EVENT | Teen Vogue x Man Repeller x Phillip Lim

As a longtime fan of Teen Vogue, I always love checking out the cool and fun events they have whenever I'm in New York. And now that I live here, it's nice to be able to get out to a lot more of them. I recently sat in the audience of a panel discussion and book signing for The Teen Vogue Handbook, featuring Editor in Chief Amy Astley and Editors Elaine Welteroth & Drew Elovitz, along with the Man Repeller herself Leandra Medine and fashion designer Phillip Lim. This is the second edition of the handbook, which has a lot of new information for anyone hoping to get into the fashion industry.

 Such a rock star panel:

L-R: Drew Elovitz, Elaine Welteroth, Phillip Lim, Leandra Medine, Amy Astley

COMING UP | The Teen Vogue Handbook in NYC

FYI NYC!

Hope to see y'all there :)

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

EVENT | Teen Vogue x Sportmax Party ft. Bella & Gigi Hadid

On Tuesday I got to hang out with the gorgeous Hadid sisters at Sportmax in SoHo with Teen Vogue. Bella and Gigi Hadid celebrated with fans in the store for a night filled with fashion, music and treats.

Take a peek:

TEEN VOGUE FASHION UNIVERSITY 2012 | Part 8: Editors Panel

The last session of Saturday's events was Teen Vogue 101 with Amy Astley and the other Teen Vogue editors. This panel discussion was open for all of us TVFU attendees and everyone was eager to get insight on how to potentially land a dream internship (or job...) in the industry.

Gloria Baume, Elaine Welteroth, Jane Keltner de Valle, Sheena Smith and Andrew Bevan joined Amy Astley in opening the floor to questions from us inspiring fashion writers, stylists, designers, bloggers, etc.

Here are some tips from the pros:

"This is a good time in your life to explore those other opportunities that you won’t get a chance to do when you all of a sudden work in an office everyday" - Sheena Smith

"Take advantage of the fact that you are still a kid, that you have free time, and go and live your life. Be inspired by being a kid. You will one day graduate college and you will one day be in an office. There’s so much pressure on internships as if it’s your only chance to make things happen, and it’s not" - Andrew Bevan

Always give 110% at your internships - your bosses will notice if you are full of positivity or if you are just slacking off. "People always think when you are interning we aren’t paying attention to you, but we are always watching," says Gloria Baume. "The truth is, you need to just learn to never say no. Always try to do your job well, and think ahead."

Use internships and volunteering as opportunities to find out what you don't like. It's always a learning experience. Elaine Welteroth, the new beauty editor, interned in advertising and hated it. "It taught me everything I don’t want in my job," she says. "I was so thankful that I did it before I was out in the real world."

Ultimately, it was such a great experience to get advice straight from the editors themselves. Who knows, maybe I'll get to work for them someday....(kind of scary to think that every other person in that audience is thinking the exact same thing...)

Next up: Topshop soiree, the authors of The Nanny Diaries, Fashion in the Digital Age panel & more!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

TEEN VOGUE FASHION UNIVERSITY 2012 | Part 5: Nicole Richie

You've seen her on The Simple Life, you've seen her on Fashion Star, and I had the pleasure of seeing her on the Teen Vogue Fashion U stage in the Hudson Theatre. I've always been a huge fan of Nicole Richie and after hearing her speak, I admired her even more. From her multiple clothing and accessory lines, including House of Harlow 1960 and Winter Kate, to her dedication to help others (her and husband Joel Madden created The Richie Madden Children's Foundation), and not to mention she is also a mother of two, she has worked hard to get to where she is today.

She was the person I was most excited to see at this year's TVFU and I was ecstatic to land a front row spot.

Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Amy Astley conducted the interview on stage and the room was buzzing with excitement for Nicole.

Here's a fun interview she did for THE LOOK on Hello Style - ahh I love her.

Next up: an inside look at the Teen Vogue offices, Phillip Lim, fashion panels & more!

- Christina

Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

TEEN VOGUE FASHION UNIVERSITY 2012 | Part 4: Olivier Theyskens

The second session of the day, following the fantastic keynote speaker Grace Coddington, was with Belgian-born designer Olivier Theyskens. He is the artistic director of the brand Theory, where he also has a collection called Theyskens' Theory. Olivier also launched a book in 2010, The Other Side of the Picture, featuring fashion photography by his friend Julien Claessens. At the TVFU session, he was interviewed by Amy Astley and they spoke about his experiences as a designer, where he gets his inspiration for collections and he gave advice to budding young designers.

