"What Kind of Blogger am I?" My IFBCon Experience (EDIT: Pics of Mani Added)

Hello there guys and gals!

I didn't predict this past week at school being so busy as it was but nonetheless, I've seen it through and I'm ready to try and bring you back up to speed on all that's been going on! This weekend is going to be a challenge to try and tackle 4-5 posts (!) as my birthday falls right in the middle, but I'm a lady who doesn't like to give up so before I start going wild with the festivities, I definitely owe it to you all to share something for helping this past year be as amazing as it has been.

I previously spoke about the IFBCon that I was going to attend, and attend I did! The day was a bit dreary and so getting dress became a hassle, seeing as I can't think of a time looking stylish ever meant more! Due to the time, though, I ended up walking out in a decent outfit but nothing I felt too fantastic in; just decent. I made arrived at MILK Studios and entered a room filled with amazingly dressed individuals, playing with every style, trend, and price point imaginable!

I hurried to take a seat, having arrived just in time for the first panel, "Bloggers Tool Kit," and I couldn't have been happier to have done so. It was my favorite of them all! The panelists, Leandra Medine of Man Repeller, Vahni Georgoulakos of Grit and Glamour, Sammy Davis of Sammy Davis Vintage, Erica Chan Coffman and Lauren Kolodny of Honestly WTF, and Alisa Gould Simon of Pose.com, along with moderator Christen Rochon of Divas & Dorks, discussed all social media platforms available to bloggers and how they provide benefits as well as negatives, unless one is able to really figure out what works best. They also spoke about maintaining attentiveness to your audience: What posts are most popular? When do you get the most views? Where is a good portion of your audience located? What are they saying in regards to your content? All these factors not only help you as a blogger out to keep improving your content, but also, if you are interested in working with companies, these are essential in obtaining offers. Knowing the statistics behind your blog is absolutely important for companies wanting to be sure they are having the right people marketing their products to their designated audience. This isn't really something that interests me, and I'll speak more on that later, but as it was a part of the panel, I felt it should be mentioned in case any others held interest. Lastly, they spoke of the importance of knowing what kind of blogger you are--what I found to be the most crucial point of the panel. Examples were Sammy Davis and her focus on Vintage fashion while Leandra Medine's focus was on all those fashionable items that seem to make men turn the other way and why they should be embraced! What kind of blogger am I? Keep reading...

Then there was break time, in which I enjoyed some seriously delicious ice cream on behalf of Magnum Ice Cream! SO GOOD EVERYONE!! Do your best to check them out if you can. It had to be my second best ice cream experience ever! (My first was in a Häggen-Dazs down in Chinatown offering a special vanilla ice cream with banana and caramel and, I kid you not, I practically orgasmed due to the goodness.) I was also being really shy so I didn't really talk to many people and sat at my seat like a lonely kid eating their ice cream in a busy fashionable playground.

The next panel, "Is the Social Media Industry Broken?" honestly carried little interest to me. It wasn't due to the panelists, who were very engaging in their discussion, but the topic of trying to make your blog into a profitable commodity was not my thing. Personally, I do not plan on making my blog a form of capitalization and could care less about whether social media is engineered to further consumer nature in regards to blogs. I can safely declare right now that my blogs will remain free of advertisements off to the side and I won't gain a cent out of anything on here unless it is because of a collaboration between myself and a company or product I actually support. Actually, that last point was a very talked about issue within the panel that did spark my interest--the genuineness a blogger places when promoting anything or anyone. To quote the panelist John Januzzi of Textbook, "If you aren't genuine about the brands you love, people will see right through it," and this applies to companies as well as your audience (if you look at Januzzi's blog, be prepared for the ultimate genuinely funny and fashionable soul). Being a genuine blogger at all times, in my opinion, should remain a priority and should never fall to the back burner just to be able to work with a notable brand when you could really care less about them.


For the lunch break, since I got little sleep the previous night and really wasn't thrilled about the blandness of my outfit, I went home to take a nap and change into something much better (the pictures below aren't the full outfit--I added my black multi-chain necklace, added my vintage black patches bag and pulled my hair up into a ponytail). When I left the door and arrived back at MILK, I felt refreshed and like I really fit in then.

