This season, I attended NYFW for the first time. I volunteered to help set up for two fashion shows and attended quite a few panel discussions. And I learned a lot in the process.

Attending NYFW opened my eyes to an entirely different side of fashion, beyond simply “putting clothes together into a look.” Fashion, in a broader sense, is about collectiveness. Clothes allow us to express ourselves, yes, but we do this through the designs that other people have created.

While NYFW taught me to think about fashion in broad new ways, it also taught me some more specific lessons. Here are the top 5 things I learned at New York Fashion Week:

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1. There is a LOT more to a runway show than you think

One of the most shocking things I learned at NYFW was the amount of work and preparation a fashion show actually takes. Yes, obviously I knew it was a huge project to take on, but I didn’t understand all the moving parts involved. I had no concept of the unimaginably hectic process that leads up to a show.

Forget about just designing the clothes. Runway shows are a gigantic production in themselves. From getting sponsors for the goody bags, to hiring the makeup staff and finalizing the seating chart, fashion shows involve an overwhelming number of tasks. Yet, somehow, everyone pulls it off and makes it look effortless!

2. The shows are REALLY short

To my surprise, NYFW shows are quite short. I had expected to be seated for a while, watching the gorgeous models strut down the runway for ages, but that is not the case.