Top: Similar // Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch // Shoes: Similar // Necklace: Joy Dravecky
StyleWeekOC was a weekend long event from September 13-15 at Fashion Island in Newport Beach put on by Fashion Island and an LA based digital influencer marketing company called Simply. I attended on Saturday, the main event day, that was filled with speaker panels, brand activations, and in-store parties! I mainly went to listen to the panels full of super cool experts from style-related industries and hopefully take away a few pieces of advice from them in all aspects of fashion and marketing.
Since I'm new to this world and not very savvy when it comes to navigating it and the people in it, I have to admit I was a bit intimidated to attend! Fashion Island is a very high-end shopping destination, full of designer brands, and I didn't know what type of clientele would be attending the event (i.e. if I would be looked down upon for my fast-fashion clothing!) It ended up being pretty casual, with attendees of all ages wearing all different styles of clothing, and I never felt judged. The outfit I went with consisted of a black ribbed mockneck tank from Target, ripped Abercrombie & Fitch straight leg jeans, black heels from the LC Lauren Conrad line at Kohl's, and a gold coin necklace from Joy Dravecky.
I sat down to listen to the first panelist, actress Kat Graham. Kat had some great things to say about comparing yourself to others. She emphasized that our phones should not be the first things we look at in the morning, because it starts us off on the wrong foot of comparing ourselves. She advised that when we first wake up, we meditate. We should take a few moments to think about how we can better ourselves each day, how we are going to smash our goals and compete with OURSELVES. I loved hearing this from her, because this is something I really need to work on!
The next panel was the fashion panel, which I was super excited for. It consisted of celebrity stylist Lo VonRumpf, fashion influencer Cassydy, the creator of Gorjana jewelry, Gorjana, and fashion influencer Lindsay Albanese. They spoke about fall fashion and what trends are out (bye bye, dad shoes, neon, and baker boy hats- although we know many of you ladies look fab in these trends!) and what they're looking forward to wearing this season. They also had some awesome business advice for anyone looking to break in to the biz and how to- and how not to- reach out to people you want to potentially work with.
The beauty panel was third, and while I enjoy beauty and products very much, this one was a bit out of touch for me. The talk was mostly focused on high-end beauty products the regular girl can't afford- think La Mer! Courtney Kerr was there to talk up it Cosmetics, which is slightly more accessible for the everyday girl. Christine Kong had advice on skincare, emphasizing that we all should be wearing sunscreen 24/7 (obvi, but how many of us actually follow that rule?) Other panelists included the gorgeous Olia Majd (who confessed she loves Maybelline concealer!) and celebrity makeup artist Joyce Bonelli.
The last panel I attended was the Digital Marketing panel, which I was the most excited about. The panel consisted of Casey Goode of Officially Quigley, Becca Tobin of the LadyGang, model Rocky Barnes, and Brandy Pham, the creator of the social media planning app, Planoly. On the term 'influencer,' Quigley said "I don't think there's any shame in establishing yourself as an influencer" and emphasized that anyone who is passionate about a specific topic or niche, and really wants to connect with an audience, can do so. Becca emphasized the need to stay authentic with your audience, as audiences can ALWAYS identify when you are being inauthentic. Rocky seconded this, saying that she only partners with brands that she actually believes in, no matter how much money she is offered from other brands. Advising on how to get started in the 'influencer' world, Rocky said to buy clothing that you love, take photos of your outfits, post photos of your outfits on Instagram, and tag the brands, because you never know who will notice you. Quigley motivated the audience, acknowledging that many of us may think it's too late to break into the industry, but pointing out that is a completely false thought: The industry is rising from $5 billion in 2018 to $22 billion in 2020! Brandy had some awesome advice to answer a question regarding the importance of websites: They are equally important as your Instagram feed (which serves as your portfolio)f so be sure to give your website constant love and attention.
After the panels, I was able to meet and chat with both Quigley and Becca Tobin. They were both amazingly sweet and a joy to talk to! Quigley even sent me a voice message saying how nice it was to meet me and how happy it made her to chat!
Since the event, I have also received amazingly sweet messages from Cassydy, Brandy Pham, and Christine Kong. It's so nice to know there are women in this industry who are so supportive of each other and of other women who are wanting to break in to the industry!
I hope to get the opportunity to attend another event like this soon, as it was so motivating to listen to all these incredible ladies (and Lo!) and to take all their advice in for the future.
♡tanna
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