anything goes with emma chamberlain
Episode: "my fashion week routine, explained"
Date: October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

Emma Chamberlain gives listeners an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at her Fashion Week routine, from logistical planning and travel to outfit selections, fittings, and show attendance. She shares how her approach has evolved as she’s become more immersed in the fashion world, and unpacks why the chaos and unpredictability of these events are both a challenge and a core part of their appeal for her.

1. The Evolution of Emma’s Fashion Week Experience

• Emma reflects on how her Fashion Week attendance has changed over time.
  • Early years: She’d attend one show, focus on a single look, and keep things simple.
  • Now: She goes to multiple shows (six to seven last season), increasing complexity, stress—and fun.
• Quote:
  “Fashion Week is like manufactured chaos. It is a complete mess...but it's all self-inflicted. No one's telling me to do this. I want to do it.” (03:15)

2. The Pre-Planning Phase

Months Before the Event

• Her team starts discussing which brands and shows to target, based on:
  • Creative director changes (“Oh, this brand just got a new creative director…")
  • Brands Emma has been wearing or is excited about.
• Planning is partly hypothetical until show schedules are released 1-1.5 months prior.
• Quote:
  “If it was up to me, I'd plan everything years in advance. I’d make dinner reservations for two years down the line. I love being prepared.” (09:56)

Securing Invitations

• Half of invites come from brands, half through outreach from Emma’s team.
• Sometimes mutual adoration, sometimes let down gently (“I never get offended if a brand [passes]…If a brand doesn't want me there because they think I’m cringe...that’s totally fine.") (13:02)

3. Travel & Accommodations

Booking Flights

• Travels from LA to Milan (with a layover, usually in Paris), then to Paris.
• Prefers to land in the afternoon to minimize jet lag.
• Builds in buffer days before events to recover from travel.

Hotels

• Avoids Fashion Week hotspots—prefers centrally located, less crowded hotels for efficiency and sanity.
• Quote:
  “I try to book hotels that are not too busy...if I want to go down to the restaurant to get a meal really quick before I leave, good luck. Because there's going to be so many people there.” (20:38)
• Preparation is a logistical juggling act due to late venue announcements, hotel scarcity, and traffic considerations.

4. Pre-Event Prep at Home

• Records extra podcasts and fronts other work to avoid stress during Fashion Week.
• Physical prep is pretty minimal:
  • Always: Gets hair done (trim, color), sometimes bleaches eyebrows for more makeup flexibility.
  • Nails: Used to be a big deal (“the nail appointment pre-Fashion Week has been very important…”), but currently easing off in favor of natural nails.
  • Red carpet events warrant extra appointments compared to Fashion Week.
• Quote:
  “If one look ends up not looking that good...whatever, I'm going to another event the next day and I can redeem myself. That's how I look at it.” (34:30)

5. Packing & Planning Looks

• Strict carry-on only—carry-on, backpack, small purse.
• Plans to rewear items, do laundry at hotels.
• Packing begins with weather analysis, then curating a “vibe” that allows mixing and matching for efficiency.
  • Sometimes goes for all-black, retro, or “French chic” depending on the trip.
• Extra focus on aesthetics—packs more elevated outfits than for regular travel, including heels and statement accessories.
• Quote:
  “It’s almost like going to Disneyland...you want to dress for the theme at Disneyland. It's exciting…So it’s like the same thing for Fashion Week.” (44:00)

6. Travel Day

• Europe flights require more mental preparation due to their length and Emma’s airplane anxiety.
  • Will intentionally sleep-deprive to maximize sleep on the flight.
  • Downloads YouTube videos (“random shit”) for distraction instead of movies or TV.
• Quote:
  “A ten and a half hour flight to Paris, then another hour and a half to Milan...I have to be prepared to be on that plane for a long time and keep myself cool, calm, collected, and distracted.” (54:50)

7. On-the-Ground: Fittings, Shows, & Getting Ready

Fittings

• Begin almost immediately on arrival and continue throughout Fashion Week.
• Collaboration with stylist Jared—brands send options, they pick favorites, fittings may need tailoring or a quick change of plan if things don’t fit.
• Analyze looks via photos, not mirrors, for a realistic idea.
• Outfits are chosen to blend Emma's personal style, the show’s theme, and the brand.
• After a look is chosen, Emma, Jared, and hair/makeup team brainstorm hair and makeup using reference images and input from all.
• Quote:
  “I try not to be too much of a control freak, which is hard for me because I am naturally a control freak...I want everybody to feel like their art is present on me.” (01:09:26)

Show Days

• Limits to two shows per day to put full creative energy into each look.
• Hair and makeup begin 4-5 hours in advance, often involves wigs, extensions, or experimental makeup.
• Outfits can be elaborate and require extra time and tricks (taping, tissue in shoes, corsets).

