The American fashion capital is officially open again for business, with the start of another New York Fashion Week kicking off Feb. 6. Brandon Maxwell started the week with a bang—and Thom Browne is set to close it down on Tuesday,

But when four Washington Post journalists brought instant cameras along for our Fashion Week adventures, the assignment invited us to savor the sights that made us want to linger

At the end of New York Fashion Week, after six days of nonstop fashion—admiring every garment, reporting on them, and thinking only about clothes—there comes that inevitable moment when the dazzling illusion finally dissolves into reality.