Faithfully Fabulous

I am a sucker for anything that combines fashion and learning! I can’t get enough of the conferences, classes and seminars, I always leave with new friends and a notebook full of new ideas. So naturally when I heard of the Simply Stylist seminar at the W Hotel in Hollywood (which in itself is a fabulous enough reason to go) I knew it was an event not to be missed. 

Black and yellow was the theme of the day for me. I always choose to wear a dress that stands out when I attend these events. People tend to remember me easier and… hey, standing out in a sea of fashionable people is quite hard to do! My outfit is featured on the Simply Stylist website, if you are feeling kind, you can vote here.

Lunch was… lite? It’s Hollywood, I should have expected it. Yummy, indeed but I’m so not a salad girl! Networking with new people is always one of my favorite parts of these events. At lunch I met lovely fellow stylists, bloggers, and even a few fellow School of Style grads! Check out their fabulous blogs:

Jamie Gaul: comedian/fashion blogger at vogueandvodka.com

Erica Paonessa: fashion blogger at styleminx.com

Elizabeth Keene: stylist/fashion blogger at akeenesenseofstyle.com

Molly Drago: Stylist at mollydragostyle.blogspot.com

Emily Moiseve: Stylist at EmilyMoiseve.com

I met up with friend and fellow Personal Styling 101 grad, Courtney Jacobs and she snapped the above picture of me in front of the hotel.

Fancy fancy… the red carpet leading to the seminar

With Jamie Krell and Catt Sadler, such sweet and inspirational ladies

The panel was moderated by Catt and included (from left to right): 

• Brenna Egan

LA Editor of Refinery29 and former Vogue staffer

• Jamie Krell

Style expert for E! and Style network

• Kym and Alexis Mclay

Founders of Naven fashion worn by stars such as Katy Perry, and Emmy Rossum

• Jeanne Yang

Celebrity stylist to Katie Holmes who she also collaborates with for their line Holmes & Yang

• Shea Marie

Fashion blogger for CheyenneMeetsChanel

Although the entire panel had some great words of wisdom, here are my favorite pieces of advice that I took home with me that day!

I’m disheveled and I own it - Brenna

Do your job better than anyone else no matter what it is - Brenna

Take a picture, it’s so much more honest than a mirror - Brenna

Have a centered life outside of work - Jeanne

Be as positive and as happy as possible, always laugh. Keep going and it will pay off. - Jeanne

Do an idiot check (3rd check) - Jeanne

Being bitter gives you wrinkles - Jeanne

90% of successful people is because of hard work not raw talent - Jeanne

Always be a first rate version of yourself - Catt

I picked up this amazing product after the seminar, Glam Glow Mud. Can you see the difference in my hands? The one on the left is so much smoother and brighter… I was sold on the spot! This stuff is the real deal!

After taking Class 1 with School Of Style and learning the business of styling (see my experience here) I decided to take it a step further and learn the ropes of being a personal stylist. This class was held in the “Darkroom” at smashbox studios, Hollywood and taught by the fabulous, Lauren Messiah. Chic, no? Lauren is not only an experienced personal stylist, she is also an ambassador for Westfield Malls, Kohls and a part of:Style For Hire with Stacy London. Pretty impressive stuff! Not to mention her website, LaurenMessiah.com is beyond any other stylist’s website I have ever seen. On that note… go check it out, she’s the real deal! 

Class is in session! Really, who wouldn’t want this to be their classroom? I met so many fabulous fashion lovers and learned so much, if you have an interest… take the class! 

Why personal styling vs regular editorials, celeb styling, and red carpet? 

The experience is more one on one and you are able to help someone feel better about themselves, which betters their life and THAT, is something money can’t buy. What girl doesn’t just love a makeover story? Imagine being a professional makeoverer (I know, it’s not a real word but it sounds cool) as your job? It’s like, What Not To Wear, but in real life-your life!

What do you learn in Personal Styling 101?

• Benefits of Personal Styling
• Business Plan
• Building Your Website
• Equipment and Supplies
• Marketing Yourself
• Client Communication
• Taking Measurements
• Closet Audit
• Pre-Styling
• Returns
• Billing
• Fitting
• Furthering Your Education

If you love fashion and styling like me, that list is about as exciting as a shopping spree! I loved every second of it!

