A Book You'll Actually Enjoy Reading

Greetings loved ones--yes, I did just quote Snoop Dogg's lyrics to "California Girls."

I recently read Kelly Cutrone’s book, If You Have to Cry Go Outside—And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You. It's amazing how much fun reading can be when it's not assigned by a professor. 

The Fashion PR maven is not nearly as ruthless and cold-hearted as the media portrays her. Her book is bold, tells it like it is and is extremely empowering. It is written for women in the fashion and PR industry, but her anecdotes are applicable to any women who dreams of becoming a power-girl. (Let’s be honest, being the HBIC would be pretty awesome.) The book isn’t all about the business though; it’s more about Kelly’s journey and tips to help everyone deal with life and finding out who we truly are. Cutrone, or “Mama Wolf” as she calls herself, is a strong, independent and passionate woman with blunt, truthful advice that we can all use! Trust me, this book is a GREAT summer read. For all of you who don’t believe me, here are 10 quotes straight from the pages that will be sure to make you crazy for Cutrone!

1.  “When you're following your inner voice, doors tend to eventually open for you, even if they mostly slam at first.”
2. “You find out who you are by figuring out who and what you're not.”
3. “There’s power in numbers. Say it however you want to, but the truth is that we cannot go through this life alone.”
4. “If you don’t let what you don’t know stop you from doing your best in every situation, you will surprise yourself over and over.”
5. “I hope that you, too, choose to have a journey instead of just a life. Actually, I hope it’s a full on expedition.”
6. “Gather up your courage like an armful of free clothes at a McQueen sample sale and follow your inner voice wherever it takes you.”
7. “If anyone really wanted to change the world, they’d bring in the fashion bitches because nobody gets things done faster.”
8. “I run a business, I say what I think, and I wear all black.”
9.  “You can fake your way to the table, but ultimately you have to learn how to eat. Clothes do not make the woman (even if they do make her look good).”
10. “If you have to cry, go outside."

KC's guide for what not to wear to work

Stay tuned for my post on Kelly’s second book, Normal Gets You Nowhere. I’m on the last chapter now!

xoxo,

Anna Mathias

VP of PR 

Caroline Riffel, Fab'rik

Hello Fellow Fabulous Fashion Lovers!

My name is Caroline Riffel. This summer I am an intern for a southeastern boutique chain, Fab’rik, which is based out of Atlanta where I live! I am a Fashion Merchandising major so this internship was perfect for me!

Fab’rik is, as they describe themselves, “A shop-o-holic's dream which delivers high style without attitude or sticker shock.” I am one of four Corporate Interns for Fab’rik this summer and I couldn’t have asked for a better job!

I have only been an intern for about a month, and already I was thrown into an exciting and fantastic opportunity: helping with Fab’rik’s annual fashion show! The fashion show was the second annual launch of their charity line, White Collection. All the proceeds from the show and collection are going to the building of Fab’rik’s flagship resale Boutique, Free Fab’rik! This resale boutique will take young women in need and provide free shopping sprees and mentor programs for them. The mentorships will help teach them how to prepare for a job interview, balance a checkbook, and other life skills they might not otherwise have a chance to learn. 

This fashion Charity event was held at Summerour events facility in Atlanta. There was a silent auction with donors like Bou Cou Jewelry, DL Denim, a Melie Bianco bag, and much more! A jewelry wall, which had necklaces for only $25, and a White Lounge that allowed everyone to shop the look after the show were also available during the event! During the show I was lucky enough to be backstage helping the models with fixing their looks before they headed out on the runway. It was crazy and chaotic and the perfect place for me! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store.

Fab’rik CEO and founder, Dana Spinola

Dancers got everyone’s attention before the show dancing to this summer’s hottest song (and my personal favorite), JT’s ‘Suite and Tie’

Some Fab’rik lovers out front before the show!

Everyone who works for Fab’rik, at the show, gathered after for a fun and fashionable group pic! All in Fab’rik of course!

Here are a few of my favorite looks from the show! Enjoy!

To read more about Fab'rik go to: http://www.fabrikstyle.com

Lhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/fabrik-Atlanta/109417261393

Fashionably yours,

Caroline

2013 CFDA Awards

This past Monday was the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. Awards, the Academy Awards of the fashion industry. This organizations consists of more than 400 of America’s best designers in women's wear, men's wear, jewelry and accessories. CFDA membership is by invitation only, very exclusive. Diane von Furstenberg is the president and has been since 2006, with Michael Kors as her VP. (Kelly Cutrone once said, "If anyone really wanted to change the world, they'd bring in the fashion bitches." Maybe the country should take note of this? DVF & MK 2016, anyone?)

