The good kind of project...

So a new show just started on bravo called The Rachel Zoe Project which is basically a day in the glamorous yet stressful life of celebrity fashion stylist Rachel Zoe, her "associate", her assistants, and her husband, aka business manager. Needless to say, I am obsessed (but let's face it, I've never met a reality show I didn't like).

Zoe probably makes like $40,000 a week (give or take a few thousand. But I have no idea...I don't actually know this woman --surprisingly, nor has she told me what she makes on a weekly basis). Not to give too much about myself away but she graduated from GW and was raised in Short Hills, NJ. As an aspiring fashion entrepreneur and senior at GW, that is a pretty big thing considering the biggest major here is international affairs. Maybe I really do have a shot at success in that industry.

The nightmare before school starts

In exactly 2 days I am heading to DC for my last and final year of college. This only means one thing. PACKING. Now you'd think after 3 years I would have gotten the hang of it (you know, starting early and staying organized) but I have officially turned my house into a disaster zone (at the eleventh hour of course). My biggest concern is always my clothes and shoes. This year I decided to take all my clothes off their hangers, wash them and then fold them up to see just how much I'd be working with this year.

Before


After

The clothes took up the entire length of the hallway and that's not including the clothes I couldn't put into a color category (i.e. stripes, patterns, prints, etc). The only reason I color coordinate them this way is so that I can find things easier.

Can't wait until mom wakes up in the morning and sees that I opened a clothing store in the hallway. My goal is to get all of these clothes into one suitcase. Realistic? Probably not. But it's my only option considering the mess of stuff I haven't gotten to yet. It's gonna be a looong Sunday. Wish me luck.

Potpourri

This random mixture of thoughts is inspired by today's episode of Oprah. She showcased [most of] the things I love: Grilled cheese. The Container Store. and Christian Louboutin Shoes.

1. Proud to say that I just ordered a TiVo for my apartment! (maybe proud isn't a good word to use...) Now I won't miss a second of reality! How ironic is THAT...

2. On a more productive note, I got a pretty drastic haircut a la Jennifer Hudson at the SATC movie premiere.

3. So one of the reasons I did so well in my internship was my ability to multi-task. What happens is, I will start doing something and while I'm doing that, something will remind me that I need to do something else. This is probably the reason I have 6 tabs open on my computer right now. 3 of them being virtual shopping carts filled with clothes I don't need. Problem is, I never actually end up buying the clothes. It's more of an in-the-moment type of thing.

4. Last random thought. Ya know the new Wrigley's commercial for Doublemint gum with Chris Brown? (love it, btw) Do you think this was planned all along? I'm sure there were some royalty agreements involved when that song was created. Maybe not. But it seems too perfect to be coincidental.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJbXlb4zqo

This was a quote from the comments section of the video: "...listening to that song made me buy some gum i dont know why". I mean, that pretty much spells victory to me.

Bracelet Fever

The other day I passed a girl on the escalator wearing a flawless combination of bracelets on her wrist. It got me thinking how very bare my wrists have been the past couple of...oh, I dunno...years. I am pretty picky when it comes to jewelry styling. Not to mention, I manage to lose/break every piece of jewelry that I buy, so its no wonder I can't seem to keep my hands covered for more than a week.

What I loved most about the girl's bracelet combination was the fact that she paired chunky with elegant, bohemian with chic (which may sound like a disaster but really wasn't). She paired a diamond-looking tennis-ish bracelet with a couple of those funky leather cord bracelets, some bangles, and a small silver cuff. They all worked well together.

Now here are a couple of west-hollywood starlets who aren't afraid to wear their bracelets...


I wonder whether they utilize what I call the grab-and-go approach or if their choices are more meticulous than that. I think it's almost better to make it look like you had a grab-and-go approach by intentionally pairing different styles together in a way that works...the grab-and-faux! (okay, okay, I'll keep working on the name)

Next time you're in a store and you see a bracelet you like, just buy it. Don't try to figure out what outfit it goes with or whether or not you have other bracelets to pair it with. By doing this you can expand your jewelry-drobe and one day take on the infamous grab-and-go fake-out approach.

