Internship Week 1
Like a month ago, I had a meeting with my Fashion Merchandising teacher. She and I discussed my goals and ambitions, and she happened to mention that she had connections in Downtown LA in the fashion district. My goal is to be a Buyer and she happened to know some people in the field. Of course I jump on that the moment I hear. Christmas break rolls around, I e-mailed my instructor to please give me some names and numbers to call. She replied and told me Ed at this Buying Office was expecting my call. To say the least, I got excited! I called Ed, he wanted an interview, I went to the interview… and I got the internship!
I am an intern for a trend and color forecasting firm. WOO-HOO! BRING OUT THE BUBBLY!
This past Monday was my first day at this said internship. I was super early, like incredibly early, like only homeless people were on the streets at that hour early. I had to wait in the lobby for a while. Obviously, I’m anal about being punctual.
At 8:15 sharp, I went up to the office and waited for them to open up. This small old asian lady open the doors and then told me to sit on the cheetah print couch. Incredibly nervous, I obeyed. So I sat there, in my very professional outfit, clutching my blue cheetah print Betsey Johnson purse, waiting for someone to tell me to do something.
Fifteen minutes later, another small asain lady comes in. Imediately I fell in love with her outfit, Jefferey Campbell heels, fur vest, skinny jeans, and uber chic jewlery. We introduced each other and she ends up being the assistant to the CEO. She told me to go ahead and wait for Ed (the guy who hired me) because he’s going to be my mentor.
Ed comes in and he brings me into the main part of the office. He gives me a desk. (AHH! I HAVE A DESK!) And he puts me to work. The office is very cute, chic furniture, nice little kitchen, and an AMAZING view of Downtown LA. So from 8:30ish-4pm, I did various jobs for Ed and his colleges. Overall, it was a good first day.
Day 2: Again I was super early. My job for the day was to put together collages on Ployvore. I did that from 8:30-4:30. I was mentally exhausted!!!!!!!
Waldo? More like, “Where’s Lauren?”
Wow, where have I been? My blog feels like a child that’s been neglected. So sorry.
Well, where do I begin? A lot of things have happened. A lot of good stuff and not so great stuff. There is one particular thing that I can’t tell until the times right. And trust me, it’s worth the wait, because it’s amazing.
Hmm… So let’s see, last time I posted I was working at Disneyland. Well, now I’m working at Macy’s and still employed by Disneyland. Disneyland was an amazing, I got to see numerous celebrities. I had panic attacks on a daily basis because I would get so star struck. My co-workers would usher me to the back room before a celebrity would come in, because they knew I would make a scene. Ha, wimps. Oh, I forgot to tell you what I did there. I was a hostess for one of the restaurants for one of the hotels. Anyways, working at Disneyland was awesome.
Now I’m working at Macy’s. I worked there when I was 16, so it kinda was like riding a bike. To tell you the truth, I find the job incredibly boring and I need more of a challenge. I’ll be sending my resume out soon.
Things with my boyfriend are… just amazing. He’s my best friend and partner in life. I love him so very much.
He’s a keeper.
So since this blog is supposed to be about fashion, I might as well talk about what I’ve been learning in school. The fashion class I’m taking this semester is Fashion Buying (Goal is to be a Buyer.)
[Hold on a second... sorry, the song playing on Spotify was bugging me]
Fashion Buying has been an interesting class. Up until about… now, I’ve been enjoying the class. Just last week, we started getting into the math part of the class. [Insert barfing noise] I know math is involved, but I’m horrible at it and I’m in denial that it’s important. But anyways, it is an interesting class, and I do want to pursue Fashion Buying as a career. I’ll share a few things I’ve learned this semester. [I'll make it simple, for those of you who are not familiar with retail/fashion.]
What is Inventory?
- Represents the amount of money a retailer has invested in stock; all sales come from inventory
- Inventory as an asset has an impact on net wort
- To prepare financial statements retailers need to know the value of their inventory
- Most reliable method of finding worth: a physical inventory, actually counting
- To avoid many costly counts, perpetual inventory adjusts purchases and physical
- In theory, book inventory should always equal physical inventory
- Running inventory- what you think you have is reality
I need to get to class, so I’ll teach you more about inventory later.
