To Heel or Not to Heel

Heels. Everyone wants to look good at work and wear those heels that we always felt silly wearing to classes, but it might not be worth it. If you are in a professional setting and choose to wear heels that you cannot walk in, you are not setting a good impression. It is more important to radiate confidence than to only be able to look good when you are standing still or sitting.

I have often felt slightly intimidated by other workers when they look well together and can wear heels. I think that it is important to remember that I am still a college student and I don’t have nearly the money that some of my other co-workers might have to spend on clothing. With that in mind it is still important to look nice and professional, but with the means that you have.

It can be easy to feel pressured at work, especially being one of the youngest, newest employees. However, they hired you for you and that is important to remember. They saw something in you that they liked and you shouldn’t have to do exactly what everyone else is doing to fit in.

WWD Launch Event

I would really like to start this off with a witty opening, but to be honest I’m still in shock from how, for lack of a better word, COOL last night was.

Lividini & Co. was tasked with organizing and doing the press for Women’s Wear Daily’s launch event last night. For those of you that may not know, WWD is a critical trade publication for the fashion industry, which means that the guest list last night, though extensive (over 1000 people) was only the most important people in the industry. About 400 people came and of those we had about 100 VIP’s.

I helped for weeks prepping for this event with guest lists, shot lists, RSVP’s and press outreach. And as amazing as looking at the RSVP’s was everyday, actually meeting those people I’ve admired for ages was unreal.

My job last night was to help get the VIP’s – the most important people of the important people – to what is called the step-and-repeat, where a slew of photographers are waiting to take their pictures in front of a wall of WWD Magazine’s. I also ensure that when these celebrity designers, editors, and CEO’s show up, they walk straight past check in, because, quite frankly, we should know their names without asking.

That means I personally met:

Calvin Klein

Ralph Lauren (ie the cutest and coolest old man you will ever encounter)

Diane Von Furstenberg

Carolina Herrera (who is the epitome of class and timeless beauty)

Tommy Hilfiger

Prabal Gurung

Anna Sui

and my favorite designer Vera Wang.

I actually went up to her and said something along the lines of  “Hi Vera, how are you? Would you mind coming with me for a quick photo?”

Honestly, I can’t tell you what I said word for word because I’m not totally convinced it wasn’t a dream.

The stress was high, but it was a monumental night and really amazing experience!

To see pics of notables: 

http://wwd.com/eye/parties/wwd-weekly-launch-party-10119421/slideshow/#!4/weekly-mag-launch04/

My 3 Month Mark

Nearly three months in to my internship I am really enjoying taking on more responsibility at work. This is technically the end of the first internship session, but since I am staying on through the summer I am about half way through. I am getting a lot of my own projects that I am solely responsible for. My boss was off on Friday and left early yesterday so I have been on my own the last few days. She left me with a list of things that needed to be taken care of when she was off, so this kept me pretty busy because I was completing the list on top of my normal tasks. It was mostly entering purchase orders for new styles, confirming work timelines with vendors, and preparing for upcoming meetings. It was nice to be able to easily complete this list on my own. I am taking on more tasks each week and it is nice to be able to handle things on my own without any assistance.

Birthday in the City

When moving to New York City the first thing many people think of is, "the city that never sleeps". While there are many things to do in the city past 9:00pm when most stores and restaruants close, I found myself wanting to find out for myself what the night life was like in the city. It may be hard if you are under 21 to be able to truely experience the "city that never sleeps". I was lucky enough to turn 21 on April 17th, about three weeks after I moved to the city. This was so fun for me because I still have about 5 months to explore the different areas of nightlife in the city. I am so excited to go to wine tastings with friends on the weekends and be able to feel like a true New Yorker.

On my birthday my friends from Drexel surpised me in the city and we all were able to celebrate my birthday together. My parents took me and my best friend out to dinner at a restaurant called Cipriani, where we shared champagne for my special day. It was awesome being able to share this day with my friends and family. I am excited to try out some of the local bars around my area and meet new people that are working and living in the city like myself. Being able to grab a drink with coworkers after work makes it easy to get to know people better and feel included as well!




