#JustWinterThings

Let’s face it – winter isn’t cool after the age of seven when they convince you to do a dance in front of your refrigerator with your pajamas inside out for a snow day. Was that just a thing at my elementary school? Chances are you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but I can guarantee you are probably dreading winter. How could anyone blame you? Winter is a horrendous time for most of us but a great time for fashion!

#WHATATIMETOBEALIVE

(Not really a relevant picture, I just love Drake.)

Winter is the perfect opportunity to test out new styles and learn what works best for you. If worse comes to worse, put your jacket on and no one has to know what you were actually wearing!

You do not have to necessarily stick to sweaters and boots until summer solstice rolls around.

Here are some off my favorite aspects of winter fashion:
1. Layering 

It’s pretty difficult to stay warm when you are a fond advocator of the crop top but I’ve fallen in love with testing out different layered looks. In the picture above I paired a cropped turtle neck with a velvet cami, a red bandanna and a pair of checkered pants (oh and of course – a trusty leather jacket which I thrifted for $15!!!!!!!!!). I think selecting any of your favorite pieces from your wardrobe and throwing them together could actually create an unexpected layered look that says: “I might be freezing, but am I getting my money’s worth out of this crop top.”
You don’t have to take my word for it…
2. Be pretend a Parisian

Sometimes I like to step out of my comfort zone and admire cultures other cultures besides the one I come from (aka the state from which Snooki, spray tans, and butterfly clips came from). Other than my love of the french fry,  I have been very fond of berets lately although I have yet to get my hands on a good one. I adore them on some of my favorite fashion bloggers/vloggers, and hope my enormous head will fit into one. A beanie says I’m staying warm but wearing a beret really says you’re a chic adult. No I’m kidding, I’m not chic or an adult, but berets are a cool way to stay warm/spice up any outfit.

3. Staying Skinny

 

This is not the part where I tell you how to stay fit during winter because that’s just ridiculous. Eat whatever you want and worry about your summer bod a week before it starts like the rest of us! Disclaimer: I am not a lifestyle coach, please don’t take my advice on anything ever. Now that I’ve gone completely off topic, let’s talk scarves! I’m a fan of the blanket scarf especially since I have to roam the arctic tundra also known as New York City. I highly recommend investing in a good blanket scarf because this suggestion probably won’t keep you warm at all. Skinny scarves probably won’t keep you from freezing to death but they are such a nice finishing touch to any outfit. I’m starting to see them everywhere – from NastyGal AND to ASOS, to my mom’s closet – which is where I stole all of mine from! Skinny scarves remind me of something Harry Styles would wear, and honestly who doesn’t wanna look like an ex-British boyband member?

4. Beyond bubble coats 

Winter is the best time to stock up on outerwear, and it does not have to be a ski-style bubble coat. Broadening your outerwear collection does not have to be expensive, you can always grab some good pieces at the end of season sales and thrift/vintage stores. I think any kind of leather jacket and duster coats can really be crucial pieces for winter wardrobes. They are great to style and super easy to layer with, and you do not have to stick to just black/camel colors. My favorite winter jacket is a bright powder blue and I think it’s brightens up any outfit anytime I put it on (while others feel it is a complete eye sore).

5. When in doubt, Turtleneck it out! 

That was extremely corny and I am truly sorry. If you’ve stuck with me up until this point, THANK YOU! I’m almost done with my terrible puns. I just really need to express my love for turtlenecks: cropped turtlenecks, short turtlenecks, long turtlenecks – I do not discriminate! Turtlenecks make for great layering pieces and you can mix & match them with just about anything (overalls, leather jackets, fur jackets, let your dog wear them, because anything is possible). As I said before, I am not a fan of sweaters unless they are oversized and stolen from my dad or from the men’s section of Goodwill so I feel like turtlenecks are just about the only seasonally appropriate garment I will wear. SIKE, I really only own cropped turtlenecks which is a bit of a contradiction but isn’t everything in life?

Those are just a few of my winter favorites that probably won’t keep you warm but damn girl! You’ll probably be looking cute with a case of pneumonia but slay your doctor’s office.

 

#FlashbackFriday: My First New York Fashion Week

Since it is #FlashBackFriday and New York Fashion Week is once again coming to an end, I thought I would take it upon myself to recall my very first Fashion Week last fall. This time last year, I was fresh to New York City. I still felt that wearing bright colors was acceptable so that’s how you know I was new. Michael Kors was my the only designer I could name and I wore cheetah print like I had some sort of sponsorship from the Amazon Rainforest. Ah yes, I truly represented the stigma of a typical Jersey girl.

