A few things to know about the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City along with some of my favorite looks from last week’s shows:

1. New York Fashion Week (NYFW) happens twice a year, once in September and once in February.

Romantic dresses and sparkling shoes at the Christian Siriano show. Photo by Julia Rubin.

2. The fashion world is always one step ahead of the rest of the world, so this September’s fashion week showcased 2013 Spring and Summer clothing.

My favorite model, Karlie Kloss, walking for Jason Wu

A beautiful Monique Lhuillier dress paired with trendy blue eyeshadow.

3. Haute couture refers to custom made clothing, fitted for an individual person. It is different from ready-to-wear (prêt-á-porter) which is factory made in standard sizes. Some designers have both haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion shows. 

Tulle was big this year, an example is this dress by Jason Wu.

4. My favorite way to get all the latest fashion week updates is on Twitter and Tumblr. I follow Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and a few other major fashion reporters who provide me with updates and trends on Twitter and pictures of the shows on Tumblr. 

J.Crew’s bright colors and interesting patterns.

5. High fashion may seem a little outrageous and unwearable to normal people like me, but it’s still fun to find all the latest trends and apply them in a subtler (and cheaper) way to my wardrobe.

XOLily