Me, my parents, and Todd at Cipriani birthday Dinner!

Alone for the Day

Today my boss had taken the day off so I was in charge of sales floor. I was extremely excited and stressed. I wanted to accomplish everything on my list of things to do and more. I really wanted to impress my boss. It was a crazy morning since I was mostly by myself. We got an outrageous number of online orders to pick and ship out. I completely forgot the school year is ending and people are getting ready to graduate! After finishing the online orders, I cleaned the store. I wanted it to look pristine so I took a lot time making sure everything hung on a hanger perfectly. Once some of my co-workers started showing up, the work day flew by. At the end of the day my co-worker and I decided to re-merchandise the gift wear section. We stared at the section to look for the untapped potential of it. After staring, and some trial error we figured it out. We condensed some gift wear so that the displays went along with a theme. We have dorm accessories, business, and alumni gift wear. We rearranged the section to correspond to these categories. We also turned the fixtures to expose product that was once hidden. It was a simple face lift but I'm hoping more sales will generate from it.

Dressing for Co-Op

Co-Op by emilybakerrr featuring a sequin skirt

When it comes to dressing for co-op, my office is pretty professional. I have seen a mix of business casual and business professional, so sometimes picking out an appropriate outfit can be difficult. Since I work in a government building, I lean toward the business professional end. I thought I would make a list of my co-op wardrobe essentials and what I’ve purchased to have a variety of professional options and still add my own flare.

My favorite stores to shop at for work clothes are Loft, H&M, and Old Navy. Yes, Old Navy. I feel like Old Navy has a bad connotation to fashion folk, but I have found so many good pieces there for amazing prices. If you really compare a store like Gap to Old Navy, the quality is generally still there but for a much better price.

Pants

I really like the cropped pants, especially in the warmer weather. These Pixies from Old Navy are more like a chino material, so they are light-weight and come in every color of the rainbow. I kept it neutral with grey, light blue, navy, and vertical stripes (they also have adorable prints and polka dots!).

I also like to have a pair or khakis and black pants. I have a Loft pair that is checker print to add a little interest but still have a neutral palette.

Blazers

I have invested in black, tan, and navy blazers that can go with virtually anything. H&M had nice quality blazers for around $30/$35. I like to have some fitted and some more straight cut for a casual "boyfriend" look.

Shirts

Basics are always my go to. I love a crisp white button up, and I also bought a more relaxed blue button up that is casual but still put together. All of these go great with a blazer or by itself. I also make sure to have a few different color options of tanks and short sleeves to put under a blazer on hotter days.

Skirts/Dresses

This one is tricky for me to pull off in the office, because I feel like I need to wear tights or leggings with any skirt or dress. Everyone is usually pretty covered up, so I stay on the modest side. Depending on your company culture you can pick up on this and notice what everyone else typically wears.

Shoes

Flats, flats, flats. This is another area where you can add some interest. I bought some adorable green peep-toe flats from DSW and they are so comfy! I am also in love with my nude tone pointy toe flats that go with everything. I also have a black pair and a pair of heels, but I have yet to wear them! If you are a pro heel walker then by all means go for it!

Accessories

I personally do not wear much jewelry, just a small necklace or a few rings usually, but this is somewhere you can add some personality, depending on your style.

Hopefully this is helpful for anyone in a business professional office. I love mixing up my outfit, because it can be difficult to stay true to your style in a business setting. 

Photo-Styling Fun

Photo-styling is something that I have always loved, even as a child when I didn't know there was a technical term for dressing up and taking pictures of my friends and I. I spent hours putting together "looks" and we would have so much fun setting up our little photo shoots. Now, as I have been in school for about 4 years and have had internships where I was able to style and be styled I have realized that this is my passion. I enjoy being the eyes behind the image when it comes to styling a model and making decisions on how he or she should pose in the atmosphere that they are in. I also love doing this without a model and with just the product. I was given the opportunity to do this at Knit Wit with some new merchandise that had come to the store. For an entire work day I had a blast messing around with the store space and the product to create some awesome images! I hope to pursue a career in styling which will lead me to creative directing.

