the actual show. I was able to follow some of them across the street as they were getting their final touches done. And there I was, 5'5" me in my purple dress, looking up at these six-foot-tall girls and asking, “Hi, can I take a photo of you holding this?” before handing them a Fashion Tape tin or some Silicone CoverUps.
(Our Silicone CoverUps were worn by the all the models underneath the looks)
Thankfully, they all nicely obliged and truly proved how naturally good they were at modeling. But that was the core purpose of the entire day: actively engaging with the people around me and inserting myself into the environment to create quality content moments for this rare brand opportunity.
I was also lucky enough to attend NYFW this September with a couple of coworkers from our Los Angeles office who work on another brand that was sponsoring the same show. They provided me with a lot of company and a little refuge during our trip.
We all headed back to the hotel to freshen up during the roughly two-hour gap before the show started. However, this was also when I was able to really crank out most of my drafts for real-time Instagram Stories and begin compiling and editing the videos I had taken.
While I did manage to find a couple of empty corners backstage to put together some Instagram Story drafts, it was really during this break that I got a good chunk of my work done, all so I could enjoy the actual show even more.
Show Time: Recognizing Faces and Sitting Front Row
Heading back to the venue feeling refreshed and more relaxed now that the bulk of filming was over, I was so excited to see all the attendees and experience the show itself.
The space was filled with chairs, teal-cushioned couches, and booths along the walls. Large, billowing arrangements of pink and white flowers decorated the room, waiters walked around offering caviar bites, and feel-good 2000s music played in the background. One of my favorite little touches was that all the napkins had handwritten-style notes printed on them. Such a cute detail!
While waiting in line for the show, we recognized influencers and beautifully put-together guests, all dressed in LoveShackFancy looks, of course. It was also while waiting in line that I found out I was going to get a front-row seat. The gratitude I felt when I learned I would be going from a standing spot to sitting front row was immense. Shoutout to our PR agency for helping make that happen.
As guests trickled in and the room started filling up, I recognized stars from the most recent season of Love Island, influencers I had been following for years, and people I had yet to hear of but could tell, just by their presence, had some importance. Even just being in that room with all those guests, I couldn’t help but feel like I had made it, at least in some small way, by being at the same show alongside them.
When we were told to take our seats and the show was about to begin, I found myself seated near the entryway. It was a long, booth-like couch near the corner of the room where we had first entered. I sat next to another woman slightly older than me, and beside her was a young girl no older than 12 with her mom on the other side.
I was honestly just so grateful to have an unobstructed view of the runway, most importantly because it meant I could capture great content. Because of that seat, I was able to get some of the best shots of the models walking right in front of me.
When the show started, it felt like a flash of pink, lace, fringe, sparkle, and teal. To say I was in awe would be an understatement. The looks were cool, Y2K-inspired, boho, and girly, all with the effortless fun that the LoveShackFancy brand emanates.
Looking Back on the Experience
Having done this same work for the designer’s show back in February, I went to NYC feeling confident that I could repeat that success in September. More than anything, I was just excited to be back in the atmosphere of Fashion Week and all the buzz surrounding it.
When I was younger, I would cut out my favorite dresses that celebrities wore in magazines, print out model sketch templates, draw my own designs, and glue everything into a purple notebook. That girl who put together that notebook would be in disbelief if I told her that one day she would be sitting front row at a fashion show during NYFW.
It was also funny because, for my 2026 vision board, I included images of a runway fashion show, and that seemed like one of the more unlikely goals I had set for the year. Looking back on this experience, it makes me so happy that an opportunity like that was able to come true for me.
Coming from a college background where I never fathomed experiences like this would happen for me, I find myself looking at a small quote card sitting on my desk that reads, “Our thoughts shape the world; imagine paradise.” If NYFW and the marketing world are something you aspire to be part of, know that it is possible.