Oh, one more thing...theres a difference between "doing it" and "overdoing it" (sorry Chlo, I love you and all but this is a major pet peeve of mine...)


As much as I love wrist ornamentation...there is such a thing as too many bracelets (just keep that in mind)

credits: Gettyimages

The hills are...alive

So this weekend consisted of me, sitting in my room, watching countless episodes of the Hills on MTV. They like to be sure that EVERYONE has seen all the episodes in a particular season at least twice before premiering the next one. Check. Since I am currently in the midst of this hills-mania-marathon, I thought I would take the time to discuss my concerns.

Now don't get me wrong, I am as excited as the next girl (and boy-who-refuses-to-admit-that-he-watches-the-hills...you guys know who you are) for the upcoming season (Monday at 10) but after watching so many episodes you begin to wonder how much reality still exists in the show. Part of me always knew that the producers manually added some of the drama, but theres a certain addictive factor that continues to pull me in every week, every season. After I watched a segment that aired Saturday night called "The Hills: Off the Record" I was convinced (and in agreement with every anti-hills fan) that the show is in fact fake. This is not to discredit the stars of the show in any way, but the fact of the matter is, producers create a show to make money. I admit I would probably still watch the show if half of the conversational drama and angry catfights didn't exist, but it does make it more interesting to tune into every week.

After much disappointment I stumbled across an interview with Gavin Beasley, a former Hills "star" who was ASKED by the producers to go on a date with LC during an episode. Read it and weep [courtesy of Best Week Ever]. Try to tell me The Hills is the real deal after reading that. My guess is you won't be able to.

photo credit: MTV.com

It's not goodbye, it's see you later!

So yesterday was officially my LAST DAY at Glamour.

I can't say I'm not going to love relaxing for the next couple weeks before school, but I will really miss working there. Last week was very exciting and very busy. Wednesday, I finally completed the 2-month long gift-with-purchase project I began on my very first day (with lots of help from other interns). Later wednesday evening, there was a CN intern farewell party in one of the executive dining rooms. The cartoonist from The New Yorker was even there to do caricatures for everyone. Thursday I went to my first photoshoot for the November issue. It was for an advertorial, so there were no people in the ad, but it took the whole day to set up three product shots (I can't wait to see which one they choose!). Friday was by far my busiest day. When I got to work, I immediately began working on a project for the Lifestyle Merch Director. Simultaneously I made some changes to a GWP program, cleaned my desk, trashed files on my computer, and wrote my last intern journal entry. I was very focused on my project so I had no idea they were all in the conference room about to surprise me with pizza as a goodbye. They gave me a card that they all signed and a gift from Sephora. I couldn't believe it. I am really going to miss everyone but I already confirmed that I will be back every break from school. At 2:00 I left to go to my last GlamJam concert at Jones Beach. The concert was Jonas Brothers so picture a LOT of 12 year old girls with I <3 Joe t-shirts on. It was unreal. We got out around 8 and then I took a car home and I pretty much just fell asleep. By the way our driver was the same lunatic from last time...what are the odds...

Next order of business. Decorating my new apartment! I've already started thinking of cool ideas to make it really me (pictures to come later). This was an amazing summer, I'm sad that it's almost over.

Tar-jay

Botkier came out with a line of inexpensive bags for Target, offered for a limited time only.


Question: Can you tell which Botkier bag is from the Target line?







I love the idea of making an expensive brand attainable to the everyday consumer. Target is a great vehicle for that kind of thing. It's part of their Design for All campaign which highlights great designs at low prices. I am a huge fan. I will certainly be making my way over there soon.


Answer: The first bag retails for $595 and the second bag is featured in the Target line for $49.99

While I was out...

Sorry about the mini-hiatus...

