I cannot believe it has almost been three years since I started FSU Fashion Girl. Taking a look back on my life in 2009 to now, it is amazing what all you can accomplish. In the past three years, I interned for four completely different companies, moved to New York City for the summer, was mentioned in Lauren Berger’s book “All Work, No Pay”, and served as the Public Relations Director for CLUTCH Magazine. I cannot believe the change I have seen in myself throughout the past few years, both personally and professionally. When I started FSU Fashion Girl, I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I initially started this blog to see if I wanted to write for a fashion magazine in the future. Now, I can say confidently, that I want to pursue a career at a fashion-based public relations or social media company. I am blessed to have figured this out throughout my time in college but even more blessed to be given such amazing opportunities. The next few months are going to be very challenging but all I can do is stay positive, hope for the best and know that I will end up exactly where I am meant to be.

As I enter my final month in Tallahassee, I would like to take this moment to thank each and every one of you for supporting FSU Fashion Girl throughout the years. It is because of all your love and support that it was able to become such a success. With that said, I am starting a brand new website that will document my post-graduate adventures – NYC Fashion Girl. I officially launched the website yesterday & am excited to start a whole new journey.

Thank you again for your support! It means the world to me.

On Tuesday, come out to Potbellys for the Victoria’s Secret fashion show viewing party hosted by the Florida State VS PINK campus reps! The party starts at 9pm with the fashion show starting at 10pm. Be one of the first 100 guests & you will receive a free koozie.

During the commercial breaks, the VS PINK reps will be raffling off a variety of prizes including a yoga set, FSU gameday set, & a back to school set. I will also be tabling at Potbellys that night so if you would like to purchase a gameday bracelet or speak with me in person, come on out! The bracelets are $30 each or 2 for $50 – cash preferred but credit cards also accepted. I will also have forms in case I sell out of bracelets or for special requests. Other guests in attendance include Rent the Runway, Swatch Magazine, TOMS, & Guy Harvey.

Don’t miss out on such a fun event & a chance to score some fun freebies! For more information, please check out their Facebook event.  I hope to see some of you there!

For the past two years, I have served as the Intern Queen Inc. campus ambassadors for Florida State University. Since I was involved with the creation of the program back in the fall of 2010, it makes me especially sad to have to say good-bye. Since I am graduating next spring & will not be on FSU’s campus next semester, I am looking for the next rockstar student to fill my shoes!

As a campus ambassador, it is your mission to spread the importance of interning & how InternQueen.com can help students find the internship of their dreams. You are responsible for blogging & will be assigned larger projects every 1-2 months. These projects will vary but nearly always involve a competition with a fabulous prize. I won the HOT LIST competition last fall & won a Lenova laptop!

In my opinion, the major benefit of becoming a campus ambassador is the network you are introduced to. We currently have over 100 ambassadors nationwide. You will be able to utilize this network to get advice or even referrals for an internship. You might even be lucky enough to meet a few of them at one of our meet ups! A HUGE perk is being able to access the intern queen herself, Lauren Berger, whenever you need her.

Interested in applying? Shoot me over an email with your interest, year in school, campus involvement (if applicable), why you want to be the next FSU campus ambassador & any questions you might have for me. Deadline to apply is November 11th so make sure you email me ASAP. I will be selecting the next campus ambassador the following week. GOOD LUCK!

What: Victoria’s Secret PINK Heartbreaker Bra Party
Hosted By: Your FSU Victoria’s Secret PINK Reps
When: Monday, October 24th from 8pm-11pm
Where: Art of the Catwalk at 624 West Tennessee Street
Details: Your Victoria’s Secret PINK reps are throwing a party to promote the new heartbreaker bra. The first 200 girls will be taking home a PINK wallet. They will also be raffling off VS PINK bras. When you bring any old bras that you would like to donate, you will get an extra raffle ticket. All bras will be donated to the Refuge House through Student United Way. There will also be bra fittings, games, activites, cookies & fun music!

What: Mirror Mirror Event at FSU
Hosted By: Levi’s
When: Tuesday, October 25th from 10am-6pm
Where: Union Green
Details: The Levi’s Curve ID Mirror, Mirror Campus Tour is making a stop at FSU on Tuesday! You will be able to get fit for a pair of Curve ID jeans, get your hair and make-up touched up, photographed in the Levi’s Curve ID jeans, gifts, discounts & more! PLUS, if we get more students to attend this event that UF, Levi’s will give FSU a $10,000 grant to support one of the women’s athletics, academics, or art programs on campus so come out & support your university!