The Crinoline Period
Okay you are going to help me study for my History of Fashion final exam. It’s been a very good semester in this class. I have learned a lot and it’s very interesting.
[Eats a handful of Doritos and gets distracted by Facebook]
Please excuse me, I have trouble paying attention.
FOCUS, LAUREN. [deep breath]
Alright anyways… so my exam is on The Crinoline Period through the 90′s. Don’t worry, I’ll explain it.
[and just so you know, it's 2:29 right now and my final is at 6]
Let’s start off with The Crinoline Period.
Here are some facts so you get an idea of what we’re talking about here.
1. 1840-1865
2. Queen Victoria- r. 1837-1901; Florence Nightingale- 1820-1910
3. Writers/Books- Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Alice in Wonderland.
4. Abe Lincoln was assassinated.
5. Civil War- 1861-1865
Okay, so now that you have an idea when The Crinoline Period was… let’s talk fashion baby.
The name “Crinoline” came from the invention of the “Crinoline cage” which is the hoop skirt. Before the hoop skirt, women would have to layer their petticoats in order to get fullness in their skirts. That was too heavy and often made the dresses drag in the dirt more. The invention of the hoop skirt made it much easy, hence “The Crinoline Period.” Women were all about the 18″ waist (I know… I secretly hate them too.) I think of Charlotte O’Hare; small waist, neck line off the shoulders, hoop skirt, petticoats, corset. Basic colors for everyone was black, men wore browns and greys and women wore jeweled toned clothing. Women often wore their hair in sausage curls, where men wore their hair short with long sideburns, with or without a mustache or beard. Womens under drawers were made of cotton, split down the center, trimmed in lace. Over the underwear they placed a chemise, corset placed over, then corset cover or camisole. Dresses were usually two piece, had a full gathered or pleated skirt and a dropped shoulder line.
Jeremy Scott Fall 2011
It’s Raining Men, Hallelujah.
Who doesn’t love a well dressed guy? Yeah, we all do.
Fall 2011 Menswear Preview
Salvatore Ferragamo
Army Fabrics
Lumberjack meets tuxedo- Thank you Viktor & Rolf!
Matisse inspired Phillip Lim
Howdy partner.
Whoaaaaaa. I’m sorry it’s been a while since I’ve been on here. So I started the spring semester, the week isn’t even over and I feel like I’m drowning. Here are the classes I’m taking: Psychology, Math, History of Fashion, Merchandising for a Profit I & II. Oh boy… so stressful.
Last night as I was sitting in my Merchandising for a Profit I class, I noticed that the teacher kept looking at me with this worried confused look. I then noticed that during her whole lecture I had this “I have just been stabbed and I’m dying” look on my face, which tends to happen when I feel stressed and I’m trying to understand the lecture. So that explains the teachers worried look. For those of you who don’t know me, I hate math and math hates me. And last night in this class, I found out it was a math class… for retail.
I’m screwed.
[Starts to get overwhelmed and chugs the rest of her Starbucks Caramel Macciato]
I need to calm down.
To get my mind off of things, let me update you on other things and talk about what’s on my mind.
1. I have a wonderful boyfriend! I know my past posts have been about the search of a worthy guy. And I found him! And the best thing is… We’re in love!
2. That Caramel Macciato was incredibly delish. I want another, but Starbucks in annoyingly expensive. I might buy a crossaint later.
3. I’m excited that my boyfriend is meeting me here [Starbucks] soon. I’ve missed him.
4. Hey… does anyone know of any fashion/retail jobs that are hiring? Because I’m in desperate need of money. I can show you my bank statement to prove it.
5. I have had a cold and sinus infection for the past month and a half. I am sick of being sick. And I think the people sitting around me, hearing me cough up God knows what, are sick of it too. If only I had medical insurance, I would be downing antibiotics as we speak.
6. We’re interviewing people to be my new roommate. My other roommate was on my case to clean my room and the bathroom. Did I mention that I’m an adult? And I don’t need someone to pretend to be my mother. She then goes ahead to clean my bathroom, when I was right about to do it myself! Does she think I’m incompetent or something? Ugh.