Life has been pretty hectic the past week and a half....excuse me...not life...work (oh wait, that is my life). Last friday, saturday, and sunday (and this friday, saturday, and sunday) I helped out the Nordstrom Men's Clothing department with the anniversary sale. If you don't know Nordstrom very well, men's clothing = suits = not cheap. It has been surprisingly un-busy (if I may use a word that doesn't exist). My job is to write/ring up alterations tickets, clean the dressing rooms, and tidy up the millions of tables of sale trousers. Nothing you wouldn't expect from a normal retail store. It doesn't seem like they really need that much help though...on the first day, sales were down 80% from last year. I had no choice though really. I am a work-a-holic. I hate being broke and I hate sitting around doing nothing. (call me crazy...but it's true)

One perk is that I get to use my hearty 20% house discount for all of my anniversary sale purchases (and there were plenty). I stocked up mostly on jeans and shoes and threw in few extra things on the side for good measure. My biggest saving: Dior sunglasses. Originally: $350. On Sale for: $149.90 + 20% off = What. A. Steal

Meanwhile, back at Glamour...

We got a new intern (the other one left), she's fabulous. We spent all of the week before last running around new york city getting things for the staff to bring with them to their offsite in the Hamptons (isn't thattt nice.....). They left Wednesday morning and came back friday afternoon. Sarah and I spent the whole week stuffing 3,000 envelopes (the ones featured in my first entry)...all of which still need to be sealed and sent out (a fun project we will tackle next week). Tuesday we went to help out at the Projekt Revolution concert in Jones Beach. Our job was to act as the GlamJam street team and get people to come into the Garnier Fructis Styling Cabana to get their hair styled for free and enter the raffle to win a bag full of free Garnier products. It was, well, tiring --to say the least. I couldn't believe how many guys wanted their hair styled...
Oh, important side note: our driver was a lunatic...he almost ran us into a guardrail and he didn't know how to work his own GPS. I'm just glad we made it there in one piece.

Last thing. The other day I watched True Life: I'm a Compulsive Shopper on MTV. I actually thought I was looking in a mirror.



One girl even said to her boyfriend, (after leaving dinner halfway through to run to the mall) "...I mean, you have to admit, I need jeans", which I've definitely said numerous times before (although my bf says I only have a mild case). I am working on it though. I'm working hard to separate the "needs" from the "wants", but right now it's all just one big blur. The worst part about it is, all I've been thinking about this whole time is how I saw a girl wearing this dress that I've seen at American Apparel before but didn't think looked cute when I saw it...I might have to pick it up...this might actually be a need, but I'm not exactly the best person to make that call. I'll make sure to keep you posted.

Until then....

Fall is TOMORROW?

Here are some things to note about the upcoming Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, aka "Fall. Fashion. Now":
1) The doors open at 7:00, 8:00, or 9:00am depending where you live.
2) If you don't like crowds (or crazy shoppers), I recommend ordering everything online. Merchandise will be available starting at Midnight, pacific time.
3) You can order by phone starting at 5:00am pacific time.

Fall is without a doubt my favorite time to shop. I love layers, dark hues, and warm textures. Not to mention I'm going into my last and final year of school, so I've actually had an excuse for all these years. So, in honor of fall, I thought I would share my top 10 must-haves for fall this year:

1) DARK DENIM

2) EMBELLISHED BOOTIES



3) OVER-SIZED HOBO BAGS



4) LONG CARDIGANS



5) BOW BLOUSES



6) SWEATER DRESSES



7) TEXTURED SKIRTS



8) PATENT LEATHER BELTS


9) ANIMAL PRINTS



10) CHUNKY-HEELED BOOTS




Those are just a few of my personal picks. Now I'm even more excited to shop for fall. Keep a look out for the purchases I do make.