What: CLUTCH Magazine’s Fall 2011 Release Party
Hosted By: CLUTCH Magazine & the Collegiate Merchandising Association
When: Thursday, October 27th from 9pm-2am
Where: Mid-Town Filling Station at 1122 Thomasville Road
Details: CLUTCH Magazine, FSU’s first successful student-run fashion publication will be releasing their 11th issue this week. Come out & celebrate with the entire CLUTCH team! Special guest DJ Chris Manley will be performing. There will be cupcakes, drink specials, raffle prizes & VIP goodie bags. This is one event you won’t want to miss!

A question people have been asking me lately is: ”What is your favorite brand of all time?” Trick question. I actually have five favorite brands of all time (yes, one is a boutique in SoHo) & I obsess about them equally. Here is why:

French Connection for structure & fit.

French Connection has been among my favorites for years. I always turn to this brand for dresses of all sorts. My most prized French Connection dress in my closet is my go-to dress for an interview. If you have been following my blog for a while, it should come as no surprise that I chose this as my favorite French Connection piece since I have blogged about it before.

Marc by Marc Jacobs for branding & accessories.

I consider Marc by Marc Jacobs to be on almost equal playing fields as the Chanel brand. Although it is cheaper & aimed at a younger generation, the impact of this brand is tremendous. Any brand that can open a book store in SoHo & be successful is obviously onto something. I own a few pieces of Marc by Marc Jacobs clothing but I personally find myself more drawn to the playful accessories – the iPhone covers, the hair accessories, the key chains, the lipstick pens, etc. My most prized Marc by Marc Jacobs accessory is the “perfect purse.”

Alice + Olivia for the drool worthy clothing & defining “social media.”

Alice + Olivia is another one of those brands that is really focused around a specific muse. A young, fun, fashion-forward, working girl. Chances are good that if you like one Alice + Olivia item, you will like them all – which can definitely be dangerous. I have found a lot of great deals on Alice + Olivia at Saks Off Fifth & Neiman Marcus Last Call. I’ve found deals on dresses, tops, & dress pants. Hopefully in the near future, I will be able to afford their high prices but for now I covet all of my discounted Alice + Olivia items. Below is just one of the dresses that I got for only $20!

LF Stores for layering & overall styling.

In a recent post, I named LF Stores as my #1 boutique in New York City. Although, not a brand, I felt it entirely necessary to include this store on my list because I am absolutely in love with all of the items I have purchased there. Hands down, these are the items I get the most compliments on. This store is great for the girl who loves to play with fashion, lives in layers, and likes to blend styles. My favorite item is the long flowing maxi skirt I bought – it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Wildfox Couture for comfort & their success story.

Wildfox Couture can do no wrong in my book. The company was started by two best friends & is really starting to grow into an empire. By starting with creating simple, comfortable & fun graphic t-shirts, the brand has now expanded into denim, jewelry & childrens clothing. I have loved watching the brand grow & continue to be obsessed with everything Wildfox. My favorite Wildfox clothing item is an easy choice for me. It would be my navy “W” sweatshirt because it is SUPER comfortable.

What are your favorite brands of all time? I would love to hear!

]]> http://fsufashiongirl.com/2011/10/top-five-fashion-brands-of-all-time/feed/ 0 http://fsufashiongirl.com/2011/10/spotlight-on-the-new-kembrel/ http://fsufashiongirl.com/2011/10/spotlight-on-the-new-kembrel/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:21:19 +0000 FSUfashiongirl http://fsufashiongirl.com/?p=1958

One of my favorite online flash sale websites has been revamped & relaunched as Kembrel 2.0.

Three students from Penn founded Kembrel in 2010. Kembrel offered college students from around the world the opportunity to log on daily to access flash sales for all of their favorite brands. In the past, they have featured brands such as American Apparel, 7 For All Mankind, & Threadless. This summer, the Kembrel team worked hard on relaunching the website.

SO WHAT’S NEW? The new Kembrel offers college students permanent fashion sales in addition to the flash sales. It also has local and national partner perks that never expire. Kembrel members can receive discounts at various restaurants and retailers. It also offers access to all kinds of events, travel, parties, contests & competitions.

So really, what are you waiting for? Check out the all new & improved Kembrel HERE.

Are you tired of the lack of shopping in Tallahassee? Are you sick of driving to Jacksonville, Tampa, and/or Orlando just to get your shopping fix in? Then do I have good news for you!

For the first time ever, Urban Outfitters is taking it’s store on tour. The purpose of this tour is to bring the Urban Outiftters shopping experience to cities without a permanent Urban Outfitters location. Starting on Monday, October 17th, Urban Outfitters will set up shop on the corner of East College Avenue & South Duval Street. The store will be open for business on Monday, October 17th to Thursday, October 20th from 12pm-8pm.

