How to Survive Fashion Month

Fashion month is, in theory, a glamorous carousel of shows, presentations, cocktails, and afterparties. In reality, it’s an endurance sport. You’re up before sunrise for the first show, sprinting (in questionable footwear) between appointments, surviving on canapés, and finishing the night at something dimly lit where someone insists on tequila. You are expected (no, required!) to look immaculate throughout. Effortless, even. Meanwhile, your immune system is quietly filing a formal complaint.

And then comes the inevitable: the Eurostar home from Paris. The adrenaline fades, your body clocks the betrayal, and there it is, that first scratch in your throat. The fashion flu has entered the chat. If you’re lucky, it waits until the end. If not, you’re somewhere in East London, sitting front row, trying not to cough your lungs out during a delicate runway moment. There is truly nothing more anxiety-inducing than suppressing a cough in a silent show space, eyes watering, clutching your tiny bag like it contains salvation (it doesn’t, just lip balm and a Blank Street puffer cup sleeve).

We all try to be sensible. We say we’ll drink a litre of water before bed. We carry miniature ginger shots like they’re medicinal gold. We swap kisses for awkward air gestures paired with a firm “don’t come near me, I’m plagued.” And yet, year after year, the fashion flu persists.

Then there are the thrivers. The ones who emerge glowing, energised, suspiciously well. Rumour has it they’re sneaking off for IV drips. Yes, actual drips. Suddenly everyone is emailing everyone they know asking who’s offering “IV services” this season. At one point, I found myself dangerously close to turning up to a random showroom off Oxford Street, fully ready to let a stranger inject me with god knows what, all in the name of fashion. A low point.

So when I heard that Liquid IV had officially landed in the UK, it felt like a much safer alternative. Same concept, hydration on another level, but digestible, not injectable. A win!

I’d always known about them vaguely, mostly via American influencers who seem to consume them like juice at festivals and post-spin classes. But now they’re here, stocked in Boots, with sugar-free options no less. Accessible. Civilised. I was intrigued. So, I took them for a spin this fashion month.

The concept is simple: one sachet in 500ml of water, designed to enhance hydration more efficiently than water alone. Personally, I found the taste a little intense at full strength, so I split one sachet across two bottles. Not exactly textbook, but arguably just more hydration, so who’s complaining. My routine became one sachet in the evening before bed (mango and pineapple were the favourites), mostly because I physically cannot face that volume of liquid first thing in the morning. And the result? I woke up… fine. Not just fine, fresh. Alert. Functional.

During Paris Fashion Week, where I was averaging 19k steps a day and operating on minimal sleep, I didn’t feel burnt out. I wasn’t dragging myself between shows. And most shockingly, I didn’t get sick. Not a sniffle, not a scratch, not even the hint of impending doom. I became, admittedly, slightly insufferable. Running around Paris evangelising Liquid IV like it was the second coming. “It’s the number one fix for fashion week,” I declared to anyone who would listen (and several who would rather not).

Unexpected bonus: my skin. Usually, by mid-fashion month, dehydration kicks in and my skin starts to look… exhausted. Dry, dull, occasionally breaking out as if in protest. But this time, it stayed hydrated, calmer, and significantly less tragic-looking. I think simply having the sachet forced me into a routine of actually drinking water, something I notoriously forget when busy.

And now that I’m back from the madness, I’m not using it daily. It feels unnecessary when life is no longer a high-speed blur of shows and champagne. But I am rationing my remaining sachets like they’re luxury goods. Because next fashion month? They’re coming with me. Consider it an essential accessory. Right up there with your smallest bag, your most impractical shoes, and your ability to say “I’m fine” when you absolutely are not!