I skipped over the third panel, "Balancing Act: Business & Blogging" in order to take that nap, and though I heard that Ari Goldberg of StyleCaster was really owning it, it was, again, geared towards those who had an interest in making blogging their career and how to conduct yourself in a proper manner to rise up and make yourself into a worthy brand in the eyes of many (Noticing a trend yet?). If I had gone, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it insofar as getting a tip here and there as someone who does balance school and blogging, with work soon to join the mix, but I felt it wasn't something truly for me and worth looking like a lame zombie over.


When I did arrive, though, "Evolution of Fashion Media," the fourth and final panel, was taking place and that was quite the pleasure! Discussion on how fashion blogs set themselves apart from the other forms of fashion media, the emphasis on what makes a great blog great, and the issues that still need to be tackled as social media and blogging continue to evolve took place in a very fun and insightful manner. Mr. Mickey of PaperMag (Do yourself the favor and get to know Mr. Mickey--the fact that he is recognized by that name says so much), Mary HK Choi of MTV Style, Claire Sulmers of Fashion Bomb Daily (The go-to site for urban fashion and fashionable ladies of color), Ari Seth Cohen of Advanced Style (His focus is the fashionable elderly!), Joyce Chang of People Style Watch, and Christian Remröd of Fashion Networks all communicated from different media viewpoints and engaged in a really positive discourse on where fashion blogging was headed. Also, the phrase "Platform Agnosticism" really struck my interests--the idea that different social media platforms favored by bloggers are available in restricted ways such as Instagram for the iPhone should be eliminated and should be offered in a way that favors the user, not the provider. Did I mention that the moderator, Ann Colville Somma of HolierthanNow looked amazing (though I was too far back to snap a shot of her).


We took another break, and I broke out of my noob nerves and ended up chatting with Sammy Davis herself, who is actually friends with a friend of mine (and was the one who told us to meet up with each other), Robert Dean of The Stranger Speaks on YouTube! We didn't get to talk very long but she was really a wonderful, positive person that rubs off on you so quickly. I hope to see her again soon! I also caught these lovely sisters, Rachel and Nicole Effendy of Rachel et Nicole, sparking up the room together--and temporarily make me wish I had a sibling who was just as into style as I am, but best friends who are practically related are good too!

(Love the eyebrow frame glasses the gal in yellow was rocking)

(The Aldo station and all their fabulous shoes--to die for!!!)

(The Magnum Ice Cream Lounge Area and Mani Bar remained packed all throughout the day)

(Rachel Et Nicole--I'd love to take on both their outfits--Love their coordination!)

Lastly, was the Key Note Speech by the fantastic and accomplished Creative Director of ELLE Magazine Joe Zee!! It was preceded by an amazing video by the people at MILK Studios on how fashion takes place there (I think you can already tell how crappy my camera was for the day so I wasn't able to get any video of it). As you can see, though, I managed not dying--at least not right away. While he spoke to Tina Craig of Bag Snob/Snob Global Media, I got a lovely Minx Mani maintained by Magnum (oh, the alliteration). Even though he has been in the magazine industry for 20 years now, Mr. Zee really put forth the idea that bloggers are the ones of importance when it comes to fashion--they are the number one supporting feature on ELLE's website; they are the primary source fashion lovers go to when in need of inspiration--and in fact are the FUTURE!! He said he considers himself, as well as the rest of the team at ELLE, as "content providers," putting forth these ideas and interpretations of fashion, as well as all the other aspects ELLE covers, to readers, not to kill time, but to create further discourse, setting them apart from the rest of the magazine industry (I think Neil Postman would be down with that--perhaps not the topics, but definitely the intent). Again, the topic of being a genuine person and letting it be known on your blog was brought up; it honestly can't be stressed enough! Ultimately, it is YOUR VOICE, YOUR WRITTEN WORD, that makes everything happen so speak if you have something to say and speak the truth.

