Ciao from Milano! Day one of Fashion Week is complete and I can’t wait to start sharing some looks and photos from the shows and presentations. In the meantime, I thought I’d write a post about how I actually get ready for fashion week and the way I decide what to pack. As I sit here typing this post with achy feet and a tired mind (also maybe a glass of wine), it makes me wonder how some people get through back-to-back fashion weeks, all the while making it look easy. Let’s face it—most bloggers don’t have an entourage to help make fashion week a breeze, so it requires a lot of pre-planning to be organized and ready to take on the long, fast-paced days. 
Survival Kit
This is my ‘go-bag’ which contains most of the essentials I could need on any given day (the only thing I forgot to include is a snack—I definitely always bring one to keep the ‘hangry’ vibes at bay). Here are the things I always throw in there:
- Business cards (you never know who you may meet during fashion week so this is an obvious must—I used Zazzle for mine)
- Travel charger (on-the-go phone charging at your fingertips)
- Tide stain remover pen (one of the best little inventions ever)
- Hand sanitizer (the former teacher in me insists on bringing a bottle everywhere)
- Oil-absorbing sheets (my skin gets oily by the end of the day so these have been a favorite of mine for years)
- Gum (no explanation necessary!)
- Travel sunscreen stick (I found these at a little farmacia near our apartment and bought a bunch of them—so handy!)
- Anti-blister stick (this is great to use if I think my shoes may rub the wrong way after hours of walking)
- Ibuprofen (because you never know when you’ll need it)
- Victorinox pocket tool (same as a Swiss Army knife but in a slim credit card-size form—this is seriously a life-saver when you need scissors or a nail file in a pinch!)
- Fashion tape (can be used on body or clothing—I actually used it today to ‘hem’ my pants)
Other essentials I pack in my suitcase are Dr. Scholl’s inserts, a travel-size umbrella, and lint roller. The shoe inserts are definitely a life saver for some of my heels. Just a tip: if you plan on using them inside a certain pair of shoes you are buying, I suggest considering a half size larger because they do make your shoes fit more snugly.
I love using little notebooks to jot down ideas for outfits and blog posts—this one came from the dollar aisle at Target (definitely hit that up when I was home a few weeks ago!)
A few of the bags I packed for the week: I like to have a couple different sizes to choose from depending on how long I may be out for each day.
Choosing outfits for fashion week is always stressful, so I usually end up relying on classic basics I can mix and match for different looks (black and gray are my go-to colors). I like to wear easy-fitting pieces which don’t wrinkle easily so I can be comfortable and look polished for long days on the go.
Last but not least, I can’t forget to mention the shoes I packed! Sometimes I literally plan my outfits around footwear—anyone else?! Fashion week is always fun for rocking statement shoes and they can elevate any simple outfit, so I bought a few new pairs including these suede booties and this on-trend embroidered pair. I also always pack sneakers to change into since I’m on my feet for hours of walking between shows and events. All I can say is thank goodness they are considered stylish and let’s hope it stays that way!
I’ll be back soon with a post featuring one of my fashion week looks, but in the meantime you can follow me on Instagram @meagansmoda where I’m sharing photos and Instastories from each day. Thank you so much for reading!