7. I have a problem with sweets. My New Years resolution should be to cut our sweet all together or at least decrease my intake by a lot.
8. I applied for a casting call for a new show MTV is going to do with Kelly Cutrone. It should be interesting.
9. I really should post something related to fashion, since this is supposed to be a fashion blog.
10. But I’m inpatient and in a weird mood, so I’ll do it later.
Globalization of the Fashion Industry
Globalization At It’s Best
Forget sex… let’s talk about business baby, just you and me. Globalization has forever changed the fashion industry. It has changed where things are made, sold and how different companies compete with each other.
Imports and exports are very important aspects that every nation needs to take into consideration. Generally speaking, every nation would like to have equal parts of imports coming in and exports going out.
For those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about… Exports are products or services that one country sells and ships to another. Imports are merchandise brought in from another country for resale or other purposes.
All Industry Segments Are Affected by Globalization
Textile Producers: They usually buy their products from other countries for a lower, more affordable price. Many textile producers import yarns needed to produce the fabric.
Apparel Firms: They have their product made in different countries where there is more labor available for a lower price. Different companies like Liz Claiborne and Nike have their garments make in dozens of countries.
Retailers: They are also very active global players. Retailers have been part of the global economy for a very long time. They have traveled to other countries to buy lines for their stores. But more recently, they have gone a step farther. They have started to include private-label lines, taking on many roles that are usually taken care of by the manufacturer.
Consumers: A huge link in the global fashion economy. 60 to 70 percent of apparel sold in America is made in different countries, the need for imports are growing at a rapid pace. In the past, the global brands were usually only connected with luxury labels, like Chanel and Rolex. But as time and technology increases, consumers all over the world tend to want the same things, forcing the fact that export and imports will increase in the global economy. There are three major reasons it’s become easier to share and receive products from different countries: 1) The ability to use credit cards to pay for any product anywhere; 2) Internet allows apparel firms and retailers to sell to anyone in any location; 3) Worldwide delivery systems like Federal Express.
Who Imports and Why
There are three major categories of fashion merchandising imported into the United States: 1) Fabric and yarn; 2) ready-to-wear merchandise that is totally designed and produced by foreign manufacturers and is generally purchased by retail buyers for resale; 3) merchandise that is contracted out to oversea factories for all or part of the production process and then is returned to the United States.
The reasons for the high growth rate of imports can be very different. Some of them include: Lower prices- U.S. labor costs are so much more expensive than the third world countries that are willing to work for any wage. Availability of hand labor- Many other countries have more hand labor capabilities than America has. Hand labor increases in price in more developed countries. Product voids in the United States- Category of merchandise that the United States doesn’t have a good resource of or doesn’t make well, like cashmere from Scotland and leather from Spain. Other reasons include Exclusive rights, fashion cachet of Europe, etc.
Vamped Up Accessories
I don’t have a certain “style.” But I loooooooove all of these accessories and they inspire me to vamp up my wardrobe for Fall/Winter.
Late Night Laughter
I’m very awake for some reason, normally I would have been asleep hours ago.
I was watching YouTube videos of my boyfriend and I laughed out loud and woke up my roommate. So I decided to go to the kitchen to have an unhealthy amount of coconut and apples (Is that possible?) And study Spring 2011 Fashion Week.
I love Proenza Schouler.
This collection makes me want to dance to Flo Rida, eat peanut butter and do the Jersey Shore “fist pump.” It’s that good.
Mad for Balmain.
I have a date tonight and I’m expecting him… like any minute now. So I’m a little anxious slash excited.
While I’m waiting, let’s take a moment to appreciate Balmain SS11.
Oh my gosh, I just died a little. Balmain… every single season amazes me. I mean LOOK AT IT!!! ISN’T IT COOL? Yeah… I thought so.
Dude, I would love to wear any of this. This collection puts me in the mood to ride a motorcycle and go to a bar. Too bad I don’t have a motorcycle and I’m underage. Well, at least I could pretend.
Well done Christophe Decarnin… I would high-five you if I could.
