This semester I'm taking a course on coding and website building. When I began learning about HTML, favicons, cascading style sheets and "<a href="'s, I was a little intimidated. Thankfully, with a great teacher and helpful step-by-step videos, I soon got the hang of it. For my final project, I created/built/coded a multi-page website all about my first New York Fashion Week experience. I guess it looks pretty similar to my blog pages, but I did it on my own, which makes it a little bit cooler.
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WARNING: This post is potentially #NSFW? For the first G&B issue of the year, we kept things fun, flirty and PG with our Clueless in Columbia theme. Thankfully, I have the best EIC in all the land–I'm talking to you, Chris Rosa!–who thought it was time to push (rip up) the envelope with our second issue. After some brainstorming, "Frost Bite" was born. Cool tones of pale purples and icy blues, high heels, big bags and lots of skin set the tone for my winter style shoot. These are shots that made it to the magazine as well as some that didn't, so forgive some boxer-bands on our male models in the unedited photos. Yes, the boys kept their goodies covered, but did the girls? Things got steamy during our winter shoot, kiddies! Brace yourself, get inspired for winter and grab your tennis shoes–you'll want to hit the gym after seeing the models I found. FROST BITE Style by: Alana Fuscardo Make up: Jensen Grim Photos: Ida Garland + Hannah Cleveland Style Assistants: Rachael Dornellas + Dominic Bellotti Retailers: Van Jean, Vestique, STEEL Garden, Bohemian, Gwen Rawls If you're in the Columbia area, pick up a hard copy of G&B on newsstands NOW around campus! If not, check out our website for more articles, videos, etc. We publish four times a year, so we'll be back in January with our Spring issue! Until next time.
Garnet & Black Magazine is the student-run magazine on campus. It was started by Jason Wagenheim, you know, the current VP and publisher of Teen Vogue, when he was a Gamecock. #casual. This year I have been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to tackle the role of Style Editor. My vision for the Fall issue started when I was living in New York this summer. My roommate –who is also my style assistant and last-minute model– and I were sitting in our apartment brainstorming what we could create. It his us almost instantly: CLUELESS! One of our favorite movies and time frames. There was no other option, really. Except a recreation of Grease, but no one will ever be a better Danny Zuko than John Travolta, so it's almost setting myself up for disappointment. But I digress. We got back to school and started pulling looks from local retailers and went on a search for models and locations. With a little luck, determination and pixie dust–er, you get the point– we struck '90s gold. I wanted a way to showcase my work and let the public see it. I could have created an online portfolio, but why bother when I already have this great outlet? Without further ado, here is my first spread styling with G&B! Clueless in Columbia Photos: Ida Garland + Hannah Cleveland Style Assistants: Rachael Dornellas + Dominic Bellotti Retailers: Van Jean, Vestique, STEEL Garden, Salty's Surf Shop Models: Amber Lily Brenner, Rachael Dornellas, Victoria Infinger Josh Thompson, Alex Peeples, Quinton Jones I hope you guys enjoyed this shoot as much as we did. Check back in a few weeks to see the looks from our Winter issue where the models bare it all....
