On a typical Wednesday afternoon the graffiti-covered space would be full of kids playing basketball or soccer. But last week it was overtaken by models, photographers and fashion aficionados.

It was a muggy 31-degree afternoon, but the concrete jungle of Manhattan felt far hotter. One World Trade Centre, known as the Freedom Tower, shimmered in the city skyline; it was 18 years to the day since the September 11 attacks.

I arrived at the show curious and slightly apprehensive. My relationship with fashion is best described as adventurous and uninformed. I can’t tell Valentino from Versace but would happily spend hours rummaging around an op shop. I'm also unafraid to try out bold colours and prints - at times with disastrous consequences.

I still recall with horror the year 12 formal suit I had specially made by a seamstress who lived down the street. It involved red tartan pants, a green tartan tie and a chocolate brown vest. It was an inexplicable choice, and to this day I’m baffled why none of my friends or family staged an intervention.

Fashion Week, in other words, is not necessarily my natural milieu. Yet I was surprised by how eclectic and easy-going the Dion Lee runway experience was. Some in the crowd were dressed as I had expected - in evening gowns fit for a night at the opera - but others wore singlets and sneakers.

The Huffington Post has described Lee as "Australia’s most cerebral designer” and the show was indeed thought-provoking. There were suspenders and knee-high boots, harnesses and parachute pants.

Explaining the concept of the collection to me afterwards, he said: "I'm playing with subverting the traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity.

"The idea was to not have such a clear delineation between the sexes as you usually see with fashion."

Lee was not alone in staging his runway presentation in an unusual location. Fashion is a competitive industry, and venturing off the beaten track can help designers generate the buzz needed to get people talking about their brand.

Tom Ford achieved that on Monday by holding his show at a disused platform of the Bowery subway station, which he lit in electric pink for the occasion. Miley Cyrus, Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg were there, alongside an audience of Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) workers in safety vests.

New York label Sies Marjan staged its show at Manhattan’s Surrogate’s Courthouse while Maryam Nassir Zadeh opted for a tennis court in a park downtown. Collina Strada simply had their models walk down the sidewalk.

Ralph Lauren went to the other extreme by transforming a Wall Street building into an Art Deco nightclub inspired by 1920s and 1930s New York. Guests wore black tie and received a performance by R&B star Janelle Monae.

Designers are also increasingly venturing beyond Manhattan, the traditional home of Fashion Week, to the outer boroughs. One of the most anticipated runways this year was Pyer Moss - held at a 3000-seat theatre in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Flatbush. The collection, inspired by the legacy of African American musicians, was accompanied by a 65-member gospel choir.

The runway is the most visible part of fashion week, but I learnt that much of the real action is happening in less conspicuous venues. Places like the Known Agency, a showroom for Australian designers in a SoHo studio.

The pop-up made its debut at New York Fashion Week this year, and showcased designs from Adelaide-based Acler, as well as Sydney-based brands Gary Bigeni and Hansen and Gretel. There was also footwear from Mara and Mine.

Bringing several brands into one room allows them to gain crucial exposure to the international buyers who flock to every New York Fashion Week.

"It’s a relaxed environment where buyers can spend quality time really getting to know the brands," the Known Agency's Samantha Etchells says.

Buyers from Japan, Canada and Ireland all visited the showroom during the week, as well as representatives from big American retailers like Saks and Bloomingdale's.

Australian Fashion Council chief executive Dave Giles-Kaye says more than 50 Australian labels were involved in this year's fashion week - either through runways, showrooms and other venues.

"Australian labels are getting really good traction here," he says.

In the middle of the week the fashion council hosted a business development workshop to help up-and-coming Australian designers learn how to break into the US market. The Aussie designers received advice from representatives from Vogue, Bloomingdales, McKinsey and leading fashion brands.

Giles-Kaye says Australian designers are increasingly opening stores here or relocating to the US.

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"It's not just about putting down roots, not just flying in-and-out for fashion week anymore," he says.

Dion Lee now lives in New York and luxury Australian brand Zimmermann this week opened their first store on the iconic Madison Avenue shopping strip. It's their sixth boutique in New York state.

Scanlan Theodore recently opened a store at Hudson Yards, complementing stores in the Flatiron district and Tribeca.

The day after my runway show I found myself in the fashion district in SoHo. Clearly inspired by the experience, I went on an unexpected shopping spree. Hopefully in years to come I'll regard the purchases with fondness and not horror.