Shortly before I made the official move to New York City, my school sent out a mass email with volunteer opportunities for NYFW.  As the saying goes, “you snooze you lose” and I woke up the next morning to all the volunteer opportunities being snagged. I was absolutely devastated that all the opportunities had been taken so I did what any logical, 18-year-old girl looking for work would do – I went on Craig’s List! Now I would not advise directly seeking any sort of job opportunities over Craig’s List without supervision or background information on the company, but I somehow managed to get lucky (and by lucky, I mean I did not get lured into a basement and chopped up into tiny pieces). The opportunity I found was for a small men’s streetwear company that needed volunteers to help with the process of setting up their SS15 show. At the time, I had absolutely no resume or even the slightest idea how to format one.  I had only been employed by a children’s retailer, and volunteered briefly for a charity fundraiser. My mom still made all my doctor’s appointments, and I was physically incapable of making anything other than Easy Mac. Moral of the story: Just because you graduate high school, you are not an adult. I was basically a walking fetus wearing a crop top and winged eyeliner going off to college.

After move in day, I was on my own and exposed to an entirely new world. New York City in itself is extremely intimidating when your only previous impression of the big city is Law and Order: SVU. My elderly family members drilled into my head that I would probably need to pepper spray everyone I encountered. So once again, I did what any responsible fake adult would do – I dragged my 18-year-old roommate who I had known for three days with me to meet the strangers I found on Craig’s List!

My roommate and I woke up extra early to explore the streets of SoHo where our first official NYFW meeting was! Disclaimer: We actually woke up a little early to do a prayer circle in hopes our day didn’t end in us getting chopped up. Our job for the day was to help scope out a venue for the fashion show to be held. Up until that point, my hardest decision was deciding whether or not I should get guacamole added to my Chipotle. I had no idea how to select a venue to hold a fashion show or any event planning skills what so ever but I was in too deep at this point, and I’ve always loved a challenge.

After getting lost along the way, we eventually arrived to a somewhat questionable destination directly outside of SoHo/Chinatown border. The location was pretty secluded, and I was starting to get worried because the only person standing outside the location was a man holding a camera. At this point, I was pretty much ready to grab the zebra pepper spray that my grandma gifted me before I left for school. Just as my very short life began to flash before my eyes, the photographer came over to my roommate and I to introduce himself. He was extremely friendly, welcoming, and did not give off the Criminal Minds, “I’m going to stuff you in the back of my van!” vibe. Side note, he pulled out a pretty legitimate business card with a lengthy list of credentials as well. The photographer further explained that he would be photographing pictures of the possible venue, and I felt like I could finally put my zebra pepper spray back in my bag.

By the time my roommate and I finally felt like we were no longer going to be a cliche episode of a crime show, the designer and his partner showed up for the meeting. A year later, I can say the first designer I had the chance to work with was the most understanding and genuine person I have come across this far in my short-lived career. I was a completely clueless, and unskilled intern who had a simple dream. He trusted me with a great deal of responsibility knowing how inexperienced I was, and his faith in my abilities truly gave me the confidence to put in the amount of work he knew I was capable of.

A week after this initial meeting, I was calling furniture rental companies and figuring out which RSVPs could sit next to each other. Apparently celebrities cannot sit next to media because they will hear gossip, and write about that instead of the actual show. Kind of like at your high school lunch table when you do not want to sit next to your one friend with the big mouth when you’re just trying to chat with your BFF! That was the only reasonable analogy I could format in my fake adult brain at the time.

This next part is going to be extremely graphic, and gruesome. I just want to expose the other side to the fashion industry. Just kidding! Part of my first internship was actually taking the measurements and photographing shirtless male models. Not exactly a tough day at office but it was the end of summer, and there was no AC. Alright, I’m just lying at this points. I had no complaints and I wish I could make a living off of photographing male models but my college has not yet offered that as a major.

I did do a lot of task managing that did not involve shirtless men. It was a tedious process, but the end result was more rewarding than that cheetah loving girl from New Jersey could have ever imagined. My typical college welcome week involved putting together a full-fledged fashion show. I don’t really consider myself an interesting person. I spent most of my time working or going to school, but I have to say that’s pretty DAMN cool.

The SS15 show was a complete success and watching it all unfold was an adrenaline rush I’ll absolutely never forget. Watching each model’s look capture the attention of the audience and seeing buyer’s, bloggers, and other industry professionals run up to the designer to congratulate him after the show was an indescribable feeling.

As I previously discussed in this blog, I’ve had a lot of struggles with my self-confidence. My first NYFW helped me discover what I wanted most, and where I wanted to be. Even if that meant taking the occasional step back to reconsider how to get exactly where I wanted to be. I will never forget the experience that turned me from a dependent, inexperienced intern to a self-motivated and confident student willing to take a risk to reap the rewards of a successful fashion show.