Intern Day at MKDA

After completing my sophomore year as a D&M student, I had never been more ready to start a new chapter in my life.  Balancing school and a part time job had become difficult, and I was excited to start my co-op working for Nicole Miller Philadelphia and MKDA.  Though I got the job I wanted, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.  Not only was I worried about staying in Philadelphia while my friends were in New York; I was worried about the people I was going to be working with and my position in the company.  

Fortunately, all of my worries disappeared as I arrived at the Bellevue office in Center City.  Every staff member was welcoming and friendly, making me truly feel like a part of the team.  I work mainly in the PR/Marketing firm, MKDA, in addition to the Nicole Miller Philadelphia boutiques.  Although these business are geared towards fashion, they also give back to the community, which is one of my favorite aspects about working for Mary Dougherty.  Through philanthropic efforts, in conjunction with charities nationwide, Mary has been able to raise money for causes she believes in, and I am happy to be a part of it!

These past two weeks have been extremely busy because we had two major events, XIX Most Fashionable Women of Philadelphia and The Bellevue Gets Engaged.  Both events were such a great opportunity.  At XIX Most Fashionable Women of Philadelphia, we recognized nineteen women who have positively contributed to the community, whether through fashion or non profit organizations.  I had the chance to talk with these individuals, listening to their stories and conversing about the latest fashion trends.  Although we were honoring these women, they were not the only people who attended this event.  I  got to mingle with some of Philadelphia’s most recognized individuals, such as the publisher of The Philadelphia Style and the Mayor of the city.  I feel like so many doors have been opened for me, and it has only been a couple weeks! 

Another big event was The Bellevue Gets Engaged.  This event was a one-stop shop for discerning brides ready to plan their wedding.  It showcased a high-energy fashion show featuring the 2013-2014 Nicole Miller Bridal, Bridesmaid, Mother-of-the-Bride and Groom Collection.  Watching these beautiful gowns go down the runway was definitely my favorite part of the event.  Overall, it was a wonderful learning experience and I am fortunate I was able to be a part of such an event. These past two weeks at co-op have allowed me to see that fashion is not only present in New York, but is existing and thriving here in Philadelphia.  

FIRST AND FOREMOST

I have chosen to keep the name of the company I am working at confidential, as I intend to be completely honest about my internship. The night before my first day was extremely exciting. My favorite part was figuring out what I was going to wear. The Devil Wears Prada ran through my head, I was worried that I wouldn’t meet the dressing standards. However, I decided to wear a black professional outfit with sandals, a triangle necklace and my Stella McCartney bag. I looked great I knew I would knock them dead in this outfit. I was feeling mixed emotions, scared, happy, and eager. My nerves took over and I wasn’t able to fall asleep, I finally got to sleep around 5:00 am. My alarm sounded at 8:00 am and with three hours of sleep I set off for my first day. Navigation is extremely hard in the New York City subway system. I prepared for this by taking a test trip before my first day; I would highly suggest this to anyone preparing for a new job. This was very helpful because on my test trip I got extremely lost, this allowed me to know exactly where I was going on my first real day.

When I entered the building for my first workday I was given an extremely professional scan card that I was eager to begin using. I am not exactly sure what I was expecting my tasks to be, but I surly was not expecting to be organizing all day, which is what I ended up doing. I couldn’t wait for my first day of work to be over! I think that the switch from classes to work is a very drastic change and it seems to be hard to adapt too. As my week progressed I was assigned more creative duties and was able to do what is called a sketch up. Sketch ups involved taking prospective shoe designs and giving them color assignments. Assigning color and hardware to shoes is accomplished by using Prismacolor markers and pencils to fill in blank templates. I enjoyed this much more than organizing. 

A New Beginning

Finding an apartment in New York City feels like an ongoing battle. Thankfully, the battle is finally over. Signing the lease to my apartment brought excitement and reality to my future opportunity at Marc Jacobs International. Because my internship does not start until November 1^st, I have been dedicating my time working and managing a clothing boutique as well as working for stylist Amy Salinger. In a couple of weeks, Amy’s show Million Dollar Shoppers will air on Lifetime Television (right after Project Runway’s part one season finale)! I have been busy promoting her show as well as designing weekly trend reports based around her personal style tips. So far, from the tidbits that I have seen, I believe the show is going to be a hit. I am hoping that if you check it out October 10th at 10:30 PM you will be entertained by Amy's personality and sense of humor (she has quite the TV personality). Reflecting back onto my experience working for Amy, it is hard to imagine that I have been working for her for over a year. I feel blessed to be part of this opportunity to watch and help her grow within her business and profession. Working for Amy has not only taught me so much about the styling end of fashion, but also how to be your own brand and promote yourself. She has been a great role model and mentor to me in this aspect. Having solid experience working within the industry, I truly value her advice.

Aside from my work with Amy, I also had the opportunity to attend a Neiman Marcus event at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey this past Saturday. The purpose of the event was to raise money for cancer. There were beauty bars, a variety of finger foods, and of course fashion. My lifelong family friend Daniel Musto was the host for the night. Daniel has been climbing his way up in the fashion industry for as long as I can remember. As a leading celebrity stylist, he has worked with Giuliana Rancic, Karina Smirnoff and Kendra Wilkinson to name a few. As he presented the looks he styled, I could not help but feel overcome with emotion watching him achieve his dreams before my eyes. Having seen his journey up until this point, I have witnessed that it was not an easy route. However, it was beyond inspiring to see how his determination helped him accomplish far beyond his dreams. Overall it was definitely a night I will never forget.

Hope all of my fellow colleagues are adjusting well into their new internships. Be sure to let me know what you think of Million Dollar Shoppers if you check it out! To watch the preview for the show you can click here.

New Connections

Working at two different places during co-op has allowed me to make double the amount of connections. Luckily, through ELLE I have found an internship for the Fall in NYC. The co-op experience has shown me how important it is to do your best at your internships. If you give your all, it will pay off in the end whether it be with a recommendation, a job offer or a referral in the future.

It is bittersweet that co-op is coming to an end but I know that I will still keep in contact with the people I have met along the way. All of the people you meet are great connections for your future, you never know when someone could help you with a job or a project you have. Linkedin is a great way to keep connected with the people in your professional life. I know that I have personally made it a point to connect with the people I have interned with as well as my bosses at both of my jobs. Overall, it is very important to stay connected with people, not just in the beginning but also following up every once in a while. Being nice to people and making an effort goes a long way!