The Who's Who of the New York Fashion Week Front Row

Set your Instagram accounts to "stalk" now.

By Seija Rankin Feb 09, 2017 5:25 PMTags
Whos Who of NYFW Front RowMatt Baron/REX/Shutterstock

Fashion Week is about change. Every season, the best and the brightest of the industry take their long nights and hours of work to the public, to debut just how exactly we'll all need to throw out our current wardrobes and start anew, in order to stay trendy. 

Among the constants of the twice-yearly event (like the exclusivity, or the always-gorgeous runway models, or the absurdly high Uber surge-pricing anywhere in the Manhattan vicinity), there are always new debuts to keep up with when Tinseltown and the fashion industry come together to put on the grand cadre of shows. Take the faces of the front row. 

While the official raison d'etre of New York Fashion Week is the designer duds, much of the hype is dedicated to the A-listers in attendance. Who will show up this year? Who will avoid each other while surreptitiously seated mere inches apart? What will everyone wear? Keeping up with the biggest names of the front row can be a full-time job. Luckily for you, it's our full-time job. 

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Dos and Don'ts of a Fashion Week Wardrobe

This year promises to be a particularly star-studded affair: The early shows, which flew the East Coast coop and opted for lavish Los Angeles affairs, are certainly an indication. Rebecca Minkoff took over The Grove in West Hollywood not only to stuff the front row with celebs, but to flood the runway with them as well (Jamie Chung and Victoria Justice were among those who walked in the see-now, buy-now collection). Tommy Hilfiger brought his signature all-American styles to the Santa Monica Pier, and Gigi Hadid and Fergie followed with more than a few of their famous friends. 

Chalk the star presence up to the, dare we say it, decline of the blogger-as-fashion-expert trend at long last, freeing up dozens of seats for the magazine editors, buyers and actresses that we'll be seeing with a better view than before. Or maybe the celebs are just as enthusiastic to get that elusive unrestricted-view Instagram story from the shows as everyone else. (Nothing harshes your Insta vibe like someone else's head blocking the models.)

No matter—consider this the all-access guide to stalking down celebs at NYFW. It's time to set Instagram to "stalk" (that's a real setting, right?), and keep an eye for all these A-listers (both solidified and aspiring) all over the city. There's no need to be a bona fide expert on all things Fashion Week; just reference any of the below to instantly sound like an off-duty Vogue editor. 

THE NEW NEW

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What would a Fashion Week be without a cadre of fresh-faced ingénues just waiting to make the more seasoned among us rethink, well, everything. Just like Hollywood itself is constantly lusting after the next It Girl, the front row must stay on its toes to answer the buzzy call. Last September's appearance by Millie Bobby Brown at Coach, having become "a thing" oh, maybe five minutes previous, is the perfect example. One doesn't have to be that extremely brand new to earn a spot on this group, as there's a sweet spot between who is that again and oh, it's that girl from that movie! that must be met.

This February, look for Haley Bennett, flying high from her The Girl on the Train debut and gearing up for the release of Thank You For Your Service, alongside venerable non-whos? Miles Teller and Amy Schumer, perhaps at Ralph Lauren. Chloë Grace Moretz, who still lives in that middle ground of super famous to some, yet decidedly less so to the generation who doesn't follow Brooklyn Beckham's every move, has been a regular at Coach functions in recent times. Olivia Culpo will, most likely, bookend her boyfriend Danny Amendola's Super Bowl win with several NYFW appearances—our money is on Tommy Hilfiger and Cushnie et Ochs. 

Riley Keough might have the most on her plate, up-and-coming-ly speaking, not the least of which is probably going to be a front row seat at the Michael Kors show, while Victoria Justice will be solidifying her new standing in the fashion world (and toasting her gig at Rebecca Minkoff) at plenty of shows. And, don't forget to watch for Hailee Steinfeld and a reprise of Millie Bobby Brown's 2016 season. 

THE VETS

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Before the newbies, there were the veterans. These are the women around which Fashion Week revolves: Those who are so secure in their Front Row-dom that they have no problem approaching Anna Wintour with a comment about a collection or a compliment of her sunglasses of the day, and who have worked to solidify business and BFF relationships with all the biggest designers. 

Jessica Alba is perennially supporting Tory Burch and Narciso Rodriguez, Blake Lively is a huge fan of Michael Kors and the red carpet-ready gowns of Marchesa, Rashida Jones is buddy-buddy with Rachel Comey and Opening Ceremony, Kirsten Dunst never fails to turn out for her great friends at Rodarte, and Alexa Chung can be expected at Proenza Schouler. Oh, and then there's Olivia Palermo, who will be anywhere and everywhere. 

THE SMALL SCREEN STARS

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Be quick on your heels, mavens of the silver screen, because this is the golden age of television—and, more important, the golden age of television stars. Actresses who work a 9-to-5 on our favorite procedurals and prestige dramas are fully solidified on the A-list these days, and that means they're also fully solidified as front row attendees. Designers are embracing this new order of celebrity as much as America (and the award show voting blocs), so keep a careful eye out for the Emma Roberts'Tracee Ellis Ross', and the Priyanka ChoprasNina Dobrev is never one to miss a fashion show, especially if it's put on by Naeem Khan, and the same goes for Sophia Bush and Cushnie et Ochs. 

Oh, and let's not forget our television actors of the male persuasion: Rami Malek was one of the bold-faced names at this fall's Alexander Wang show, and we'd be hard-pressed to believe that it won't be a repeat this time around. Perhaps his fellow small screen bros can follow suit?

THE MUSIC MAKERS

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What would a fashion show be without the after parties? About as anti-climactic as an after-party without a surprise musical guest. Several of our favorite singers have been putting in time at these secretive soirées, so it only makes sense that they give good face on the front row, too. Self-professed fashion fiend A$AP Rocky is a follower of Guess and Kith, and Tinashe has an affinity for DKNY and Alexander Wang. Lady Gaga has shown her support for friend-turned-designer Brandon Maxwell, and Solange Knowles is simply a given at Fashion Week. Oh, and let's not forget our dear Kanye-devoted Teyana Taylor—but you can probably expect a little bit less of her fabulous abs, simply owing to the inclement weather. 

THE (LITERAL) NEXT GEN

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Nepotism runs just as deep in Hollywood as it does in the fashion industry, but we would be lying if we said we minded. We like to think there's room for everybody on the front row (You call it rose-colored glasses, we call it optimism), so why not share it with some famous offspring? 2017 is shaping up to be the year of the progeny: Zoë KravitzFrances Bean Cobain, Lily-Rose Depp, Brooklyn Beckham, Kaia Gerber and Sofia Richie are all deeply ensconced in the New York scene.

Some are brandishing modeling deals (Kravitz with Calvin Klein, Gerber with Alexander Wang, and Cobain with Marc Jacobs, to name a few), while others are likely to walk in a few shows (cough...Lily-Rose Depp...cough), and others simply count themselves as enthusiasts, pleased to simply sit front row and document it all on Instagram.