In the spring of 2010, Improv Everywhere, a New York City-based “prank collective,” divided the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue near 22nd Street into two lanes: one for tourists, the other for New Yorkers.

After spray-painting a “tourists” stencil on the left side and a “New Yorkers” one on the right, the pranksters, disguised in reflective orange safety vests, painted a thick white line between the two and monitored the area for an hour, making sure pedestrians were staying true to their status.

While New Yorkers proudly took to the right side of the sidewalk, tourists anxiously and slowly crossed over to the left. One male vacationer, however, tried to convince the pranksters that because he was a fast walker, he should be allowed into the New Yorker lane. No such luck.

The refusal was a spot-on metaphor for a city where tensions often run high between locals and tourists, and where there’s no greater satisfaction for a weekend-tripper than to be mistaken for a New Yorker.

The fake-it-until-you-make-it philosophy is at the Big Apple’s core, and there’s no better place to witness the action than at New York Fashion Week (NYFW)—now branded as Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week.

For one week, twice a year (February and September), the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, home to the Metropolitan Opera and the School of American Ballet, is overrun by pretty young things, bloggers of the moment and fashion editors, all teetering on futuristic Balenciagas and avant-garde sky-high Nicholas Kirkwoods.

The masochistic behaviours (ask any podiatrist how bad wearing five-inch heels really is for you), the insecurity-riddled air-kissing and the catwalk off the catwalk around most shows are part of a delicious and fascinating smorgasbord of the fashion industry, all condensed on a tiny sliver of Manhattan.

Most of the week’s events, including the runway shows, both on-site at the Lincoln Center and off (many designers show in other parts of the city, often in Chelsea), parties and studio visits are by invite only.

Fashion editors, reporters, buyers, big-time clients, celebrities, friends and, more recently, bloggers with high page views, are the usual suspects when it comes to attendees.

If you are worthy of a ticket, the hu- man-ranking doesn’t end there. There are seats, and then there are standing tickets—priority standing and just plain-old standing. But there are often a number of empty seats to fill right before a show starts. Treating the staff in charge of seat-filling like gold comes in handy (they often block the aisles and only let you pass when it’s time to fill).

If this all sounds a tad ridiculous, it’s because it is. What was once a platform to showcase a collection to buyers and the press has turned into a circus.

The presence of celebrities is partly to blame. Designers fill front rows with stars to create buzz, although some designers, most notably Marc Jacobs, have decided to scale back the celeb invites so shows can return to being about just the clothes. (And, in Jacobs’ case, also the theatrics.)

But thanks to the explosion of the snap-happy photographers and bloggers who camp out outside of shows to take photos of sartorial show-goers, the street-style culture has created an endless fashion show where no ticket is required and anyone can participate.

“What’s happening on the street or outside the runway is just as relevant as what’s happening on the runways themselves,” said Nicole Phelps, executive editor at style.com, in a video interview last season for The Outnet, Net-a-Porter’s designer outlet site.

Even with no ticket in hand, the pre- and post-show action around Lincoln Centre and other locations (nymag.com prints a schedule with show locations each season) is worth a subway ride.

Take a seat at the fountain or near the steps and enjoy a fashion feast for the eyes as show-goers come and go and street-style photographers snap away. Or, drop by the Starbucks at Columbus Avenue between 66th Street and 67th Street, where big-name models and famous fashion editors can be spotted refuelling, post-shows.

And just like the ubiquitous advice on how to blend in with New Yorkers in general, there’s also a formula to being noticed by street-style photographers. Don’t look up. Walk with a purpose. Be confident. Don’t draw too much attention to yourself, but just enough. And never be caught wearing runners—unless you’re actually running.

“They love a great shoe—mixed patterns and a billowy silhouette—so, when you walk away, there’s a lot of movement for a perfect shot,” says Amy Verner, style reporter for the Globe and Mail. “Anything that accentuates long legs—they love legs, an armful of bracelets and an unusual skirt.”

Verner’s staples, especially for NYFW, include a white shirt, a black dress and a jean jacket—pieces you can dress up or down, depending on the occasion. A great shoe most often means a sky-high heel to the fashion set although, lately, street-style mavens have been snapped wearing colourful sneakers, making comfort more acceptable. But many fashion editors still opt for a painfully high heel and, if you’re wondering how they do it, two words: car service. For lower-grade editors, you’ll find most of them doing the old switcheroo with a pair of ballet flats before and after the shows.

There may be a formula to get the attention of snap-crazy fashion photographers around NYFW events, but in the rest of New York, as cliché as it might sound, the method to the fashion madness is really, anything goes.

Sure, you may spend hours planning an outfit for NYFW only to have that perfect pair of pants split in the butt as soon as you get off the subway. (Full disclosure: that has happened to me.) Naturally, fashion karma is the worst of all the karmas.

Whether you’re headed to the shows, or not, in New York, it’s best to dress like you don’t care—even though you do, of course. And, if all else fails, put on a fabulous pair of shoes. But never forget to bring a pair of flats.

Runway look from Badgley Mischka at MBFW

Top North American Fashion Weeks

Montreal, Que.

Montreal Fashion Week, Feb. 6 to 9.

New York City, N.Y.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Feb. 9 to 16.

Toronto, Ont.

LG Fashion Week, March 12 to 17.

Los Angeles, Calif.

LA Fashion Week, March 12 to 19.

Miami, Fla.

Miami Beach International Fashion Week, March 21 to 24.