This Urban Outfitters store is unlike any other pop up shop. They used two shipping containers to create the Store on Tour (you can watch the video here). The Store on Tour will have a little bit of everything with something special in the mix just for the Florida State Seminole Fans! Dockers, DRY Soda, and Tortoise & Blonde will also be joining Urban Outfitters on Tour.

Be sure you follow @UOtour on Twitter for the most up-to-date information & come out next week to shop until you drop!

Two weeks ago, I was experienced the opportunity of a life time. A company I interned with this summer invited me back to New York to work the Badgley Mischka show during New York Fashion Week. Of course, my answer was YES!!

Even before I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the fashion industry, my dream was to work or attend (or even stalk around outside) fashion week. To be given the opportunity to see the Mercedes-Benz tents up close & personal was so surreal.

I flew up to New York on Wednesday to help the PR team prepare for the show. I was ecstatic to help in any way I could & really get my feet wet. They had me doing everything from calling magazine editors to get an exact head count of how many editors will be attending to printing out & organizing the seating cards to assembling folders for everyone on the PR team with important documents. I had to work a few late nights & on the weekends but everyone knows fashion doesn’t sleep so why should I?

The day of the Badgley Mischka show had finally arrived. My call time was 7:30am. I ran a quick errand for Mark & James (no big deal!), assisted with backstage check-in & helped the PR team put the seating labels on all of the chairs. At 8am, a fellow intern & I headed backstage to help the VP of public relations handle the media while they waited to interview Mark & James about their spring 2012 collection. This was also where the celebrities were arriving to get their picture taken in front of the Badgley Mischka step and repeat.

As 10am rolled around & everyone was filing into their seats, I walked with the team to the front of the house to fill in any additional seats. I ended up finding a seat in the 8th row & was able to watch the show myself. Just last semester, I was sitting in the back of my fashion forecasting class watching the Badgley Mischka livestream. Now, not only am I working the show, but I am also watching it in person? Someone pinch me! After the show was over & everyone left, the team headed to the Badgley Mischka showroom for the after-party.

I still can’t believe I finally made it to fashion week. What a truly amazing experience!

Last month, Clarisonic sent me a Clarisonic Mia to try out. After using the Mia for a few weeks, I can officially say I am OBSESSED with it.

The Clarisonic Mia is a cordless skin cleansing system . I love how light & portable this device is. The Mia is rechargeable & takes only 60 seconds to make my skin clean, smooth & healthy. With just one click of the button, you can improve your skin tone and reduce the appearance of pores. You can also remove 6X more makeup & 2X more dirt & oil.

I was warned that some users needed an adjustment period in order to get used to the deep cleansing system but I honestly saw results the next day. Right after I was done cleansing, my face instantly felt super smooth & soft. It never caused my face to break out either. After a few more weeks of use, I am still so impressed by how my skin feels each time I use it. I would definitely recommend anyone to go out & pick this product up for yourself. It not only makes my skin look & feel better but it also makes washing my face even easier – what more could you possibly want?

To find out more information or to purchase a Mia for yourself, check it out here. Also be sure to “like” them on Facebook & follow them on Twitter!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the end for me at Florida State University. I cannot believe how fast these past three years have gone & knowing that I have only six more months left in Tallahassee makes me think about how much has changed within that short amount of time.

When I was a college freshman, I picked my major because it was something I was passionate about but I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. When I started, I was leaning towards becoming a buyer but within my first year toyed with the ideas of styling or working for a magazine. It wasn’t until after I launched FSU Fashion Girl & started interning that I realized that I wanted to get into more the the PR/marketing & social media side of fashion. I still believe that it is so important that college students pick a major that they are passionate about. There is not a doubt in my mind that I picked the right major for me.

Throughout the years, I have met so many different people that I have been lucky to call my friends. My advice to incoming freshman is to embrace these new friendships & try to meet as many people as you can. It is truly amazing what you can learn from those who are different from you. You can also learn a lot about yourself by looking at the people you may not get along with & really trying to figure out why. After college, stay in touch with everyone. A lot of my friends graduated last year & it has been really fun for me to see where they are all ending up – where they are living, working, etc. We are so blessed to live in the Facebook generation which makes it entirely too easy to keep in touch – utilize this.

My last piece of advice for incoming freshman is to embrace the new. College students are handed opportunities that a lot of others would kill to have. Experience everything you can. If someone invites you to something that isn’t necessarily “your thing,” do it anyways. You may surprise yourself. If you get the opportunity to intern in another state or country, do it! I cannot even begin to express how much that experience will teach you about yourself, both on a personal & professional level. Most importantly, have fun! These next four years will fly by faster than you know.

More critical reads for incoming college freshman:

How to Save Money on Textbooks
Interview & Resume Tips from BCBG
Intern Queen Inc.
Gameday Fashion
How To Furnish Your Home (Or Dorm!) for Less