Credits: Neiman Marcus, ShopBop, Saks, Net-A-Porter, Express Fashion

Clothes/accessories by: Chloe, Tory Burch, Christian Louboutin, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Express, Fendi, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Botkier, Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, Doo Ri, Citizens of Humanity, J Brand

Outfit Dilemma

Have you ever walked out of your house/apartment feeling only so-so about your outfit choice only to get to wherever you are and wish you had changed? Story of my life.

This time I had no choice. I didn't sleep at my house last night and since I'm ALWAYS in a rush I packed up an overnight bag and jetted out without thinking much about my outfit choice for the next morning. I threw in a black skirt, white tank blouse, and a long green cardigan. Big mistake. It somehow slipped my mind that this was the same black skirt I wore 2 weeks prior and promised myself I would get rid of the second I got home. (oh, and if you're wondering why...let's just say it was one of those impulse purchases at a really cheap chain store in cali. There are threads hanging off the hemline, the zipper is broken, and the fabric is a cause for concern...it's just not a good skirt). So when I woke up the next morning to put on this poorly chosen outfit choice, I was not a happy camper. You know how you think of how an outfit will look in your head and then it just doesn't turn out that way? I spent the whole train ride devising a plan to buy a new outfit before going into work and starting completely from scratch. When I got off the train, I weaved through the usual mob of commuters trying to squeeze into the 4 foot-wide doorway and up the flight of stairs and headed to the Barami on 7th ave to see if I could find a low-priced black dress to change in to. After 10 minutes I still couldn't find anything worthy of purchasing and since it was 8:45 and I was 6 blocks from the Conde offices (and have to be at work at 8:30...) I gave up and went on to work. Maybe I was being overdramatic. I realized no one even cares, as long as you act confident about it. That's the moral of my story. Just be confident and remember that you're probably the only that has a problem with your outfit in the first place.

Helping out at Nordstrom this weekend. Updates on that next week.

More Sale Talk...

Sorry I've been MIA the past week. Not much happened: I worked, shopped, and didn't see fireworks. Nothing new.

So given my obsession with Nordstrom, I naturally spend at least 5 minutes a day perusing through the website to see if there are any new arrivals out that I can't afford. With the Anniversary sale coming up next Friday (I will be talking about this for the next 3 weeks, bear with me) I have a lot on my plate right now: 1) Call Erin in HR @ short hills and beg for a job on weekends. I need money and I need clothes. Why not kill two birds with one stone? 2) Apply for the Nordstrom VISA card. So here's the deal, I in no way support applying for thousands of store credit cards (or general credit cards for that matter) but the Nordstrom VISA card gives you points for your purchases (2 when you shop at Nords and 1 when you shop anywhere else). And 3) Go through the Anniversary Sale Catalog and pick out all of the things I want (and can't afford). I'm convinced that everything I want will be gone by the time the sale starts, so I've already started making a game plan. You might think I'm crazy, but their level 2+ customers have been busy pre-sale shopping since Monday morning. Just to give you an idea, my bf has a personal pre-sale goal of $11,000 (Which, he just informed me, he has already doubled). For some reason, the more I hear that the Enzo Angiolini Menswear-inspired Booties are almost sold out, the more I want them. There's a certain necessity-factor that develops when there's limited inventory involved (for me at least...). These customers are sharks. Last time I checked, the economy was down and fuel prices were sky-high...maybe I'm the only one experiencing that...

And here's my dilemma. With such limited funds, do I buy summer clothes/shoes for 50% off at Bloomingdales, or jumpstart Fall with 33-40% off at Nordies? Such hard decisions.

In other news....This morning we (the CNP interns) had a GQ Editorial Seminar with the Director of Editorial Projects and the Director of Special Projects. They talked about the upcoming annual Men of the Year Issue coming up in November and showed us all of the shoot pics from past issues. They basically just told stories about all of the celebrities that were featured. Hilarious.

Oh, one more Nordstrom-related comment. I pre-ordered this MAC beauty exclusive...