(Jeannine Jacob of The Coveted and the mind behind IFB)

(The MILK Studios owners) 

(You can just tell what an enthusiastic character Joe Zee has--a pleasure to have seen and heard him speak)

Embarrassing detail time: So, as I've explained to my friends, my Eager McBeaver self got a little caught up in the Q&A portion, seriously wanting to speak to Joe Zee and I was able to ask my question. The only problem was it came out in a very wrong way. I seem to have blocked the actual words from my mind, such was my embarrassment, but it was along the lines of how one can use a blog in order to garner attention in the magazine industry, in the sense of what kind of content would an editor be interested in seeing if you were applying for an internship and brought up your blog as a way to show yourself to be a fashion saavy person. What I seemed to have gotten across, though, was that my only purpose in starting my blog was to gather the attention of an outside industry that has no immediate relation to blogging, and thus if that was all I had in mind for this, I should stop and do something else (Joe Zee is known for being a very straightforward person, as you can see). I was quietly freaking out on the inside because I felt like I had crushed my one moment in front of him, and yet, I felt enlightened.


All in all, I realized that as much fun as IFBCon was, perhaps it wasn't really the place for me. Though it did provide insight in a number of ways as well as allow me to get to know and see amazing people who are working hard to do what they love, I don't hope to get a career out of being a blogger and I don't want to monetize it. If the rare opportunity of an invitation to a fashion show or a collaboration comes up, as was the case in the summer (though I had to sadly turn it down), it will only be for the sake of having that experience and/or providing something to people who are also interested and find me as a source. That was a place for those desiring to be a professional in that field, and ultimately, that isn't the case for me. Joe Zee is correct in that the magazine and blogging industries are not connected with exception to the topics they cover, but such is the way of media, and for that, I want to thank him here for answering my question and making me realize that.


So, what kind of blogger am I?

I'm the kind of blogger who just likes to talk about what I love, primarily fashion and style. I'm the blogger who does this out of the simple love of writing and the curiosity of a developing new written form and its effect on the world. I'm the blogger who likes to have fun when she posts, not take herself too seriously, and try to make the time spent with readers and enjoyable one. I'm the blogger who wants to share without worry of trying to please someone higher up, like a company or brand. I'm the blogger who watches from the outside and takes that inspiration in order to transform each day into another part of myself; my blog the collection of who I am as a whole.


I am the blogger Emi Love, a.k.a Little Luna, and it is who I will always be.


Hasta Luego!


Love,
Little Luna


P.S. If you'd like to hear more about what went down that day, there's a list of other blogs that covered the event over at IFB. Enjoy!


EDIT: I totally forgot to add some pictures I took later on of my Minx Mani that I spoke so fondly of! If you're curious to see, check it out (as long as you don't mind my dorkiness--but if you're a frequent reader, the answer must be no :P):

Lovely little fish scales

Min(i) to Max(i)

Hey everyone!

Before I jump into all the excitement going on this week with IFBCon, Fashion's Night Out, and New York Fashion Week (yes, it seems I will be doing some coverage--trying to expand my horizons), I want to introduce you to how I'll be covering my personal style posts from now on! I started school last week, meaning outfits galore to share with you all! But writing a post for each outfit and detailing them and so on can get exhausting, and in trying to add some new material on here as well as trying to revive my other blog, it'd just become very challenging. So an idea came about: Each week shall carry a theme of some sort and I'll base every outfit I wear to school on it and at the end of the week, I'll give you a round-up of different ways to work it! I figured it would be a great way to challenge myself to stick to something while transforming it each day as well as offering y'all some ideas you can incorporate into your own style! Sounds like fun? Well, let's not waste anymore time and get started!