This weekend I went to New York City to attend Teen Vogue's annual Teen Vogue Fashion University! It was definitely an honor to be accepted into the program and to be able to have the opportunity to learn from such knowledgeable and experienced men and women in the fashion industry. The weekend started on Friday with a Kick-Off Event held by Express at their Madison Ave. location. While I was there I got to meet amazing girls and also Teen Vogue'sVP and Publisher, Jason Wagenheim. He is a fellow GAMECOCK! It was so exciting to meet such an influential man at the magazine and to know he went to USC, too. It was a huge boost of confidence as well as meeting the Social Media Manager who is from Pittsburgh! It was definitely a kick to keep working towards my goals and shows that if you work hard enough you really can live your dreams. (corny, yes, but true!) Saturday began with registration where we received our ID pass and a huge Shopbop bag full of merch and goodies! Then we went into the Hudson Theatre for a panel led by EIC Amy Astley with Teen Vogue editors. Some of the tips that were given by the crew: Amy Astley said that journalism "is not a dying field." "People crave information," she said. "It's just that they're getting it in many different ways now." Have no fear aspiring journalists! As long as people want information, we will be here to give it to them in all different ways. Teen Vogue's style features director Andrew Bevan, better known to some (Amy Astley included) by his twitter handle @bevansburg, says that "you have to be on your toes." Information today is all about accessibility. Everyone wants it, they want it now and everyone has access to it. Social Media Manager Drew Elovitz gets info out to readers from all different social media platforms. Her role in the magazine shows how the industry is always changing with new technology. The way the magazine is perceived and displayed on social media is such a huge aspect to teenagers now and she is responsible for how they are represented and come across. They said they want to offer their girl a 360 degree point of view. Health & Beauty Editor Elaine Welteroth said, "Build it and they will come." Gloria Baume, Teen Vogue's fashion director, says to "take it upon yourself to do something with pride." This is something everyone can learn from: if you're passionate enough about something, keep working hard at it, stay positive, and it will happen! Thankfully, but not surprisingly, people would still rather look at print magazines as opposed to the online version. There is something magical about the combination of photography, clothing, and story line. I then took class with Danielle + Jodie Snyder of jewelry line Dannijo. They were sweet and funny and encouraged everyone to work hard and not give up. You never know when you will get your break! I also saw designer Thakoon Panichgul who gave advice on taking a leap of faith and going after what you believe in. (This was the overall theme of TVFU–definitely a positive environment to learn from!) He did not study fashion in college and thought this may have even been of an advantage to him later on. Eddie Borgo told us about his path and journey of how he launched his jewelry line and gave the small class each a beautiful pair of spiked rose gold earrings! They show off how simple, chic and bold his style is. Coco Rocha talked about how she works for the better treatment of child models under the age of 18. The law was recently passed and says that child models will be granted protections from exploitation, abuse and unacceptable working conditions. You could tell how passionate and strong of a woman Coco is (and ridiculously funny, too!) and it was amazing to learn from such a role model. The founders of blogs Into the Gloss and The Coveteur were there and gave info on how to keep readers interested in a blog, how to come up with new info and how to unplug from it all when you can. (I definitely took some notes and their advice on this segment for Minnie Maus!) Topshop held an event for us students that night at their SoHo location! I got to meet a lot of great people and snack on the delicious ice cream sundae bar and other desserts they provided while we sang along to the DJ. Sunday we screened The Editor's Eye and then Vogue fashion editor Phyllis Posnick, who is featured in the film, gave us insight to the industry. I asked her what she thought social media was doing to the beauty and health industry and she said, "When the Kardashians are the standard of 'chic' and 'beauty' we're in big trouble." Probably one of my favorite quotes of the weekend. She is so smart and blunt. I really wanted her to have a hand-held microphone so she could drop it on stage and walk off like the badass she is, but oh well. In my mind that is what happened. After this, it was time for graduation! We all were awarded 'diplomas' and said our goodbyes to the great new friends we made. What a great weekend! I can't thank Teen Vogue enough for such an amazing opportunity and I can't wait to see what happens next for me! Until next time my few, but faithful, readers
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 gets 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 is 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 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! Saturday I finally got to go to my first in-store experience at Brandy Melville then went to an improv comedy club that night and it was so funny! 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!