It's a MAC cosmetics bag with a 5-piece brush set and brush holder (which the MAC artists begged the vendors to provide this year). Genious. You know how you buy a new make-up bag and then after one day it's ruined because of your dirty brushes? Well, it happens to me, so for $49.50 I couldn't say no.

Okay, enough retail ramblings for one night. Be back soon.

Red Carpet Rollout...

Last night I attended (worked at) my very first red carpet event for a program produced by Glamour called Reel Docs in conjunction with Tommy Hilfiger's new Dreaming perfume. The program began as a contest in which 3 lucky winners were awarded a chance to not only make their dreams come true but to star in their very own documentaries. The films debuted at last night's premiere and all of the winners (and their families/friends) were invited to celebrate. My job was to 1) Stuff gift bags and 2) pass out programs to everyone as they entered from the red carpet and made their way to their seats, both of which I actually enjoyed. It was so surreal seeing all of the photographers and reporters taking pictures and securing material for their stories. A few celebs even showed up! [pics below courtesy of Getty Images]



Jamie Lynn Sigler from The Sopranos -- How adorable is her dress btw?



Tommy Hilfiger (The Man of the Night), Gavin DeGraw, Andy Hilfiger

ANNNDDDDD......

America's fave couple...Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempen from REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC!!!

See this is exactly how fame gets to reality stars heads so quickly....people like me. What can I say, I am addicted to reality TV. I'm not ashamed. So what if I feel like I'm part of Lauren's drama with Audrina, or had tears in my eyes when Joey read his goodbye letter on Real World. Hate to say it but...reality rules the world these days. (But I digress...)

Following the event was an after party on the rooftop at The Bowery Hotel. Can I just say, what an amazing venue. There was a DJ, open bar, fabulous hors d'oeuvres, and gorgeous people everywhere, it was unreal. Of course I couldn't stay for very long thanks to my hour long commute home. Very disappointing ending. Here's a quick recap: Train leaves @ 10pm. Train breaks down 10 mins after departure. Conductors can't get train to start. Hour and a half goes by. Crew says a rescue engine will be coming soon to push us to the next station (wait I'm sorry...push???? ). Finally get to next station. Told to switch trains. Arrive home at 1:00am. UGH, like seriously? By the time I fell asleep it was time to wake up and head back to the city again. But even through all of that I'm still gracious to have this internship. It's all so worth it.

Happy Anniversary....Nordstrom!

So my boyfriend just called to tell me that he just got back from the 2008 Regional Anniversary Sale showcase meeting for the Nordstrom shoe department. The anniversary sale is the biggest sale of the year and allows you to get crazy savings on fall merchandise before the season even begins. Needless to say, it is my favorite time of the year and I am already anticipating the selections. He said there were a lot of crocodile prints, viper prints, and all-around exotic styles, all of which I love. If you have a Nordstrom charge card (and you really USE it), they allow you to pre-select and purchase the merchandise before the general public even has a chance to see it. In addition, you get invited to pre-sale parties to make sure you get everything you "need" to last you through the season. Last year I actually worked the Anniversary Sale. This is when the mom's (you know the "my husband makes a ton and he gives me a spending limit" type of moms) spend thousands upon thousands on all types of designer gear. About the only thing that got me through was the added 20% discount I got off of all the already-reduced merchandise. If you decide to go, make you sure go on the first day (things get sold out quickly!) and make sure that if you're trying not to spend too much you make a budget and stick to it. The common justification is "in two weeks the prices will go back up, so I'm much better off buying it now at a lower price" when in reality you never really needed it in the first place. Try to make a list of things you need for fall BEFORE you even step foot in the store. Nordstrom makes billions during the anniversary sale on people who "justify". If you like shoes (and clothes and accessories and well, everything) as much as I do, you will definitely benefit from visiting your local Nordstrom store during the sale. Here's a little preview (just between you and me), $500 mid-calf Tory Burch boots for $295....make room on your credit card, it's time to shop!

