Sundress City

Over the winter months, New Yorkers looked anything but fashionable. Big bubble coats that went down to the floor, hats, gloves, long underwear, etc. left much to be desired. But now the sun has come out and the coats have come off, and there are more colorful sundresses in the streets than colorful flowers in Central Park.

It really is a city of sundresses. Floridians usually just resort to shorts and tank tops in the heat of summer. Not New Yorkers. Wrap dresses, t-shirt dresses, v-neck dresses, floral prints, stripes, solids, bubble skirts (MUCH prettier than bubble jackets), dresses with pockets, dresses with belts ... you get the idea. I guess when you have six months of snow you embrace the warmth with much more fervor than when it's year-round. I've even bought a few cheap cute sundresses from H&M to keep up with everyone. I need to step up my fashion game here.

Tomorrow: My first sample sale. Stay tuned.

Seize the day

I love everything about this city, but there is still so much that I haven't done here. Thus, here is my To Do list for the summer:

1. See as many live bands as possible.

2. Go to as many museums as possible. Still haven't been to the Museum of Natural History or the Museum of Modern Art, among many others.

3. Go to an art opening.

4. Have a picnic in Central Park.

5. Go to Ellis Island. 

6. Visit and do something cool in all the boroughs. 

7. Sun bathe in Central Park.

8. Be in the audience of a show taping. Something like SNL, Daily Show or Colbert Report will do.

9. Look for cool local bars/restaurants. 

10. Go to the opera, ballet or to see the Philharmonic (or all of them).

11. Compare New York beaches to Florida beaches.

That's all I can think of right now. Did I forget something? Let me know.

With a first winter comes a first spring

It's been a hard winter. The white snow was so beautiful, but the day-after-day cold was almost too much for this Florida girl to take at times. Even in the middle of April, temperatures can fall to the low 30s. Finally, it broke. Yesterday was the most beautiful day in New York so far this year. This blooming of life is really inspirational after four months of none. Here are some snapshots - don't forget that you can click on them to see them up close.: 

Orly Couture

Orly Couture can be summed up as Brooklyn-chic. Knitted caps, plaid, belts, lose sweaters and pashminas all made up the look. But there was something extra special. This wasn't just your typical plaid button-up shirt with thick black-rimmed glasses like we've seen over and over. Designer Orly Sheli added textures and cuts that made this a whole new genre. Her line is all completely wearable, and I wouldn't be surprised if I see it on the streets of New York in no time at all. This was her inaugural showing and it was at a club in the Meatpacking District - I wouldn't be surprised if I saw her at Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in a couple years. Watch out for Orly Couture in a store near you.

Good interview + celebrity designer meeting + dinner and fashion show with the girls = best day ever

So today was a pretty awesome day. I'm confident about how my interview went with Mediabistro. I think I'm qualified, I think they think I'm qualified and I hope to get a call back for a second interview sometime middle next week.

After the interview I had a late lunch with Rich. And who did I meet? RICHIE RICH FROM HEATHERETTE! Heatherette has always been a favorite line of mine. It's the epitome of fantasy and over-the-top fashion. You know you're in New York when you're literally sitting next to a designer at the bar.

Now I'm off to dinner with Leighanne and Jessica and then to a fashion show in the Meatpacking District. Expect a full report later.

Hooray interview!

Well ask and you shall receive, right? I applied for an "Education Assistant" position with Mediabistro.com today, and not three hours later I was e-mailed back for an interview on Thursday.

For those of you who don't know what Mediabistro is, it's a great resource for young journalists. Most of us use it to look at job listings within the journalism community, but they also offer a variety of classes, workshops, events, etc. I actually took their "Intro into Fashion Careers" course last March and it really propelled me to go for my dream, and even inspired me to create this blog. It's a really great company that I respect a lot and it would be great to be able to work with them. Plus, it's a full-time job with full health and dental benefits.

Here's what the job listing says:

The successful candidate must possess:

--An interest in technology and web-based learning
--Ability to multi-task and work independently and with a team
--Exceptional skills related to problem-solving and organization
--Ability to perform well under pressure
--An outgoing personality and outstanding phone skills
--Strong sales and marketing sensibilities
--Supreme attention to detail
--Awareness of NYC media landscape
--A Bachelor’s Degree
--Experience using online learning platforms is a plus (but we will train you on all software)

Responsibilities include:

--Guiding students to appropriate courses by phone and email
--Providing online class support, including trouble-shooting technical
problems, student and instructor support, and communicating with instructors
and students to monitor class quality; training will be provided
--Setting up online classrooms, proofreading and posting course materials,
and setting up student access
--Assisting in scheduling classes
--Working closely with education staff to meet quarterly goals, plan for
appropriate marketing, and maintain student enrollment
--Assisting in writing and maintaining course descriptions for the mediabistro.com web site
--Providing creative input for the overall education department
*This an entry level position and there is opportunity for growth.

Sound like me? Wish me luck! I'm also going to a fashion show on Thursday with my friends Jessica and Leighanne. How great would it be to get a job and go to a show in the same day?!

Someone, please, take a bite

Every time I apply for a job, I think, "I am perfect for this. They HAVE to call me back." So far, I have yet to get any responses. Not even rejections. Nothing.

I apply for about three jobs a day, which is actually a lot considering most jobs have been turned into internships. My temporary job only has a few weeks left and the quiet worried voices that have been in my head are turning into screams. I'm probably going to start serving or hosting a couple days a week to make extra cash, but that won't be enough when the temp job is over. I might be able to squeeze into a customer service job at ICE, or maybe even a marketing job. Maybe.

I just want a definite answer. It's so frustrating, I know I'm qualified for so much and would be perfect for so many of these jobs that won't even call me back.

Someone, please, bite.

Life summary

So there's been a lot going on, but none of it really relates to New York or fashion so I wasn't sure if I should blog about it. Thus, here is a quick summary of my life lately in true Chris Gardner style - bullets.

- I went to New Orleans and Florida two weeks ago. It was awesome. It was so great to be in two warm cities, one of which I had never seen before. New Orleans was so much fun and we ate three fantastic meals at August, Emeril's and the Commander's Palace. Yum. I want to go back. Florida was great because I got to see my family and go on the boat. It's hard to believe that I haven't seen them in over four months. And we had a little pre-birthday celebration for Scotty and me. I can't believe he's 18!

- I've started dating someone and it's going awesome. That's all I'm gonna say about it. ;)

- I'm still at ICE working on the temporary position, but it's rapidly coming to an end. I have a couple options, but I'm starting to get a bit panicky about what's coming next. I'll keep you posted.

- I got to go to the inaugural game at Citi Field, the new Mets stadium. I'm now a Mets fan, but the Rays will always come first. I figure it's okay to be a Mets fan because they're not in the same division as the Rays and, well, they're not the Yankees. I've never been to the opening of a new stadium, and it was really cool to see how excited the fans were about it. I'm sure I'll go to more Mets games this season.

- My days are mostly spent now working and exploring new restaurants with my boyfriend. Not too shabby. I've joined a gym to work off all the good food I'm eating.

The main thing on the horizon is finding a more secure job. I'm applying but have yet to get even a response from anyone. Keep your fingers crossed for me.