It happens every season. The invites for Fashion Week start rolling in and I RSVP for everything, high on the expectation and excitement of A-list events and fabulous nights out. It's the one time (twice a year) I can shamelessly let my inner Carrie Bradshaw out without (much) judgment. By the third night or so, however, I'm spent and I look towards the rest of the week with a grimace. Why do I do this to myself, I wonder, drinking my 4th sponsored cocktail at my 4th event that evening. I miss my friends, I miss my bed, and I miss the feeling in my feet. By the time I get home post-midnight, it's time to write and I'm usually asleep on my keyboard a little after dawn. Sure, I was late to the office every morning but there were a few fun aspects that make it worth it, time after time. Here's what being a Fashion Week party girl has taught me.

[Photo by BFA courtesy Don Julio]