NYFW, Now Streaming from Row 3: A Vibe Shift

Before there were wristbands and livestreams, before PR interns typed furiously into iPads, there were the Tents.

I grew up a fashion addict. Obsessed with the pages of Teen Vogue, ELLE, and Harper’s Bazaar. I scrolled endlessly through blog posts by Jak & Jill, Sea of Shoes and Style Rookie, wondering if I’d ever run into Derek Blasberg at Starbucks or spot Marc Jacobs leaving his Spring Street studio. When NYFW came around twice a year, I wasn’t on any guest list—but I still felt like I was part of something. Like the city—and the industry—held space for dreamers like me.

Now, as an editor with over a decade in the industry, I finally find myself in those rooms. But something feels…..off.

At recent NYFWs, I’ve been invited to events, listed for shows, confirmed with PR—only to find myself standing shoulder to shoulder with editors from The Cut and Vogue, while an influencer in a horse mask (topless, of course) mirrors me from the front row.

And it makes me wonder—have our words, our curated edits, our relationships... been replaced by metrics? Has our seat been quietly reassigned in favor of virality? Because no one’s asking what we thought anymore—they’re just checking if we posted.

There was a time when the highlight of the season wasn’t a front-row selfie but the clothes—and the magic behind them. Shows like Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Altuzarra and Derek Lam weren’t just stops on a calendar—they were cultural events. You’d spot Carine Roitfeld rushing in through a side entrance, Grace Coddington eyeing the curtain preparing to open, or a stylist from Barneys in conversation with the designer’s mom. It was intimate. Competitive, yes. But soulful.

Then came the shift. First, the bloggers—brilliant, niche voices who earned their seats through content, not clout. Then, the influencers. And with them, a new metric: engagement. Today, the front row is less about critique and more about conversion.

With collections now content and ROI measured in scrolls, it makes sense: a selfie posted in real-time delivers more visibility than a review filed a week later. These aren’t just invitations anymore—they’re strategy.

But where does that leave the rest of us?

At HOMMEHEART, we’re asking: What is the future of NYFW? Who is it really for? Has the magic disappeared—or has it just relocated? And what does it mean when respected editors can’t even see the runway?

“Sorry, your seat was taken but while you’re here can you help backstage?” - this actually happened to me (a quote from an editorial intern’s nightmare relived below)

This story was inspired by fellow editor Aiyana Ishmael, whose Teen Vogue piece “Who Is Fashion Week For Anymore?” captured what so many of us have felt but rarely said aloud. Consider this a continuation of that conversation—an open group chat, minus the velvet rope and the PR girl squinting at her iPad pretending not to see your name. We touched base with friends across the industry—editors, buyers, stylists—on their NYFW nightmares, near-misses, and moments they’re still recovering from. Here’s what they told us (or texted us at 2AM).

Notes from the Pit (and the Row Behind It)

Where the iPads can’t reach and the invites are mysteriously “lost.”

"I’ve been covering NYFW since 2011. This year, my seat was behind a ring light, next to a TikTok couple doing a GRWM. The fashion was fine. The lighting was great."
— Anonymous Editor

"I’m not saying I miss the chaos of Bryant Park or Lincoln Center, but at least back then someone offered you a cigarette instead of asking your follower count."
— Senior Buyer, Spiritually 26

"We used to come to shows for inspiration. Now I come to see if my client’s bag is in the pit shot."
— Fashion Publicist, Recently Disillusioned

"Somehow my seat was taken and standing was full, i was asked if i could help backstage…. lets just say my resume was updated the next day to “runway production"
— Editorial intern, Recovering

"I wore Prada, sat third row, and wasn’t photographed once. My ancestors did not survive Print at its peak for this."
— Features Editor, currently reliving this trauma

Live from the Disaster

"A Gen Z creator asked me what print media is. I told her it’s like a long Instagram caption, but on paper. She said ‘Oh, like a book?’"
— Deputy Editor, Fighting for Her Life

"They seated me in the back row next to a fashion student and a mannequin arm. Honestly? Best conversation I had all week."
— Stylist, Mentally at the Essex House

"Came all the way to Brooklyn just to sit behind someone’s fur hood and a third-season influencer. Never again."
— Accessories Editor, Now Anti-Ferry

"They asked for 3 social posts and a Reel. I said, ‘How can the deliverables be delivered if all I saw was the back of the media pit?’"
— Freelance Creative, Spiritually Checked Out

"Check-in took 27 minutes. They scanned my QR code like it was a passport and still handed me a standing ticket."
— Fashion Writer, Currently in Therapy

"By the time I got seated, the show was over and someone was already posting the finale look with the wrong designer tag."
— Digital Editor, Fighting for Accreditation

"They told me to arrive at 2:00 sharp. Doors opened at 2:52. The real runway was in the hallway."
— Intern #7, Chronically Too Early

"My senior editor made the list. I made the group chat. It's giving ‘Please check back later.’"
— Junior Editor, Emotionally RSVP’d

"They let me in, told me it was open seating, then offered me a gift bag from the floor. My byline is in the press release."
— Junior Fashion Writer, crying from her cubicle