Brace yourself, but my patience is wearing kinda thin. After nearly 2 months of non-stop runway shows, after-parties,  after-the-after parties (god forbid you skip them?!) , media events and moving to another state I’m exhausted and a wee bit pissy. I wish I could tell you that I’m just hangry, and that I live, love and breathe fashion with a capital F all day, but in reality I am very excited to throw my high heels in a corner, grab my ugliest sweats and chillax. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do..but let’s be honest… if I learned anything this season it is that Fashion Blogging is not always glamorous, and not all Fashion Week’s are created equal.

Yes, there are The Blonde Salad’s of the fashion community who breeze through the most exclusive shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris via private driver and without a single hair out-of-place Instagraming along the way. What many people don’t realize is that most bloggers have to take a much less desirable path en route to the big leagues aka the subway with Dr. Scholls and Starbucks . This leads me to my first important lesson: I am not The Blonde Salad.

I started this season with a bang, working in the tents at NYFW  (not very glamorous but hey, I get to see the shows).  I couldn’t wait to be off the clock and grab my media badge and most stylish outfits to head off to my remaining shows as a blogger (see my NYFW write up here). The remainder of my show schedule was a bit more B List:  Fashion Week San Diego, Concept Los Angeles and Style Fashion Week. Which leads me to my second lesson: Just because it says Fashion Week doesn’t mean its  going to be anything like New York Fashion Week. While I applaud the dream that good fashion should exist in every community, I am trying to nail down exactly where the standards of quality lie. When did the good old college try become good enough for a runway, let alone a runway at  Fashion Week? My mom says I should never date based on potential, shouldn’t the same standards apply for clothing?

In New York, socialites and celebrities are peppered in but are not whose opinion matters. That’s right, the A list here is much more Anna Wintour than Ashton Kutcher. Every minor detail of every look will be studied by the curators of fashion. This was not the case for any other show I attended this season. So much focus was on the glitterati that Grace Coddington could have been there and no one would have realized it. The only problem is that the glitteratti are fickle creatures and clap for pretty much anything over the top, even if the garment is ill fitting with unfinished hemlines. I am a firm believer that the only difference there should be between a successful emerging and a successful established designer, is time.

While I was not blown away by my experience in LA some designers managed to pique my interest. Mike Vensel did an informal presentation at Concept Los Angeles which stood out in a good way. His -all black- collection was very wearable and diverse even with a singular color palette. Each model was posted up next to a painting and free to move about like they were bored at an art gallery or museum. The whole exhibit just worked given the setting and mood of the collection.

During StyleFWLA, JM Couture provided ornate embellishments and a lot of form fitting frocks that are perfect for cocktail hour. I also liked a few pieces from GOGA by Gordana which produced sexy floor length numbers in sheer fabrications like lace, but they lost me when a few of their pieces came out looking like the girls had been shipwrecked.

Until I manage to snag one of those coveted seats in the big leagues, I am taking full advantage of what is on the table and doing my best to keep standards high. With the season winding down I am very excited to focus on where I am heading (besides the fridge for a decent meal). Its hard to believe a New Year is right around the corner! It might be time to take a peek at last years resolutions list and see how I’m doing (or where to start)!

Stay Stylish,
XOJ