Show Structure

• Arrive for photo call (“so I'll go take my cute little pic”), sometimes brief interviews.
• Show itself: immersive and thrilling, spent “critique-ing in my head” and being absorbed in the spectacle.
• Quote:
  “I hope my phone's on silent...The music comes in, usually something kind of intense...the looks start coming out and I'm looking at all the outfits, and in my head I'm like, thinking about which ones I like and which ones I maybe don't like.” (01:22:15)
• After, debrief with her stylist in their car—one of her favorite parts.

8. Downtime & Lifestyle Abroad

• In-between time is often for sleeping, quick exercise (often hotel gym), room service, or grabbing groceries—no time for elaborate meals.
  • Occasionally will make time for a nice dinner if possible, but many places are booked out.
• Loves to walk and window shop around the city during rare moments off.
• Tries to maintain semblances of her normal routine, prioritizing mental health and relaxation.
• Quote:
  “Anytime I have enough energy and I have time off during Fashion Week, I'm walking. I'm just walking, walking, walking, walking.” (01:32:28)

9. The Aftermath & Emma’s Outlook

• After Fashion Week, it’s right back to LA routine—orderly life resumes.
• Reflects on the privilege and honor of being able to participate, despite previous misconceptions about the “pretentious” or “mean” fashion world.
• Acknowledges the industry’s chaos and admits it’s embraced by those who participate:
  • “All of you fucking fashion people...love the chaos. You make it even more chaotic than it needs to be. Like, it doesn’t need to be this chaotic, but you all make it this chaotic.” (01:39:44) — Emma’s dad, as quoted by Emma
• Expresses gratitude for her audience, whose support allows her to do this.

Memorable Moments & Standout Quotes

• On why Fashion Week is special:
  “It is sort of like a fun vacation in a way...It has nothing to do...I don't get paid to be at a show. Like that doesn’t...that’s not how it works… I'm there because I want to be there and because they let me come to the show to watch.” (06:30)
• Packing Strategy:
  “I only pack a carry-on when I travel...If clothes get dirty, I just do laundry. I'll do laundry at the hotel. Worst-case scenario, I could go to a local laundromat.” (41:31)
• On Fashion Week vs. Red Carpet:
  “With Fashion Week, I go to like six events, eight events...if one look ends up not looking that good...I'm going to another event the next day and I can redeem myself.” (34:30)
• On the chaotic charm:
  “It's a logistical nightmare, but that in itself is kind of fun for me...almost like the anxiety of planning Fashion Week distracts me from more serious anxieties.” (22:03)
• On collaborative creativity:
  “Together we bring our expertise together and come up with something that feels special...I want everybody to feel like their art is present on me. That's always the goal.” (01:10:08)

Notable Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–06:30 – Introduction; motivation for attending Fashion Week
• 09:56–13:30 – Pre-planning with her team; securing show invites
• 16:15–22:30 – Travel and accommodation logistics
• 31:00–38:30 – Pre-Fashion Week prep: hair, nails, packing philosophy
• 41:31–50:00 – Packing strategy; developing her “Fashion Week vibe”
• 54:50–58:00 – Travel day routine; coping with long-haul flights
• 01:03:00–01:18:00 – Fittings, collaboration with stylist and creative team
• 01:19:00–01:29:00 – Showday routines and the in-person experience
• 01:32:28–01:37:50 – Downtime routines; maintaining wellness abroad
• 01:39:44–end – Reflections, gratitude, and the beauty of Fashion Week’s chaos

Final Thoughts

This episode is a candid, stream-of-consciousness tour through Emma’s ritualized, but deeply personal Fashion Week journey. She balances practical tips with humor and reflection, offering both aspiring fashionistas and casual fans a vivid sense of what goes on behind the scenes. Emma ultimately frames Fashion Week as a thrilling, creative “self-inflicted chaos”—a unique blend of art, logistics, and adrenaline that has become one of her favorite annual “vacations.”