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!

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!

On Monday night, I went to Lincoln Center to watch the arrivals for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards. I got to see so many famous celebrities, models & fashion designers including Zac Posen, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Jessica Alba, Lady Gaga, Tory Burch, Anna Wintour, Ashley Greene, Michael Kors, Kanye West, and so many more! I even got my picture taken with the one & only Betsey Johnson!

As much as I enjoyed all of the celebrity sightings, what I loved even more was the red carpet fashion. There is just nothing like seeing the red carpet fashion in person – a whole new experience. Here were some of my fashion favorites:

Ashley Olsen in The Row & Mary-Kate Olsen in The Row & Chanel Couture. (WireImage/Mazur)

Ashley Greene in Michael Kors.

Karolina Kurkova in Diane Von Furstenberg

Katie Cassidy in Behnaz Sarafpour.

Alessandra Ambrosio in Prabal Gurung.

This week I was contacted by Courtney Parham who is a stylist for Stella & Dot. She filled me in on the Stella & Dot Entrepreneur Program (STEP) which allows students to earn some extra cash this summer while representing a boutique style jewelry company.

ABOUT STELLA & DOT
Stella & Dot is a line of high fashion jewelry that has been featured in multiple magazines including US Weekly, Glamor, Cosmo, and many more. Our jewelry is also worn by many celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, Paris Hilton, AnnaLynne McCord, & Giuliana Rancic.

ABOUT THE STELLA & DOT ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM

For more information about this job opportunity, click here. If you sign up before May 31st, you will receive a special sign up special so don’t delay if this is something you are interested in!

Color-blocking and bright hues have been HUGE trends for Spring/Summer 2011. Seen everywhere on the runway including Prade, Gucci, Gil Sanders and Diane Von Furstenberg, this trend has been nearly impossible to ignore.

On the runway, nearly anything goes but the color-blocking trend can easily get out of control. As a general rule, you want to combine no more than 3 colors in order to establish a clean, put together look. If you want to add a fourth color, it is best to make it a neutral color. Keep in mind that you can easily add pops of color with your shoes, jewelry and/or purse.

Satin & silk fabrics are best for this trend because they really capture the light and enhance the color. Designers have added these two fabrics to their line in bright oranges, purples, greens and blues.

Looking for the perfect color-popping clutch? Check out my picks from the Kara Ross NY collection.

Last week, I hosted CLUTCH Magazine’s spring 2011 release party. This release party was extra special because it was not only the release of our 10th issue but it was also my last release party serving as the PR Director for CLUTCH.

All in all, this experience has been amazing! I accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish including starting the CLUTCH blog, offering an online edition of the magazine, and throwing the hugest release parties in CLUTCH history. I’ve been able to gain experience in event planning and social media all while working for the magazine I once saw on MTV back in 2007.

CLUTCH Team - love them!

I am so blessed that I was able to serve as the PR director for the past two semesters & am anxious for any future opportunities that might come my way next semester. To all of you who are interviewing for director positions this week, good luck! This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you won’t regret!

To view our spring 2011 issue, click here.

If you have been a long-time follower of my blog, you may remember me writing about a fashion iPod & iPhone application called My Fashion Style Assistant. At the time, it was one of my favorite apps. I just recently got an iPhone & was so excited to start using this application again. Without an iPhone, I’ll admit, the process was timely. But now that I have an iPhone, all I have to do is snap a quick photo of the clothing item, enter the details about the garment & save it. It’s seriously that simple!

Since I first wrote about this application, tons of new (awesome) features have been added. One of the new features I am loving is the ability to filter out items while in the Mix & Match view. Instead of having to swipe through your entire closet, you can find the items you are looking for by filtering by type, category, season & color.

My all-time favorite new feature would have to be the ability to layer & accessorize each outfit. Before you could only save an outfit as a top, bottom & shoes. Now you can save the outfit & then open it again in the layer & accessorize mode which will allow you to pair the outfit with jewelry, jackets, hats, scarves, purses, belts & more!

More new features include creating packing lists, online window shopping, the ability to back up your wardrobe & email outfits to friends.

Another amazing change? The price! You can now buy this lovely, 5 star rated application for only $1.99! Such a steal!

Do you live in Tallahassee? Do you love fashion, saving money, and/or winning awesome prizes? Then you HAVE to join the GLAM Gyrlz network!

What is GLAM Gyrlz? GLAM Gyrlz is a community of savvy fashionistas located in the Tallahassee area. A year-long GLAM Gyrlz membership costs only $10 but can save you tons of money. Below are just a few of the discounts this card can save you.

- Receive 15% off total purchase (excluding clearance items and jewelry) at Fashion House Boutique
- Receive 15% off total purchase (excluding sale items) at the Shoe Lounge
- Receive 15% off any invitation order or $50 off when you choose Mae as your bridal or event consultant at Impressive Events
- Receive 20% off total purchase at Mary Kay Tallahassee
- Receive 10% off orders under $100 or $25 off for every $100 spent at Don-N-Divas Couture
- Receive $5.00 off a one hour photo shoot OR 1 FREE 8×10 print at 850 Digital Photography
- Receive $5 off a facial and full make-up application (which is only $20) and $2 off eyelash application at Makeup by Mahogany
- Receive 10% off their total purchase at Bite of Your Life Bakery
- Receive 2 free 8×10′s with 1/2 hr shoot OR 5 free 8×10′s with 1hr shoot OR a FREE comp card design with proof of membership at Cherokee Photography

So what are you waiting for? Join today!

I am so happy to announce the release of CLUTCH Magazine’s 10th issue!

For those of you who don’t know, CLUTCH Magazine is Florida State University’s first successful student-run fashion publication. We cover everything from fashion and beauty trends to menswear and culture.

Our spring 2011 release party will be held at Midtown Filling Station on Tuesday, March 15th at 9pm. Make sure to get there early because the first 50 guests receive their own personal VIP goodie bag filled with fabulous items like Tarte lip stains, CampusFood.com gift cards, coupons & gift cards from local vendors & more! If you decide to come fashionably late – that’s okay too! Every person will be entered to win one of our amazing raffle prizes. This year, we are even giving away an HDTV thanks to CollegeCandy.com.

There will also be a live DJ, Lucy & Leo’s cupcakes, drink specials & a copy of our greatest issue yet! It’s safe to say that this is one Tallahassee event you WON’T want to miss!

For more information, find us on Facebook.

This past week, I finally got around to finishing “Style” by Lauren Conrad. This one of the greatest books on styling I have ever read. After being filmed for days on end during her Laguna Beach & The Hills days, she never repeated an outfit. This book, will show you simple styling tricks that will help you to prolong the life of your clothes & develop your own personal style. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Lauren, although she can afford to buy nearly anything, still purchases  tons of brands that are completely affordable for college students & fashionistas alike. Levi’s, TopShop & Steve Madden were all included in her style guide. Of course, Christian Louboutins, Chanel & several other designers made it into the book as well. Lauren also mentioned that she loves mixing vintage items into an outfit.

Here are some other things I learned from reading “Style”:

• Quick fixes for fashion emergencies
• How to transform your make-up from day to night
• The best ways to mix & match prints
• Her favorite sites to online shop

And tons more!

I would highly recommend reading this book. It is filled with great tips that everyone can used. Plus, all of the clothing, accessories and products featured in the book are documented in the index for easy shopping!