He was such a charming guy - and I love his Belgian accent! Check out some of my photos from the interview:
 

Take a look at the SS 2013 collection of Theyskens' Theory:

Next up: Nicole Richie, Phillip Lim, the Teen Vogue tour & more!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

TEEN VOGUE FASHION UNIVERSITY 2012 | Part 3: Grace Coddington

Last year's keynote speaker was fashion designer Michael Kors and this year I was so excited to hear that Grace Coddington would be gracing us with her presence. The legendary Creative Director at Vogue took the time to talk to us about her experiences in front and behind the cameras, what it's like in the world of Vogue and even advice to us young ones.

Grace Coddington was discovered first as a model but her creative edge and keen eye began to shape the photo shoots and she eventually became Anna Wintour's right hand woman. She really only gained a public face after being featured in the documentary The September Issue and she even mentioned that's how her life changed after the film was released: she started getting recognized on the streets.

Her work is truly impeccable and I always love to see what she comes up with. Most recently, she wrote a memoir, letting the public get to know her even more. Teen Vogue editor Amy Astley introduced Grace and you could feel the excitement in the entire room.

Amazing to see and hear from her in person! Above photo: her first Vogue cover

That's her in the bikini, used as a model to liven up the shoot!

Here are some photos of her favourite shoots that were shown on the screen during her interview:

My personal faves: Her Alice in Wonderland shoot featuring designers as the iconic characters.

That's Olivier Theyskens, as Lewis Carroll, who I also got to see speak at this year's TVFU!

One of my favourite moments of the session was how she emphasized her love of cats. She says that people send her cat-related things in the mail all the time (clothing, photos, accessories, etc).


"If you don't like cats, you can't be in my life." - Grace Coddington

Here's a clip of Grace from The September Issue

Next up: Olivier Theyskens, Nicole Richie, Phillip Lim & more!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

TEEN VOGUE FASHION UNIVERSITY 2012 | Part 1

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend this year's Teen Vogue Fashion University in New York City, aka my future home.

Roughly 500 fashion-loving girls and guys were brought together for a weekend of events, seminars and endless networking opportunities. This year's impressive list of speakers included people from all areas of the fashion world, from fashion industry legends (this year's keynote speaker was THE Grace Coddington, creative director of Vogue) and fashion designers to fashion bloggers and stylists.

Many people have asked me what this is and how it works - and how to get there - so I thought I'd share some more details about what TVFU is all about.

Applying:

- The application is released online during the summer on their website: www.teenvoguefashionuniversity.com
- It requires the basic info about your background and consists of a few short answer questions (example: Who is your style inspiration and why?) as well as the option to submit photos and/or sketches.

Attending:

- Approximately 500 people are selected to attend each year.
- The cost of the program is $275.
- Travel to NYC and accommodation is not included.
- The sessions take place in The Hudson Theatre and Conde Nast Building in Times Square on the Saturday and Sunday. The whole event ends with graduation photos on Sunday.

Actual event:

- Sessions are selected online during registration and everyone's schedule is different, depending on the speakers/sessions you wanted to attend.
- There are sessions that everyone attends, such as the keynote speaker, Teen Vogue editors panel, and the Fashion in the Digital Age panel - and the rest of the sessions are in smaller groups.
- You can even sign up for a tour of the Teen Vogue offices, but this one fills up quickly, so register early if you want to get a glimpse of the infamous fashion closet and editor Amy Astley's gorgeous office!

Special Events:

- There is always a kick-off shopping party on the Friday night (The past two years I've attended have been at H&M)
- Also a second shopping party on the Saturday night (The past two years I've attended have been at Topshop)

Have more questions? Feel free to shoot me an email!

Next up: LOTS of TVFU posts ft. stories from all the sessions I attended, plus special events.

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Watch This Year's TVFU with FORA.tv

Hey everyone!

I am currently writing this from an airport, waiting for my flight to New York. This weekend is super exciting because I'm heading to my favourite city to attend this year's Teen Vogue Fashion University.

This year's speakers include Grace Coddington, Nicole Richie, and Amy Astley, just to name a few. And with so many amazing guests and sessions, I'm looking forward to a weekend of meeting my fellow fashion lovers. 

And although I know you all wish you could be there, don't worry, there's another option! You can watch Saturday's sessions from the comfort of your own home. You can purchase a Virtual Classroom Pass and watch it at http://fora.tv/conference/teen_vogue_fashion_university_2012. As a special treat for my readers, I have a coupon code for you :) Use FASHUBLOG when purchasing your Virtual Classroom Pass and receive 20% off!

Keep an eye out for TVFU updates from my experience!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28