Summer Camp Diaries

Oh...wait. You thought I meant the kind of camp where there's tents, dirt and those god awful things called running shoes (which should never be worn by teenage boys with jeans and a button up by the way)? Seriously, what kind of people do you think we are? All jokes aside, this is the kind of summer camp I’ve been dreaming of. It’s the pre-college program at AAU and so far the Academy of Art University has not let me down. Surrounded by the gorgeous city of San Fran, AAU has a fab location and there's creativity oozing from each, alley, street and unique boutique. The dorms here are pas mal and are made from converted buildings around town. The ladies’ dorm is an old office building and our floor is painted, very appropriately, Tiffany blue. However, the boys are incredibly lucky with a refurbished hotel and fireplaces in their rooms and private bathrooms. Seriously guys…what the heck does a teenage boy need a fireplace for? Why in the world do us girls have communal bathrooms when the boys have private ones? Goodness gracious...i guess this really does somewhat resemble camping after all.

Just Kidding...it's lovely here.

Anyways, AAU is very confusing to me in terms of how it's regarded in the art world. Supposedly it's the number one arts school in the country, but all the bloggers say they hate it. They're the only ones who show at Bryant Park (or now I guess it's Mr. Abe's center), but supposedly students have trouble getting jobs. The main point here is that I’m confused. If anyone has any experience please give me a ring on my cellie.

Thanks you wonderful fashionable people.

Bis,
Maddy

Street Style: Downtown La Jolla, CA

Good Lord! Doesn't Rebecca's internship sound superfab? Like, I'm leaking from the mouth just thinking about it. The only way to supress these sympotoms of super extreme jealousy is to go out and harass stylish strangers into letting me take pictures of them. Which brings us quite nicely to exhitbit A above. This stylish Californian has taken the teenage trend of shortshorts to new heights. With Chanelesque clog heels and a crop top (something I haven't seen anyone wear since Saved by the Bell) she screams confidence. Yet, with a formal white bias bound blazer she manages to keep from showing too much skin and adds a formal element to the look. An exclamation point necklace mixed with Ray Bans and a cute lil' scarf makes an unusal blend we melt for....oh no! the symptoms are starting again! I'll be back later, for now I gotta go find some more stylish subjects.

Bis,
Rebeca and (a very jealous) Maddy!

Intern Diaries: Part 2

Chloe Dao is just so goddamn normal. She stirrs her coffee with a chopstick like the rest of us! I felt pretty special to be chosen to intern with her this summer, given that I'm still in high school and by far her youngest intern, but I learned over lunch (all the staff has lunch together) that she's actually going to be mentoring a 16 year old soon. Whatever the difference between 'mentoring' and 'interning' is, who knows, but this 16 year old apparently wants to put on her very own charity fashion show at the Marriott (or is it Hilton? I can't quite remember) Hotel.

Wow...pretty big dreams that 16 year old's got right there! Putting on a fashion show of that caliber is pretty serious business (the sponsors? the designers? etc) and I think it's so selfless of Chloe to set aside time to make this girl's project happen. Apparently this 16 year old girl wants to go into Event-planning/fashion marketing, so this isn't a bad start....which leads me to ask you guys:

what are YOUR (fashion-related) dream jobs?
I'm really curious to hear y'alls responses!

Intern Diaries: Part 1


I started interning with Chloe Dao Project Runway Season 2 Winner, this past week in Houston. Chloe is actually one of my favorite contestants ever and Season 2 was, in my opinion, the best season to date. I couldn't believe my luck when I found out she was located in Houston, my hometown. The thing I love about interning with Chloe is that, unlike other bigger fashion companies/PR firms, each intern is given real objectives and projects. None of us sit around and fetch coffee or answer phone calls all day, we're always hard at work. My first project while interning with Chloe is to help launch her very own blog. I'm so excited that she's jumping onto the blogging bandwagon - it's essential in this day and age to reaching out to customers and it definitely makes the designer more memorable giving them their own voice. I'm the only Marketing/PR intern as of now - aside from helping her launch her own blog, I'm also responsible for updating her Facebook fan page, her twitter, and promoting her several lines online. The rest of the interns are design interns and they help Chloe with everything from photoshopping studio pictures to cutting and sewing whatever garment needs to be finished.


The other interns - Anthony, Shay, and Ksenia (Sasha)

Ksenia is one of the sweetest people ever. She's originally from Russia and we all call her Sasha. She and Anthony (in the fashion industry, every team needs your lovable token gay guy!) are currently graduate students at HCC for design. Shay just graduated from the University of Houstonand is my fellow Marketing/PR buddy and she works at Chloe's boutique, Lot 8.


Although we're always hard at work, we share lots of laughs in the office. Chloe's actually one of the funniest and goofiest people I've ever met - despite her amazingly hectic job, she'll always find time to crack a joke, and I think her Vietnamese/Laos/Texan accent is the cutest thing ever.


Her studio is actually located in her garage, and she sews each piece by hand with her team! Chloe often goes to bed at midnight and will wake up at 5 AM...even for a designer of her level and talent, the job is never easy and certainly not as glamorous as one may think. If you're expecting each intern to have their own cubicle a la THe Hills or The City, think again.



That's it for now - I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on Chloe's blog, her giveaways, and all the other craziness that goes on in her studio/Lot 8 Boutique (which I have started working at! pictures to come).

Intern Diaries

Now that we're back in the States, we've been getting serious about our summer projects. Rebecca has started interning with Project Runway Season 2's winner, Chloe Dao, in her studio in Houston. She'll do weekly installments called Intern Diaries...starting tomorrow, she'll tell you all about her life on the job, the other interns, and whether a fashion internship is all really as glamorous as it seems on The Hills. Stay tuned!

Our latest obsession has got to be StyleSofia.com. They've got the cutest selection of dressy and casual tank tops and skirts for the summer, and we particularly love their gold tank top (shown above), which goes perfectly with any skirt or pant. While we adore online shopping heavens such as Shopbop.com and Asos.com, we've got to admit - it's not always affordable. On the other hand, most of the items we found on StyleSofia.com were under $40 - not too shabby!

STYLESOFIA also supports ethical & sustainable fashion by partnering with key green designers such as KAYU and The Uniform Project, and by ensuring that production minimizes wastage at every level. So, when you are purchasing from StyleSofia, you can rest assured that your dollar is going towards a worthy cause.

Street Style: Midtown New York City

After returning from France just a few weeks ago, our eyes are still adjusting to the idea of (gasp!) colors and patterns. The idea of greens, reds and purples seems almost normal now, but seeing a neon orange,almost Lady GaGaesque jumpsuit with colorblocked heels was the final step in shocking us out of our France color (or lack there of) guidelines. The limits are now endless, and who knows! Maybe rainbows and sparkles will be the next staple of La Societe de Mode! The neon excitement is simply too much!

....phew, sorry about that, but jokes aside, the originality of this grandiose mass of land we like to call America is simply overwhelming. It's been eye opening to see the U.S.A. through the eyes of a European these past few weeks.

Bis,
Rebecca&Maddy

Street Style: Willowbrook Mall



So we're back in the States for the summer and the first stop we made was the Willowbrook Mall in Houston, Texas. We may no longer be in France, but that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of French-inspired looks to be seen. Sophia, 21, channeled Parisian summer chic in a striped navy blue dress and an adorable blue-white-and-red printed summer scarf, completed with a Chanel clutch. She radiated elegance and style - just like a Parisian should.