A Shot at Social Media

After working strictly on the sales floor at Knit Wit for a few months, I was asked to help out with the social media aspects of the store. This included Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and sending emails to customers. A lot of the content was advertising a new sale or new merchandise that was in the store. I used my photo-shopping skills that I learned here at Drexel to create ads that matched the Knit Wit brand. It is extremely important to create images that reflect the brand or else it does not really make sense. When a customer sees a post from Knit Wit they should automatically know where it is coming from, so each post should have the same aesthetic as the last. I found this to be exciting as I was reaching many people at once with my own work for a very well-known business. Social media fascinates me because it is so quick to change and one image is seen by a multitude of people. This was a cool opportunity for me and it never really felt like "work" because I enjoy using these media platforms everyday for personal use. I no longer do the social media for the store, but a new intern does who is also a D&M at Drexel! Follow the store on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @knitwitonline.

A sale post that went to Instagram, Facebook and an email blast. 

New merchandise from a brand called Skull Cashmere. I created this in Photoshop and it went to Instagram and Facebook.

Less Than Fashionable

One factor that can be a challenge when commuting is that you are basically stuck with whatever you bring with you. For example, if you wear rain boots to work, when you leave Philadelphia at 6:30am, and then half way through the bus ride it stops raining. This happened to me this week and I felt like I looked out of place, however I had no other option but to stay in my rain boots and act proud of my fashion choice. A way to beat this system is to bring a change of clothes or shoes with you, however this presents the next issue, which is where to store them. I always resort to my less than fashionable backpack, which can hold practically everything I own. Conversely, I always feel slightly uncomfortable working in the fashion industry and choosing accessories that are the farthest from fashionable. It isn’t fun having people in the elevators stare at me when my bag takes up an entire extra person, and I often wish that they knew I commuted so that they would be able to understand why I wear the backpack… 

Travel Days

In Philadelphia we are a little spoiled with how easy it is to get around the city. It is not very hard to learn the street names and where each one will take you. The public transportation is easily navigated and getting a taxi for a 6-block ride seems to be the norm. I have also studied abroad in London, at the London College of Fashion. After being there for three months I found the Tube (subway) to be extremely easy to navigate and even the buses could be found so effortlessly.  Getting around the city seemed to become second nature and was executed so simply.

After living in New York City for the past two weeks I have found that these easy transportation methods are not quite the same as some of the other cities that I have visited. Although I have never gotten lost or had many problems, the subway seems rather extravagant and a little confusing to figure out. Yes I could call an Uber or a taxi to go places but the prices are significantly the higher than the ones I am used to in Philadelphia. There are many apps that I have found to be so helpful to me in learning the subway system and how to use it but what I have found very interesting is that walking sometimes seems to be the best way to get to many destinations in the city. After speaking with my coworkers and many other people that I know that live in the city, it seems that if you can walk you should. Many New Yorkers have told me this but I wanted to find out for myself. If I had been working here in the winter I don’t know if walking around to my destinations would have even crossed my mind but now that the weather is getting nicer and the days are longer it seems appealing, so I tried it out for myself. I will admit that walking can take longer and I would not usually do this in Philadelphia so this is new for me!

The grocery store seemed to be about a mile away from my apartment so I decided to try it out. I walked to the grocery store and was shocked that the walk seemed to be less of a hassle as one may think and was actually relaxing. It gave me a chance to find things along the way that I may want to stop by or visit in the future. It forces me to find my way around the city. Although I did use an app to show me directions it helped me to get used to the area and see the hidden gems that sometimes one may pass over when using the subway or a taxi. Since then I have started to walk many places so see what I find. Of course I do not walk too far and especially not in the rain, but when I can I always walk to my destination. I have found many stores, restaurants, and even views that I may not have found otherwise. Below is a view I found of Hoboken skyline and after a long day at work a view like that is so amazing to end your day!