Until next time...

Jimmy Whoo?

So ever since my recent discovery on Oprah I have been overly obsessed with Jimmy Choo shoes (unfortunately for me, they're a little bit out of my price range....a lot..bit...I guess). Did you know that the founder is actually a British woman by the name of Tamara Mellon? Tamara bought out the name from an actual shoemaker --I bet he's kicking himself now, his name is making her millions. Her shoe closet is filled with some of the finest pairs of choo's available on the market and her six year old daughter, whom she raises on her own, even has her own little pair.

In collaboration with her creative director Sandra Choi, she comes up with elaborate, yet sophisticated designs influenced by pieces found in exotic places all over the world. One of my favorite pairs is her gladiator-inspired Glenys Elaphe Snakeskin Sandal...if only I had $1295 to throw around, they'd be all mine....wishful thinking I suppose.

I am determined to become president and founder of my own empire some day, but for now I'll just continue dreaming. As Tamara says, "feel the fear and do it anyway, if you fail, you get up and you keep trying again". It seems that's so much easier said than done. In my mind, "trying" means spending money, and "failing" means losing money (neither sound very appealing to me). Instead I think I will just wait and see what happens....that's my pessimistic, entrepreneurial world-view at the moment.

Quick Internship Update: My mentor left this afternoon for a photoshoot in LA, while I worked on a project for the GLAMOUR lifestyle merchandising team. This project (which I was thankfully able to work on with the other intern, Rachel) consisted of inputting names and addresses-- winners and non-winners of a "gift w/ purchase" promotion --into an Excel spreadsheet [See right]. We went through over 2500 letters from avid readers who were asked to buy a product from a list and send in a proof of purchase. The bright side?: if you showed me any zipcode, I could probably tell you what state it went with...could be useful some day, right? Maybe not.

More exciting updates later this week.

Summer so far...

Since this is my first post, I find it is my duty to fill you in on my life thus far...

Let me bring you back...when I FINALLY finished my last final (n. p. i) back in the beg. of may, I headed home to what would be the best/worst 4 weeks of my life (best because I was stress-free, and worst because, well, I get bored very easily). Let me just make it simple by saying...nielsen owes me big time. After rotting my brain with inane reality shows for what seemed like months I was ready to begin my dream internship at (drumroll? please?) GLAMOUR Magazine in NYC. I have officially completed week #1 of hour long commutes and blistered feet...which explains the flip flops in the picture --my yellow Jeffrey Campbell T-Strap Heels were taking a much needed rest in my bag... Don't get me wrong though, its all worth it to be where I am everyday. Here are some highlights of my job:

1. Its part of the Conde Nast Summer Intern Program which means you get the ultimate experience (seminars, social events, a mentorship, money...) And not to mention you get the chance to meet ppl from all different parts of the country (hmm sounds like school...)
2. All of the ppl I work with at GLAMOUR are awesome and really laid back (not surprising)
-The CN cafeteria is huge and the food (breakfast and lunch) is great (except the fact that you CAN'T pay with cash/credit you have to put money onto your security badge b4 you get your food...)
3. I work on the advertising side (as opposed to the editorial side) so my mentor showed me the fashion closet (it's everything you'd want your own closet to be) so I could admire its beauty
4. The area where I work is filled with creative geniuses who come up with ideas on the spot to help add value to the magazine (I.e. Come up with events, promotions, and contests)
5. I get my own cubicle, G5 computer, and email address
6. Fridays are half days so it gives me the opportunity to explore the city and most importantly shop for cute additions to my wardrobe
7. I have been told that I will be helping out at a big event (with celebs and red carpet) and that I may have to help out at a photo shoot or two (poor me right?)

Let me just end by saying I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. Each day is better than the day before and I am looking forward to the next 8 weeks.

Upcoming?: Anna Wintour, NYC premiere, archive tour...I've got my hands full here...my tv definitely misses me

I'll keep you posted.