Tag: h&m

Stuck in a Fashion Rut—How to Break Out

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Ugh, I’m bored. I’ve been stuck in a rut with my daily routines for a while, and it’s time for that to change. Mostly, I’ve been wearing the same clothes over and over and over again.

Now, I can’t exactly afford to go on some wild shopping spree, but I can liven things up. I always recommend investing in slightly pricier, but much nicer pieces that will last forever, but in situations like this, we can take a pass on that advice.

I love heading to Forever21 and H&M to spice things up. So cheap! So cute! But I’m not really talking about the clothes. I’m talking about the accessories. They will doll up your drab outfit in an instant! Pictured are some of the gems I’ve found recently.

What do when you find yourself in a fashion rut?

How to Wear Fall 2013 Trends

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Here’s the good news: You’ve got a lot (a lot) of options for choosing what trends to incorporate into your wardrobe this fall. Possibly too many? Eh, no matter. This season’s looks are so varied that you can wear multiple trends with one piece of clothing. But don’t go overboard—as fun as it is to be on trend, it’s even better to take just a little bit of trendy and then blow it up with your own style. My favorite thing to do is start small and then grow from there.

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Pictured, clockwise from left: IRO Chunky Sweater; N°21 Tartan Mini Skirt; Emilio Pucci Over-The-Knee Boots; H&M (Fake) Fur Necklace; Cambridge Classic Satchel

Fall Trend: Thigh-High Boots

After a few winters full of ankle boots, we finally get to add some drama to our wardrobe with the simple move of slipping into thigh-high boots. Be careful here: If you combine thigh high’s with a mini and a crop top, then you’ll look more go-go dancer than a chic woman of style. Pair the boots with tights, then a mini and a floppy, wide-brim hat to find a happy medium between the two. Don’t forget to include a top that fully covers your torso.
Double-Duty Trend: Leather Thigh-High Boots

Fall Trend: The Satchel

And to be more exact, Cambridge satchels. They are classic and worth the investment. Choose any color, and you’ll love it forever because though the trend may be a satchel style, a Cambridge satchel is more than a trend—it’s timeless.*
Double-Duty Trend: Emerald Green Cambridge Satchel
*No one paid me to write that. I swear, they’re just that amazing.

Fall Trend: Tartan Punk

We saw tartan become popular a few seasons ago, but this time it’s more associated with a punk trend than grunge. And you don’t need to go full-on punk—just a little bit’s enough to get the message across.
Double-Duty Trend: Tartan Punk Mini Skirt

Fall Trend: Statement Necklace

I know, I know, we’ve been wearing statement necklaces, for, like, everrr. But there’s a good reason: They look amazing! Really, I can’t stress this enough because it’s my favorite thing, to stand out with a statement necklace.
Double-Duty Trend: Fur-Covered Statement Necklace

Fall Trend: Chunky-Knit Sweater

OK, I admit that I’m throwing this in the mix because chunky knits were all over the runway for Spring/Summer 2014, but it’s winter, guys. Of course, we can wear our chunky knits a bit early.
Double-Duty Trend: Winter White Chunky-Knit Sweater

 

SimplyStylist.com’s Sarah Pollack Boyd

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Fashion PR is not just a tough business, but it can also be a mean one. But Sarah Pollack Boyd has taken a different approach as she kills them with kindness — and it’s certainly working. After nine years spent building a successful fashion-focused career in public relations, Sarah launched the stylist-centric SimplyStylist.com in January 2012.

In just a few short months, SimplyStylist.com has become a hub for stylists and lovers of fashion. And the recent Simply Stylist Seminar event at the W Hollywood drew many participants who flocked to learn valuable career advice from industry experts, including Brenna Egan, Refinery29.com Los Angeles Editor and former Vogue staffer; Jamie Krell, E! and Style Network Style Expert; Alexis and Kym McClay, Naven Designers; Jeanne Yang, Celebrity Stylist, who also collaborates with Katie Holmes on their clothing line, Holmes & Yang; and Shea Marie, CheyenneMeetsChanel.com Fashion Blogger.

