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New York Fashion Week's Public Events: Celebrities, Freebies, and Shows

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While New York Fashion Week has always carried an air of exclusivity, the non-fashion elite are still able to get in on the fun both near the venues (like Skylight Clarkson Square and Skylight at Moynihan Station) and all around the city over the next several days. Below, check out our roundup of the events you can attend, the celebrities you can see, and — most importantly — the freebies you can score.

We'll be updating this list as we hear of more events, so check back often. Be sure to check out our guide of what you need to know about this Fashion Week, too.

At the Venues

As part of the newly rebranded Fashion Week comes an official headquarters across the street from Milk Studios at 451 West 14th Street. Open from September 11th through the 16th, it'll be hosting several public events, including talks and art installations. You'll also be able to catch live streams of the shows taking place at the official venues both inside and on big screens outside (they're also online, too). No invitation is required to attend.

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The main draw of hanging out around the official venues, though are all the freebies you can score right outside. Bloomingdale's is setting up its "Vanity Bar" on 33rd Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues (right by Moynihan Station), and it's open from 12pm to 7pm between Friday and Monday. Anyone is welcome to pop in for Liquiteria juices, healthy snacks, quickie hand and foot massages, phone charging, and more.

The Glam App will have its own mobile beauty station running between Clarkson Square and Moynihan Station from Saturday through Monday, offering free hair and makeup touch-ups inspired by its most popular looks; manicures will be available, too. Follow the app on Instagram to find its exact location between 12pm and 5pm on those days.

Glamsquad will have a fleet of coral-colored taxis (dubbed "GlamTaxis") that'll shuttle show-goers to Milk Studios, NYFW's headquarters, and Spring Studios at 50 Varick Street for free — just approach the car and show the app on your phone for admittance (they can accommodate up to four passengers). During your ride, you'll score makeup touch-ups and braid services from beauty experts. They'll be running between 9am and 7pm starting on Friday and going through the 17th, and you can follow them on Twitter and Instagram for more location details.

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Elsewhere in the City

For beauty freebies not near show venues, pop by a Triumph Hotel over the next week for a complimentary makeover from makeup salon Pucker. Check out their schedule below, noting that each location is open from 10am to 2pm.

  • Thursday, September 10th: Hotel Chandler, 12 East 31st Street
  • Friday, September 11th: Hotel Belleclaire, 250 West 77th Street
  • Monday, September 14th: Hotel Edison, 228 West 47th Street
  • Tuesday, September 15th: The Iroquois, 49 West 44th Street
  • Wednesday, September 16th: The Cosmopolitan, 95 West Broadway
  • Thursday, September 17th: Washington Jefferson, 318 West 51st Street

Manolo Blahnik is making his first appearance ever within a Saks Fifth Avenue store on Thursday, September 10th, WWD reports. The footwear icon will be posting up in his new shop-in-shop inside the department store between 5pm and 7pm to sign his handiwork (purchase required).

Tonight, you can also stop by Dover Street Market (160 Lexington Avenue) for free treats from Rose Bakery and customize a Comme des Garcons wallet ($206) or a pair of DSM Converse sneakers ($163) with the artist JK5, the New York Times reports.

Fashion editors have joked in the past that they've got no time to eat when rushing between shows, but that was before UberEats. Over the next several days, anyone can grab one of their #fashionweekfreebies (while supplies last) by ordering through the app, like a Dig Inn green juice on Friday, and salad or noodles from Sakara Life on Saturday. They deliver between 14th and 59th Streets from 11am to 2pm.

And more free food goodness: Grab a sample-sized frozen yogurt from the first-ever 40 Carrots truck outside Bloomingdale's; it'll be outside of the Soho store on Thursday from noon to 4pm and outside of the 59th Street flagship on Friday during those same hours.

Fashion favorite Garance Doré is hosting a pop-up event with Cointreau right near Skylight Clarkson Square at Union Bar and Kitchen (300 Spring Street). Running through Friday, visitors can pop into the café beginning at 12pm, attend talks with Phillip Lim and jewelry designer Aurelie Bidermann in the afternoon, and enjoy live music in the evening. Though it's open to the public, you have to RSVP (and be over 21) to attend.

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Chanel may traditionally show in Paris, but they're taking part in NYFW with a pop-up shop dedicated to its new Boy.Friend watch at 461 West 14th Street (just down the street from its last temporary shop). It's open from Friday through Sunday from 11am through 8pm. Though you might not be able to afford it — prices start at $12,500 — you could at least snap a pic of yourself wearing it in the store's photo booth.

Refinery29 is celebrating its tenth anniversary with 29Rooms, what they describe as an "interactive funhouse" with (you guessed it) 29 rooms filled with art installations, film screenings, fashion exhibitions, beauty, performances, virtual reality and more. It's open to the public on Friday and Saturday between 12pm and 8pm, and is set inside a 50,000-square foot warehouse at 15 Huron Street in Greenpoint.

While you've got to be invited to most Fashion Week shows (or be lucky enough to get selected to attend, in the case of Givenchy), you can buy your way into the Lie Sangbong presentation on Saturday, September 12th at 3pm at Pier 59 Studios, thanks to Gilt. A regular ticket for $175 gets you access to a champagne reception before the show, and a gift bag; the $250 VIP ticket gets you a better seat and a bigger gift bag.

Harlem's Fashion Row, an organization dedicated to supporting fashion designers of colors, will let shoppers buy looks straight from their runway presentation at Norwood (241 West 14th Street) on Sunday, September 13th between 2pm and 5pm. Sponsored by McDonalds, the event also includes brunch.

You can't snag a ticket to this one, but you can hang out around the Paris Theater (4 West 58th Street) on the evening of Tuesday, September 15th to catch a glimpse of the stars hitting the red carpet for the premiere of Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer.

On Thursday, September 17th, Macy's will once again bring out its latest collections in a public show. "Macy's Presents Fashion's Front Row" will feature looks from Jessica Simpson, Heidi Klum Intimates, Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger, Sean John, and more, plus performances by Nate Ruess and Jason Derulo. Tickets can still be purchased here; starting at $55, all proceeds benefit the CFDA and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.