By Oscar Wolfe

My mom and my friend Leela’s mom took us to the Curated Style: Straight From the Runway fashion show at Mall of America on Friday, featuring Project Runway designers. I sort of expected what some of it was going to be, but some of it, I had no idea. So here is a “How To” on attending a fancy fashion show.

1. Dress well. 

It’s a fashion show. People care about this stuff.

2. Get ready to pose.

People take a lot of photos at this kind of thing. But at some point smiles get boring. So, it’s always good to have some fun poses up your sleeve.

3. Arrive early.

The reason for arriving early is obviously for the pre-party. This part is probably the fanciest. It’s a lot of talking, socializing, and drinking (root beer).

4. Go to the actual show.

Now it’s time for the main event: the fashion show. It takes about an hour. I honestly thought that this would be the most boring part. But in reality is was a massive production. Music, lights, and other performance elements were just as important to me as the actual clothes. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to admire the clothes. My personal favorites were Candice Cuoco—her collection was moody and I liked all the drama of it— and Viktor Luna, because it didn’t follow the normal rules (guys with giant capes on the back of their jackets).

5. Stay late.

Just like arriving early, you have to stay late for the after party. The after party is where people just party. Where the pre-party is talking, the after party is doing.

6. Collect free stuff on the way out.

It’s absolutely essential to take every single free thing available. So never forget to see is there’s a swag bag.

7: Pass out.

Standing. Posing. Cheering. Posing. If you’re not exhausted by the end of the night, you did it wrong. So, go home and pass out.