Sarah was nice enough to take time out from her hectic schedule to answer The Gucci Hoochie’s questions about her career, her fashion and her advice for PR newbies. Read on!

How did you make your way to Los Angeles?

I’m a small town girl from York, Pennsylvania. I ended up in Los Angeles because, for fashion, it’s really Los Angeles or New York. My sister had moved to L.A. when I just started college, and I would visit her at least once a year and always told myself that I would live here. So, as soon as I graduated, I packed up and moved out!

You were inspired to work in the industry after shadowing department store buyers. What was it about their work that inspired you to work in fashion?

It was at Bon Ton back in Pennsylvania. I had no idea what I wanted to major in for college, let alone my life path! My high school offered a field trip to shadow store buyers, and I couldn’t believe that shopping could actually be a job. I immediately started looking into fashion schools, and the next year I was beginning to pave my path into the world of fashion.

What is it like working in fashion PR?

Fashion PR sounds really glamorous, but it’s a lot of emails and pitches. With current technology, editors and producers want everything pitched through email so it makes being in fashion PR much more email intensive. It is fun though when you get to be on-site for a fitting or a celebrity showroom visit.

What was the most difficult aspect of working in fashion PR?

Being denied. You have to hear the word “no” or even worse, get no response multiple times a day. There are countless pitches going out daily and very few make it to print. It’s a long and tedious process, but it all pays off when you see the placement!

What is your favorite part of your job?

Ummm all the free clothes?!

What advice would you give to new faces in the fashion PR business?

I would say to definitely have THICK skin! And intern, intern, intern — get as much experience as you possibly can. Also, be kind. It goes a long way, and you never know where you can help someone or someone can help you down the road. PR people are known for not being the nicest, but I chose the route of being super sweet and it has proved to be successful so far.

When you launched SimplyStylist.com, what were you most nervous about? What were you most excited about?

I was definitely most nervous about my customers — do I have enough? Will people be as interested in the topic as I am? Will people come to my events? I was most excited to build my own business from the ground up and to be able to bring a service to women that I know everyone can find value in. People buy the fashion magazines, so why not hear about the trends in person from the experts?

You note that people buy magazines, so why not hear about the trends in person — was this your motivation behind starting simply stylist? What sparked the idea for the website?

From my years in PR I noticed that some of the best celebrity placements (a celebrity wearing my clients’ clothing) came through their wardrobe stylist. And the wardrobe stylists never got any credit for it! The fashion editors and the celebrities get showered with gifts and taken to fancy dinners. Years ago, stylists were lugging around clothing, working 150-hour work weeks and got no credit for some of these amazing trends THEY started by putting it on their client. I started SimplyStylist.com to give back to these stylists and show the world who the trendsetters really are.

What is your typical day like running SimplyStylist.com?

I’m wearing ALL types of hats so I try to think big picture and delegate the smaller tasks. Otherwise I find myself running in circles trying to be everything to everyone. I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses — and what I enjoy doing. My love is relationship building and connecting, so I try to book at least one meeting a day with either a stylist, a clothing brand, a fellow PR executive, etc. Each day I put together my to-do list of what I want to accomplish, which sometimes includes going to setup a business license for the company or going to a runway show. This is why I love my job … every day is different and exciting. I also have two AMAZING interns who help with everything from finding content for the site, local errands, research for events and more.

What would you say is the key to your success with SimplyStylist.com?

Staying true to what I would want out of an event. Making sure there are fantastic panelists, amazing networking opportunities and that the content of the seminar is useful to the attendees.

Finally, for the most important question: Who is your favorite designer?

Marchesa can really do no wrong for red carpet. For everyday I love mixing high and low — brands I live in include Michael Kors, H&M, Aryn K. and Agave Denim.