 

 

 

 

 

Week One

As I made the move from my small apartment in West Philadelphia to my even smaller apartment in New York City, I couldn’t help but to be so excited to be apart of the New York City life for the next six months. I have been to New York City countless times and have even lived here for many summers as a young girl but something felt so different about this time moving to the city. I am older and have much more responsibility than ever and have to live alone in the Big Apple, but somehow I was more excited than intimidated.

For the next six months on Co-op I will be working at Nautica in the Advertising department. I will be reporting to a Drexel alumni which seems to make the process less frightening because she was just in my same shoes only a couple of years ago. As I walked in on my first day I have to admit that I was very nervous, as any intern would be. The first day very laid back and everyone seemed to be so welcoming to me. As the week progressed I began to gain more and more responsibility and was receiving compliments from the staff on my work ethic. I know that I have acquired that work ethic from Drexel, which makes me feel awesome knowing that my hard work is paying off. As I will only be working part time, I was able to get the day off on Friday. As my first week at Nautica came to a conclusion, I was nothing more than excited about the next six months that I have ahead of me with the amazing company that I am working with.

Breaking the Bank

For all my love for New York, I must admit it is an expensive habit. Luckily I am fortunate enough to have extremely supportive parents that are not only paying for my 6 bus tickets a week, but also helping me out financially for groceries, etc. because my internship is not paid.
After some calculations, my parents and I estimated that bus tickets would be approximately $1200 for the five months I'm interning, which is not cheap to begin with. On top of that, I do have to eat and I had no idea how much more expensive eating in New York is. I'm lucky if my lunch is under $10. I've been working on finding some places that are a little more manageable financially, even though I do love a good Schnipper's salad that can come to around $12. Dean & Deluca's has surprisingly good pre-made sushi and that is about $8, which has become my go-to and they are conveniently located right across the street. And while packing a lunch sounds ideal, the two hour bus commute makes that logistically a little more difficult.
I'm starting to realize that I'm really going to have to start saving up if I plan on moving to New York full time in fall for co-op!

Merchandising

My favorite part of my day interning is sitting in on meetings with merchandising and design. I love to watch collections come together from original color concept and inspiration boards to the actual design, then fabrications and costing.  When the finished product is finally complete it really makes you appreciate all of the work that went into creating even the simplest of pieces. It is also interesting to see how the customer receives the product and access what went well and what did not. As a merchandising intern I love being able to work with all areas of the company from production to planning to design and then marketing for photo shoots and advertisements. Each day I learn more and more about the role of each group and what they bring to the company.

Buying

Things are finally beginning to slow down at work. Thank god, because I am exhausted. On Friday my boss and I finally got down to do some buying. During my training days, I watched my boss and the then co-op student do the buying. I helped out with buying when I could while I was training, but Friday was the first time I really sat down to buy. There's a lot that goes into buying. You have to look at a lot of numbers and the big picture. Buying is extremely important to sales. You can't over buy or you will have to discount the item in the future. If you under buy, then you are missing sales. The bottom line is with buying you try and hit the right number of stock. You want just enough that everyone has their size but you don't have to discount any. When buying you have to look at what has sold the best, how long you've had the item, how much you have on hand, and what has the best sell through. You can't just look at one of these categories. You have to look how the item did as a whole. It took my a while to grasp this concept but once I got it, it all made sense. My boss really encouraged me and said I did great. I was really happy that I liked to buy and I was good at it.

Lost in Translation

I have learned a lot about working with different kinds of people in my time here are Drexel, and my co-op has been no exception. Everyone in the office is native to Italy, so English is their second language. This has proven to be difficult when communicating with my co-workers and my boss. But I have found that patience and good listening skills are the way to resolve this. 

Even though English is the second language they all speak fluently with only a few mistakes here and there, and now they come to me for advice and help on their language skills. I think it is nice to exchange ideas and it offers new challenges for me to learn Italian, and to discuss cultural differences.

Asking questions is another good way to resolve miscommunication, whether it is through language or just unclear instructions. My boss is very fast paced, so now I am always ready with a notebook and prepared to ask quick questions so I understand as much as I can right away, then I ask final questions for clarification after he is done.

