How a San Francisco Blogger Juggles Back-to-Back Fashion Weeks
Photo courtesy of KatWalkSF
Kat Ensign is in the middle of a whirlwind tour. She’s just returned from New York Fashion Week, and soon she’ll be leaving for London to catch presentations across the pond. As she flies between cities, she’ll be hauling her Raden suitcase—part of a sponsored post deal—stuffed with comped clothes from Uniqlo, Ruti, Elizabeth Charles, Les Lunes, Anthropologie, and Banana Republic, plus a giant fur coat, a three-pound scarf, and pieces she’s been purchasing on her own for weeks. Two cities. Twelve days. Seventeen outfits. So goes the life of a blogger.
Last Wednesday, Kat traveled from San Francisco to New York, and caught a car straight from the airport to a fashion week event. Thursday, her day started with hair and makeup around 6:30am, followed by a photoshoot for her blog, KatWalkSF, runway shows, meetings, a Banana Republic presentation, and parties. Friday was equally hectic. Saturday, she hosted a blogger brunch with Amour Vert on behalf of her new app, Twiirly—which connects influencers with their fans—before continuing to more shows.
With her jam-packed schedule, she hasn’t had much time to sleep. And there’s little relief ahead.
“I didn’t plan very well,” she concedes.
If you feel tired reading about her schedule, imagine what it feels like to live it. But, for folks like Kat, fashion week is business. With each post, Snapchat, and Instagram, influencers are peddling the dream of jet-setting and wearing fabulous outfits. A busy schedule in New York is testament to a blogger’s credibility. Most work their way up to Fashion Week; Kat was attending the collections in Paris before she launched her site.
Even though she’s been on the scene for many seasons, Kat views this February as her most successful fashion month so far as a blogger. “This is the first year I’ve had as much sponsored content and been dressed by so many local brands. This is the first year I’ve pitched to brands, too,” she explains.
Successful pitches mean that Kat’s partners are outfitting her with everything from lingerie to apparel to luggage. She, in turn, will be showing her followers how she incorporates each piece into her quirky-cool style. But she won’t be sporting head-to-toe looks in just one label. Here, the real trick is blending brands into a flawless ensemble.
Of course, there’s a significant obstacle for a San Francisco blogger staying in New York and London in the dead of winter: enduring the bitter cold. In New York, Kat’s sartorial vibe was all about "trying to look semi-cool without freezing." There, she relied on statement coats, like an oversized fur and a chartreuse overcoat, paired with over-the-top shoes like her glitter-star Saint Laurent booties. “I feel like if I have to be super covered up, I want to have a statement,” she says. “In New York, I’m just trying to survive, and in London I feel like I can get away with having some more fun.”
“More fun” includes a week at a swanky hotel—hopefully with time for a massage—and door-to-door car service so she doesn’t have to wear extreme layers. But, even with the posher amenities, she will still be toting her work gear on the other side of the Atlantic. “I’m doing a lot of blogging, so I’ll have my Sony camera and tripod. I’ll probably just carry a bigger bag. We’re doing some behind the scenes blogging [for Twiirly], so I have to be responsible for that.”
With two non-stop weeks this month, Kat will hopefully find time for a nap on her next flight, but with her ongoing blog obligations—writing posts, editing photos, and loading content on her site—she'll more likely be battling airline wifi for a signal strong enough to publish. Greater brand backing brings greater responsibility; that's the price of success.
Even if she's working through the eleven-hour flight, she'll at least have her three-pound scarf to keep her warm. It fits in her fancy Raden suitcase, but it tips her luggage over the weight limit. Now, she's using it as a scarf and an in-flight blanket—the perfect solution for avoiding overweight fees and propping out an airplane selfie. It's the kind of tip you would expect to read about on a blog. If you're keeping up with KatWalkSF, maybe you will.