With Fashion Month well underway and New York Fashion Week officially checked off the calendar, industry insiders are left to digest and debrief the whirlwind of activity that defines the bi-annual event. For a fashion editor or creative lead, a typical day during the peak of the fashion season rarely goes according to plan. Mornings start earlier than necessary, coffee essentially becomes a food group, and the physical distance between a morning downtown appointment and a Midtown runway show somehow feels twice as long when traffic is gridlocked and schedules are running tight.
The reality of Fashion Week involves a perpetual cycle of interviews, runway shows, street style scouting, and urgent emails. If a spare minute manages to materialize, an editor might occasionally attempt to enjoy the hotel room they booked for the week. Beneath the polished outfits, front-row seat assignments, and curated social media feeds lies a carefully orchestrated game of precise timing, yellow cabs, rapid outfit changes, and sheer physical stamina.
Understanding what a typical day looks like when an entire city serves as your office requires looking past the glamour. From the first morning cup of coffee to the final industry event of the night, a look inside the schedule of Coveteur’s Social Creative Lead, Natasha Sheridan, reveals the high-speed realities of navigating the most hectic and exhilarating week on the New York calendar.
The Lower East Side Home Base and Morning Routine
Location is everything during Fashion Week, particularly for creatives traveling from the West Coast. Finding a strategic home base is vital for minimizing transit times between scattered events across New York City. For Sheridan, The Merchant LES in the heart of the Lower East Side served as the ideal anchor point. Situated within walking distance of several key destinations, the hotel provided both a practical starting point and an aesthetic backdrop. The room featured an expansive view of the city skyline, which conveniently doubled as a makeshift work-from-home setup during moments when Sheridan needed to squeeze in a barrage of emails or execute a rapid wardrobe change between appointments.
Logistical convenience extended to the hotel’s amenities. Coffee was located just steps away in the lobby, anchoring the start of each morning at The Merchant LES with a reliable cappuccino and a moment of quiet reflection. These early mornings provided a brief window to mentally prepare for the impending chaos of the schedule while people-watching through the expansive lobby windows before plunging headfirst into the fast-paced environment of Fashion Week.
Previewing the Collections and Runway Highlights
A core focus of Sheridan’s packed schedule involved covering the Spring/Summer collections through the publication’s digital franchises. Among these is the newly launched video and social franchise, Clothes Call, which offers audiences an intimate look at upcoming seasonal designs. During the frantic morning hours, Sheridan had the opportunity to meet with designers and examine pieces up close from the SS27 collections of prominent names like Christian Cowan, Christian Siriano, and Alina Liu.
An undeniable highlight of the morning appointment circuit was visiting Christian Cowan to preview and try on a striking dress constructed from silk that the designer personally discovered on the side of a New York City street. The unique provenance of the material provided an authentic, grassroots New York origin story for a high-fashion creation, blending the grit of the city with elevated design.
Following the morning showroom visit, Sheridan raced across town to catch Christian Siriano’s runway presentation, an event described as nothing short of magical. The atmosphere inside the venue was further elevated by the star-studded front row, which featured notable cultural figures including JoJo and Brandy. Engaging in a conversation with Christian Siriano prior to the show regarding the conceptual inspiration behind the collection, and then immediately witnessing those ideas materialize on the runway, offered a profound shift in perspective. Hearing the narrative framework directly from the designer before seeing the physical garments move under the lights imbues the clothing with a deeper sense of context and artistry that cannot be replicated through digital lookbooks alone.
A Hidden Culinary Gem and Downtime Between Shows
With a substantial gap in the schedule between the afternoon runway events and the final evening celebrations, Sheridan returned to the hotel base. Rather than venturing across the city for a hurried meal, the schedule permitted a visit to the restaurant located on the ground floor of The Merchant LES.
The dining venue turned out to be an unexpected discovery amidst the frenzy of Fashion Week. Isla & Co., an Australian-inspired restaurant situated directly on the bottom floor of the hotel, offered a welcome retreat where Sheridan could edit content while enjoying a meal. The convenience and quality of the venue turned it into a fixture of the week, resulting in three consecutive nights of dining at the restaurant, with the only minor regret being that scheduling conflicts prevented a fourth visit. Featuring a prime street-facing window ideal for neighborhood people-watching and practical menu offerings—such as a promotional dinner special featuring steak, fries, and a Diet Coke for twenty-five dollars—the establishment provided an ideal respite for a busy fashion editor.
Closing Out the Night at Marc Jacobs Beauty
There is arguably no more fitting conclusion to a grueling day at New York Fashion Week than an industry party, particularly one hosted by Marc Jacobs Beauty. The evening event provided a celebratory atmosphere where Marc Jacobs himself made an appearance to mingle with guests.
Hosted in a venue featuring a subterranean speakeasy and dedicated makeup touch-up stations to combat the wear and tear of a long day, the party served as a natural gathering point for industry peers. Sheridan met up with colleagues to debrief, enjoy extra-dirty martinis, and share stories about their respective high-speed schedules. As the night wound down, another intense twenty-four-hour cycle of New York Fashion Week was officially committed to the history books, ready to be translated into digital content for audiences waiting to experience the season through the eyes of the publication’s creative team.
