Saturday, March 22, 2008

I ♥ NY: Goodbye NY

Spring break is over and sadly I had to return home. But I had to update you on the rest of my NY adventures. Nothing too exciting [[except for the last day.]]

Day 3 & 4
I resumed the search for my boots. It didn't end exactly like I planned, but I did come out with something. Instead of leaving with brown boots, I got a pair of cream Jeffrey Campbell boots in Soho. I'm a little worried...I bought a pair of black flats by Jeffrey Campbell over the summer and they fell apart within a couple of months! Hopefully, that won't be the case with these shoes.

I went back to the FIT museum in hopes of visiting the Christian Louboutin exhibit and it still wasn't open. So I settled for the other exhibits: Exoticism and Madame Gres: Sphinx of Fashion.
Here are a few photos I got. If you happen to be in New York and around FIT, go see it. It's on display until April 19 [[the Madame Gres exhibit closes the same day.]] Exoticism is open until May 7. A West African inspired dress in the Exoticism exhibit. I believe the dress is from the 1930s. It still looks modern. I would wear it. West Africa, gotta love it[[especially Ghana!]]
It's not a great picture, but it's the best I got. You can't see it but the dresses in the exhibit were so intricate and gorgeous. There were a lot of draped pieces, which I believe were done by hand. Madame Gres was an exquisite couturier.

Day 5
Friday was a bittersweet day. I was a little sad that I had to leave and was dreading returning to school. At the same time I was excited and nervous because I had a meeting with Eva Chen in the afternoon. For those of you who don't know Chen is the Beauty and Health Director at Teen Vogue. Yea, she's kind of a big deal!

I've spoken with Chen before on different occasions and met her when I went to Teen Vogue Fashion University in October. She is truly one of the nicest and sweetest people I've met. She has always been willing to go out of her way to help me and others.

I'll give a Q & A rundown of how the meeting went. Hopefully if it the fashion industry and magazines are something you're interested in you will find some of the info as valuable as I did.

GG: How much does an assistant [[fashion, beauty, etc.]] make?
EC: Assistants generally make around $25,000.
GG: Is there a specific amount of time a person has to intern for before they can get hired/promoted into a position?
EC: Usually people intern for at least one semester. The summer between your junior and senior year is really important. It's a super stressful job. You have to be really organized. Interning isn't a requirement but it's good to learn what the job entails and make connections.
GG: Does Teen Vogue pay their interns?
EC: We didn't pay before. Now we pay $12 a day to cover lunch and transportation.
GG: What is a typical day like for you?
EC: Every day is different. Working in the beauty department is a little more stable. Some days I'm in the office all day editing stories, in meetings, etc. Other days I could be at a photo shoot all day... It's a great career option but it's a lot harder to break into than medicine or law. If it's your passion then you should pursue it. It's like an exclusive club. One out, one in. You have to wait for the perfect timing.
GG: How did it take you to get a job?
EC: Six months.
GG: When networking, especially reaching out to people who you don't know personally, it's sometimes hard to get people to respond. You are really good at responding back and taking the time out of your schedule.
EC: I feel like I've been really lucky so I try to repay the kharma!
GG: What is the best way to approach people, especially people with busy schedules?
EC: Send an e-mail. [[if you've met before]] Remind them who you are and where you met them. You don't want to be annoying. I think e-mailing every month or month and a half is good.
GG: [[I had to ask]] What are your favorite beauty products?
EC: I get so much stuff. I don't have a favorite. The most important thing is routine! Have a set routine everyday. No matter how tired you are watch your makeup off before you go to sleep.
Note: This is not verbatim
p.s. I took a picture in front of the Teen Vogue sign with Eva Chen but it didn't turn out well [[otherwise I would've posted it.]]

♥SABON♥
While walking around Soho my sister took me to a soap shop called Sabon. Sabon sells different kinds of soaps, scrubs, lotions, oils, etc. It was founded in Israel. They use salts, scrubs and other
minerals/resources from the Dead Sea. Not only do they use natural ingredients, but they only use recycled glass, paper and other materials as well as biodegradable packaging. [[Very eco-friendly]] They have a sink in the store, that looks kind of like a fountain, used to test/sample their products. After one try of the body scrub and lotion I knew I had to get some. The products leave your skin feeling so soft and refreshed. Not to mention they smell so good! I had to stop by the store before I left and get some to bring back home with me. I got the Lemon mint body scrub and the ginger orange sorbet. I think they would make a perfect gift for almost any occasion. Check out the website [[linked above]] to see the other products.

photos provided by Teen Vogue website and Sabon website

xoxo
GG

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