There were many amazing designers honored at the awards ceremony:

Menswear Designer of the Year: Thom Browne
Womenswear Designer of the Year: Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler
Accessory Designer of the Year: Phillip Lim, for 3.1 Phillip Lim
Swarovski Award For Accessory Design: Pamela Love
Swarovski Award For Menswear: Public School's Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne
Swarovski Award For Womenswear: Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty of SUNO
Founder's Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert: Oscar de la Renta
International Award: Riccardo Tisci
Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Tim Blanks
Board of Directors' Tribute: Colleen Atwood
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Vera Wang

The best looks and highlights of the night:

Adriana Lima may have had the best body in the room at the ceremony. She showed it off in this beautiful Riccardo Tisci designed Givenchy gown and sparkly booty shorts.

The legend herself: Vera Wang in a slit-up-to-there gown and well-deserved award in hand.

Jessica Chastain in a timeless Givenchy LBD.

Rooney Mara was stunning in this high-low Calvin Klein dress. She may not take risks on what color she wears or how she styles her hair, but she continuously chooses amazing, detailed gowns.

Riccardo Tisci with Jessica Chastain, who is wearing his design. By the looks of his instagram, these two were inseparable all night! Can I join in on this BFF party?!

Elizabeth and Mary-Kate Olsen came out to the event in head-to-toe black. Mary-Kate wore an Issey Miyake dress while Elizabeth wore her sisters' line The Row, which won Mary-Kate and Ashley the title of Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2012.

Erin Wasson and the adorable designer Alexander Wang look amazing at the ceremony.

The president's speech: Diane von Furstenberg speaks to her fellow members.

A celebration of fashion wouldn't be complete without Anna Wintour.

Beautiful as always, the queen makes her entrance. Bow down, fashionistas.

Alana Fuscardo Badgley Mischka

Hello fellow fashionistas!

I have finished my second week of work! I am having so much fun and have been so busy I barely have time to eat. (seriously, it's really hard to remember to eat some days.)

Monday I unpacked clothes and put them back in the closet in their designated spots. It can get a little confusing back there with all of the various seasons, collections, and send out dates! We had two appointments with potential buyers and I have become in charge of logging in and distributing the daily orders we get from different stores.

On Tuesday I met the owner of Rent the Runway and watched her get fitted for her wedding rehearsal dinner dress! It was so exciting to see them change and alter it and become what she envisioned. After that I sat with a few ladies and helped name the colors of the dresses and make sure the new line called Belle by Badgley Mischka was in order and looked perfect for the appointments we had later on in the week. This included making sure each dress had the correct tag and was merchandised correctly. Then I helped pull the looks for conclave and put them in order in the showroom and finished my day with the daily orders.

Later that night I went to a market and the High Line in Chelsea. It in a 1.5 mile long park built on a bridge! It was so cute and it was perfect weather for a nighttime stroll. Here's a few pictures from the night:

Wednesday I had to meet my boss early at a coffee shop to pick up a few boxes of pastries and boxes of coffee because we had an important appointment with a huge client that traveled from Germany. Another intern and I helped our model Gigi dress in whatever the buyer wanted to see on. This lasted a couple hours and then I packed two trunks with the clothes for the Conclave show and another trunk to be sent to the Atlanta Apparel Mart. (I traveled there last year with Fashion Board at USC!)

This is what I wore to work Wednesday!

I took this photo later in the day when I got home, but for work

I subbed out the combat boots for spiked flats.

This week was loaded with appointments and Thursday wasn't much different. A new model Daria came in to be fitted along with a few more because we had two appointments going on at once. After that I was able to see our new couture line that was just shipped in from India! It was only 8 or 9 looks and we are still waiting on about 10 more, but it was amazing to see Mark and James look at each piece, evaluate it, and make their alterations and critiques to the gowns. Once I came down from the couture cloud I started making books for a Bloomingdale's seminar we are apart of. Another intern and I photoshopped together a cover and printed out 60 copies of it along with line sheets and biographies on the line and designers. At 4 we had an appointment with Nordstrom and I also helped dress for that.

Friday was hectic! It was pouring rain and I had to be at work early to help prep for an important set of appointments. The owner of Dillard's was going to be there along with BHLDN and another store. Gigi was there again and I was there to dress her by myself! Normally, 2 interns dress for appointments to make it go faster and have the buyers not wait as long. Of course, when we have 3 appointments at once, I am there alone! We had over 40 dresses and gowns to try on and we buckled down and got it done. It was insane! After that I got to sit and talk with Gigi for about 40 minutes and it was a blast. She is so sweet and funny and gave me great advice! Once she left I finished making the pages for Bloomingdale's books. This included 6 different photos of celebrities wearing Badgley Mishcka for the press section. Thanks to summer Fridays, I got to go home at 2 and take my first nap since I moved in last Sunday!

This upcoming week is full of appointments and press for the new line Belle!