This week was my first week living in New York City and also as a Badgley Mischka sales intern. I have been so busy I have had no time to write about it until now! On sunday I went to Carlo's Bake Shop (or where Buddy the Cake Boss works at for all of you TLC fans) with my parents before I moved into the city. We waited in line for about 30 minutes, but it was well worth the wait! We bought various pastries including their famous crumble cake (cinnamon crumb cake) and it was amazing. It's hard to stay away from Hoboken knowing that cinnamon-y goodness is right across the water. After Cake Boss, we went to University Hall, the NYU dorm I am living in this summer. I am right in the heart of Union Square. This is my view from the 13th floor! My program held a first-night dinner and I got to mingle with my new hall-mates. Monday morning we had orientation to learn about what we would be doing over the next two months. I was lucky enough to meet a fun group of girls after for lunch and we mapped out our way to work. We got over our fear of the subway and took the Q to 42nd Street. Then it was the big day! I could barely sleep Monday night knowing I was starting the next morning. I wore the outfit below. A blush colored, ruffled collar and sleeved top with cropped black pants and spiked flats. I began my day with a subway ride with 3 other girls and we were so early that we sat at a coffee shop before work began. Then at 10 I went into my building where the doorman (what!?) called the elevator for me and I took it to the 22nd floor. The elevator doors opened to a beautiful lobby with mirrored tables and frosted glass walls. I got a tour of the floor and the entire office staff was insanely friendly! My first day consisted of meeting everyone, finding all of the samples in the closet that were sold out and taking them to the archive closet, filing paperwork from buyers, and gathering photos of their latest collection for Neiman Marcus's Conclave where Badgley Mischka is the featured designer this year! While doing this, both Mark and James (the designers of the brand) came into the room and I was completely star struck! I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to talk to them both for a few minutes! They were so sweet! What a great way to spend my first day! This is an inside look of the waiting area and part of the showroom at Badgley Mischka. On Wednesday, my second day, I took the photos I collected the day before and helped select which looks would be used in the Conclave fashion show, what trends should be featured and what order they would go in. I also learned how to use the brand's computer program Apparel Magic. We use this to look up each and every dress, gown, shirt or skirt within the company. This is my favorite piece from their Fall 2013 collection and I was lucky enough to work with it in the showroom! Jana Kramer (country singer and former One Tree Hill star) wore the dress to the American Country Music Awards show this year. This gown is hand beaded and was ridiculously heavy. The outfit below is what I wore on Thursday: a high waisted maxi and cropped halter top with a sock bun. It was an exciting day at work, we had our go-to model Gigi (she was incredibly nice) come in for a fitting for their upcoming line. I assisted her in changing out of about 20 dresses as the designers and a few other key players in the company tweaked and tailored each cocktail dress or gown. Two other interns and I then took that new collection and printed stickers that had various information about the dress on them and applied them to the Badgley Mischka tags and used a tag gun to attach each one to the dress. After work on Thursday, I went to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building with a group of friends. The view was amazing! It was eerily quite at the top of the balcony even though there were a few hundred people up there. Unfortunately, about 98% of those people were incredibly rude and it was a struggle and took a few shoves to get these next few shots. Today (Friday) was a shorter day. I wore a charcoal maxi dress and layered a few new chain necklaces. I started the day by tagging a few more new dresses. After that, another intern and I sewed labels on to about 15 new collection dresses. (shocking isn't it? me sewing? I finally learned, and have a few needle pricks on my hand to prove it!) We then went to pick up books that included all of the looks that would be used in the Neiman Marcus fashion show and mailed them out. We did a few more small tasks before we left for the day. The company has "summer fridays" so we get to leave early, how exciting! Tomorrow my program is taking the group on a double decker bus tour of the city and then treating us to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. We are so excited to be the ultimate tourists for a few hours! I'll leave you guys with a picture of Minnie Mouse in a new(er), haute look. The navy gown and red tiara was debuted last year in Paris. It was designed by Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz. As much as I love the traditional red and white polka dotted dress, a little evening wear never hurt anyone. Keep checking back for more about my days here in the city! Hi everyone! I'm Alana (a-lay-na) and I'm a 20-year-old PR major, fashion merchandising minor at the University of South Carolina. I've created this blog as a way to keep myself and others updated on my upcoming internship in NYC this summer. This blog will be a place to share what I love and what inspires me with others who can use it to inspire them, help them and hopefully help me in return! I chose the name Minnie Maus Fashion Haus because I am obsessed with Minnie Mouse, fashion, and puns/play on words (maus, haus). I took a cue from Mother Monster, Lady Gaga, and her Haus of Gaga and ran with it. Minnie has been an icon for decades and it is impossible to forget her red, polka dot dress. She is the epitome of femininity and is always classy. (Not to mention she has her man Mickey straight up whipped.) Every girl can take a tip from Ms. Mouse. She also isn't afraid to step outside her comfort zone and take a fashion risk! I will begin my internship in the Badgley Mischka showroom this month and I am beyond excited! I am currently interning with Flock and Rally, a PR firm in Columbia, SC. Also, I am a fashion blogger for www.oBaz.com. I post daily look books on my favorite trends and you can check them out here! https://www.obaz.com/bloggers/495205 I hope to keep this blog updated at least weekly, and hope to make it something people enjoy reading! I am finishing up my finals week here at USC, so bear with me the next few days. You can find me on Twitter: @alanafuscardo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alana.fuscardo LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=214713526&trk=tab_pro Check back soon! |
Alana FuscardoI would call this section, 12 Years an Intern: The Musical. Archives
December 2014
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