My boss can be very demanding as well, which I am learning how to approach and prioritize my time. Today there were several tasks he needed done within an hour time, and it was complete chaos. When I was in the middle of something he needed and then asked me to do something else, I would calmly say something like “I am finishing this for you now, and will begin that when I am done”. He does not like mistakes and wants things immediately. This can also be a difficult personality to deal with, but the office secretaries told me I am dealing with him well, which I was very pleased with!

Overall, I think learning to deal with different types of people, especially bosses, is an important part of the co-op experience. Learning how to respond to people and to meet their needs is crucial in the work place and in life!

5:30am Wakeup Call

Commuting involves waking up early and managing to get yourself together before most people get up. Even though this might be frustrating or fatiguing at times there are often good things that outweigh the hassles. The sunrise that happens at just around 5:45am is worth waking up for. As I walk toward the bus every morning through a typical Philadelphia parking lot, filled with trash and filth, the sun rise is the only thing that my eyes can focus on. For some reason it makes me feel like I am designed to be up when the sun rises, and it makes me feel like I shouldn’t feel as tired as I am… The sunrise gets me through my day, just thinking about the one that I will see tomorrow.

A Little About Lividini

I've been working at Lividini & Co for about 3 and a half months now and genuinely have loved the whole experience. My first day was January 5th and honestly I think I woke up every half hour the whole night before because I was so nervous I would miss my 5:45 am bus. However due to about seven alarms and a whole lot of adrenaline I woke up with plenty of time and got on my first two hour bus ride to be dropped off at 30th and 9th Ave and then took a 20 minute walk to the Starbucks just around the corner from my work. Lividini & Co is at 40th and 8th Avenue in midtown, just a few minutes walk from Times Square…which  you might think is cool but really it's just annoying if I have to walk through it. My bus gets me to the city around 7:45 am and I technically don't have to be at work until 9:00 am, which gives me time to grab coffee and wake up a little from my nap on the bus. However, I generally go in to work around 8:30 so I have extra time to check my email and start the days tasks. And there is always something to do at Lividini in general, even at 8:30 am, especially because my boss Arrael gets to the office at the crack of dawn.
Lividini & Co is a brand strategy, PR and marketing firm for fashion companies. I work directly under three supervisors, Arrael, Quin and Lucie, however I help out a lot of different people in the company. My day to day tasks vary greatly however, I primarily do things like pull media lists to send out pitches or invites to, research trends, make hotsheets (collages of product to pitch to editors), credit check, assemble giftings to editors and help come up with ideas for pitches. There are also a lot of other little tasks throughout the way and errands to run. Clients I do a lot of work for are Fossil, Fossil Partnered Brands, Monica Rich Kosann, Ivanka Trump, and Shoes of Prey.
I cannot express how much I have learned so far and I keep learning more as I go. I've learned technical skills, skills about how to communicate, and a lot about the fashion industry. Furthermore I have built up a lot of confidence in myself. One of the best things about working at Lividini is the work environment. My supervisors and co-workers are so supportive and constantly encourage me and mentor me. They make my learning and development a priority and I am so thankful for that. It's helped me become more confident in my abilities and increased my passion for my industry even more. I'm really excited about all the upcoming events and projects going on at Lividini and can't wait to blog about those as well!

No Escaping Public Speaking

This week I am preparing to wrap up my first 3 month internship session. Even though I am staying for another session in the summer, as part of the internship program I am required to do a presentation on a topic of my choice. This presentation will be in front of my supervisors, the CEO and president of the company, along with the other interns in the program. The purpose of the project is to chose a problem within the company and propose solutions in a 10-15 minute presentation. The topic I am focusing on is how our brand can enhance its online presence, which is very minimal at the point. I have to say I learned a lot at Drexel about how to do effective research and it is helping me a lot during this project. Doing presentations in class has also been helpful. Still, I have to say I am a little anxious about it. I have never been a huge fan of public speaking and the thought of presenting in front of the CEO makes me a bit nervous. I think it is a good idea and I like that we get to focus in on a topic, while also practicing public speaking, but I will definitely be happy when it was over. Even though I am nearly done with classes I guess I will never be able to escape public speaking.