For a personal style class I chose to stick to my typical wardrobe of black, white and a denim jacket. I’ve tried to get away from it for years but now I’m just learning to embrace it! I added bright matte lips (MAC Ruby Woo) sparkles and some winged liner.

Will you be taking the class? I would love to hear about your experience. Sign up here

This picture says it all! Brad was seriously one of the most laid back, goofy, sweet and well dressed people I have ever met! When I found out that he would be doing a book signing and Q&A at The Grove in LA, I knew I had to be there. 

Basic black would not work for this event so I decided to step up my color and pattern mixing game. Out of my comfort zone but I think it worked well!

Brad is worth arriving early for. I was first in line and ended up sitting front and center (because is there anywhere else to be?). My obsession with an iced venti green tea (double the cup) oddly enough started when I saw Rachel sipping them on The Rachel Zoe Project. Which is where we all first met the adorable, Brad Goreski… him and all of his tears! But I like how Brad so boldly put it, “The Rachel issue is so last season”. It’s a Brad Brad World now… DUH! 

During Q&A I asked Brad, “What is your advise for an aspiring stylist”? I wish I would have recorded his answer, but in a nut shell it was: BE THE BEST INTERN YOU CAN BE and NEVER EVER EVER COMPLAIN ABOUT BEING TIRED (his number one pet peeve). He actually took quite a bit of time answering the question and lucky me got the personal advice the night before my first styling job!

As a former personal assistant of almost 10 years, I totally adore Lindsay! She is cute as a button, sweet as southern iced tea and absolutely amazing at her job. I was honored to meet and chat with her.

Ahhh… somebody pinch me because this actually happened! I also got to meet Gary on my way out, what a night! I could not have been more pleased with Team Brad. I hope to meet these three awesome people again one day. Hey, who knows, maybe one day I’ll get to work with Brad? Crazier things have happened. And one day, I will find a Gary. If you don’t know what that means - watch the show!

Amazing, right? Something I will forever remember as I embark on this crazy journey of being a stylist. Personal advice, from Brad, himself, getting to meet Brad, Lindsay AND Gary, and a signed book? I would say: A night to remember! 

Brad’s book, Born To Be Brad, is an inspirational story of being true to yourself and dreams come true. Hard works pays off and Brad is proof of that. If you haven’t already, get your copy here. And if you have read it, let me know what you think! 

When my bestie came to visit me in LA, finding a television show taping to attend was priority! And what better than Fashion Police? I mean really, Joan is the funniest person alive, I love Giuliana for a million reasons, George is just too sweet, and I have been wanting to see Kelly’s hair in person… like forever. Which by the way is GORGEOUS on her, I judge no more. Girl can rock it.

I don’t know if I have ever been more stressed out about finding exactly the right thing to wear! Sitting in front of a cast who judges ensembles as a living is a bit of an intimidating thought, no? 

The Scene: NBC Universal studio. Call time was 8am, yep… Fashion Police is filmed that early and everyone on set look perfect. They must have had A LOT of COFFEE! No video’s or picture taking was allowed while the cameras were actually filming so my shots aren’t great but they work. Fashion Police is taped on Tuesday and aired on Friday night. It was SO HARD not to tweet spoiler alerts! But I was a good girl! :)

Jonathan Adler (LOVE HIM) here to chat about the new set he designed for the show, such a nice guy! In between takes; hair, makeup and stylist guru’s were on hand to spray, pin, powder and provide sips of water to the hosts. I got to see the fabulous, Lauren Shane in action which was quite thrilling. I love the styling work she does on, Giuliana! 

They passed out these badges to the audience. Cool, right? I’m now an official, Joan Ranger! Along with badges, Melissa (Rivers- executive producer) passed candy around and kept us on a sugar high to make sure that we were loud and crazy for the entire taping. It’s quite exhausting to do so much clapping, screaming and laughing that early, but well worth it to be a part of the show! I can’t wait to go back.