Be sure to check back next week to see what I had to do!

xo

Alana

VP of PR

Summer Make-up Must Haves

Hello fellow readers.  I’m Joanna Goude, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, majoring in fashion merchandising and currently minoring in business administration.   This coming fall, I plan to change my minor to journalism because I love being able to create stories and share them with the world.  Now that I am out of school for the summer that undoubtedly means only one thing to me…more time to shop!  If you’re anything like me, then you are constantly looking for the perfect products whether it’s new mascara or you want to revamp your entire makeup bag.  When I’m doing summer makeup, I always go for a warm sun-kissed look, and to accomplish this, I’m going to share with you some of my absolute favorite products that I could not live without!   

First up is Clinique’s Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer.  I’m sure most of you would agree that no one wants to go out on the beach with a full face of make-up. (talk about a waste of perfectly good makeup!) At the same time, we don’t want to be out in the sun with absolutely nothing on our faces because 1) we don’t want wrinkles and 2) if you’re like me and don’t ever tan your face, it is at least thirty shades lighter than your entire body.  Hello, Casper!  Clinique’s Tinted Moisturizer does just the trick.  Not only does it come in an array of beautiful shades to give you a natural appearance, it also has SPF 15 in it to protect your 

face. With this product, I never have to worry about my face staying hydrated and moisturized. It's so amazing!

Another product that I adore and always make sure to have on hand is Clinique’s Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief Gel.  This is literally a miracle in jar-form.  Sometimes no matter the SPF that we use on our face throughout the day, our faces still get too much exposure from the sun.  The first thing on my face to peel is, of course, my nose.  Yuck!  Now that I’ve found this gel, I no longer have to fear the dreaded face peeling.  Instead of using this gel nightly, I only apply it when needed to give my face an instant boost of hydration. One jar lasts a really long time.  Oh and I forgot the best part, it’s oil free!  

Whose summer make-up collection would be complete without the perfect bronzer?  I’ve found that oddly my favorite bronzers are the ones that don’t have much sparkle or shine in them so that I don’t create an unwanted oil appearance to my face.  My perfect go to bronzer that gives off a healthy, matte finish is Benefit’s Hoola Bronzing Powder. 

Last, but certainly not least, is mascara! If I could choose only one make-up item to wear, it would be mascara hands down. Wearing mascara instantly brightens the face. Over the years, it feels like I have tried every brand of mascara known to man.  I have a love hate relationship and seem to fall in and out of love very easily with many different types of mascara.  The one mascara that I have fallen completely in love with is Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara.  This mascara gives off a dramatic, false lash appearance.  Literally every time I wear this product I get asked what kind of mascara I use and if my eyelashes are real.  They’re Real makes all the difference in the world, and is the best mascara money can buy!

  

With these summer must haves, you can keep you face protected and moisturized while having the ability to effortlessly create a quick, sun-kissed face by applying bronzer and mascara to give yourself a healthy glow and dramatic eye!  What are your favorite summer products that you can’t live without?

XO,

Joanna Goude

The Real Life Kerry Diaries

Hi beautiful fashionistas! I’m Kerry O’Connor and I will be gratefully serving as the VP of Programming for Fashion Board this upcoming year.  

New York City: One of the great fashion capitals in the world.  City that never sleeps. The Big Apple.  NYC is the place I am lucky enough to make my playground this summer thanks to a fashion closet internship at Interview Magazine.  As fashion and fate would have it, Interview is located in Soho, a neighborhood which is home to stores like Anna Sui, Opening Ceremony and TopShop just to name a few.  Needless to say, I have died and gone to retail heaven.

My favorite piece of artwork of my new favorite city

So far (only 7 days in) as an intern at Interview Magazine I have learned which PR groups serve as the umbrella for certain designer brands and have even been thrown into a cab with 50+ garment bags and a fabulous Italian fashionisto named Luca (who has actually been my mentor of sorts). On top of that I have gotten my hands on an Alexander Wang faded purple tie dye coat I’ve been dying over since its appearance on the runway and so so much more. 

Lookbooks that I am the proud owner of courtesy of Interview

My job includes picking up and returning garments and accessories that the designers themselves or the PR groups are lending to Interview for shoots, etc.  In addition to these pickups, I take pictures of all the merchandise and upload them in a complicated computer system that I am now finally starting to get the hang of.  This past Saturday there was a fashion shoot inspired by the theme of comfort from some of the runways from Fall ’13. The other interns and I got to help prepare for this shoot!  To see the final product on the glossy pages of the magazine and knowing I had something to do with it, though indirectly, will be amazing.  I am learning so much about this industry and each new day both scares and excites me, after all this world isn’t all cashmere and Louboutins, but it is fashionably beautiful. 

Xx,

Kerry