As I mentioned, I started college once again last week and I wasn't quite ready to give up my summer looks just yet so I made my theme of the week HEMLINES. You've seen skirts of all types of lengths this summer, from the mini-est mini skirts to the longest of maxi skirts and everything in between. Hemlines have also played a role in tops as well, with cropped tops making a mega-resurgence as of late. I only had classes for two days, though, so I decided to stick to the extremes on the scale and started school off with a bang with the following two outfits:

Wednesday's Outfit

I often hear that when wearing a mini skirt, one should wear them with flats but A. I really don't like to wear flats B. I really don't like rules! Because of the plaid print of the skirt, I wanted to go for a fun preppy look, to keep everything else conservative, so I paired it with a clean white sleeveless button up, a grey vest, and black patent/faux croc-skin accessories (pumps, wide ruffle belt, and purse).

Since there is a hint of pink on the skirt, I added some pink lips (a little faded by the time I took my pics for the day). Since the preppy look consists of little makeup, some mascara on the eyes as well and having had a blowout the previous day, my hair was left to blow in the wind.

Thursday's Outfit

The following day, after leaving the school at a bit of a standstill on the first day with the mini (it's a bit unusual to see at my school at least) I went for the complete opposite with this vintage printed maxi (with pockets!) that I found in my mom's closet. I did go with an opposing force on top, though, with this striped crop top that since buying it, I have practically been living in it! With all that blue, though, I kept my accessories neutral and vintage as well with exception to my little black sparrow necklace and bohemian earrings with red and pink beads dangling from it. I will say that those shoes totally KILLED my tootsies though, so I don't expect to be wearing them again, sadly (maybe in the fall with tights if anything). They were the almost-perfect wedges though.

In keeping with the bohemian babe, I kept a fresh face and again, easy breezy beautiful hair!

What are your preferred hemlines? When wearing certain hemlines, do you abide by certain rules (flats with minis, heels/wedges with maxis, etc.)? Do you channel a certain type of style when you wear a certain hemline (mini=preppy & maxi=bohemian in this case)? How do you like to accessorize when you wear them?


I hope to be updating all weekend and week so stay tuned! Hasta Luego!

Love,

Little Luna

1 Year Milestone + IFBCon!!!

Hey everyone!

You're probably used to my apologies for my sporadic absences on here but I am sorry to my readers as well as to myself for neglecting this part of my life as much as I have lately. So much so that I missed the 1 year birthday of Little Luna's Loves!! Such a tremendous shame, but at the same time, I am still here and I am so happy for that! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and taken the time to read and comment and share. You all are so wonderful for giving me a chance! Also, I'm so happy I've begun to let loose and communicate with some other fantastic bloggers, some of which you've seen on here; something so essential for my career-in-the-making but has always been a challenge for me. Thanks to this blog, though, I've definitely been doing what I said I would when I first introduced myself here and am so ecstatic to look back to see the growth that's taken place over the past year.

But it's not over yet! :)

In fact, in a few hours, I will be attending the Independent Fashion Blogger's Conference (Fun Fact: IFB and I share the same blog birthday! They turned 4 years old this year! Congrats again you guys!)! I'll be meeting numerous other bloggers from all over the U.S., hearing panels by prominent bloggers in the industry, and probably my favorite part of it all, hearing a Key Note speech from the one and only Creative Director of Elle magazine and host of the show "All on the Line," Joe Zee!!! *dies* Okay, I'm not dead, but goodness gracious!! I picked up my first Elle magazine at the end of July and I have no idea how I've gone so far without it! It has become my dream magazine of the current day and is now my ultimate goal as a student to intern there. But getting to hear the Creative Director himself speak in person?! I hope I'll have a friend by the end of the day to pinch me to make sure it's all really true. There also some other really exciting things taking place (free manis, gift bag, ice cream) but I'll be sharing that all afterwards.

Just to wrap things up, I just want to thank you all again. Over 2,000 views all over the world have happened, some of you only to at least glance over my page, and others coming time and time again. It really sets my heart beating with joy! It's because of that that I always feel the need to come back and offer more once I realize that I do have more to offer and someone out there will see it. For some bloggers this may be what they have in a day, but for this little blogger, she is just happy to see a number over 0, and even more so to see it grow. Perhaps one day, I'll be up there as a blogger or perhaps I'll be influencing people through another outlet, but today, I celebrate the chance I've been given through all of you. Truly, the blogging community, readers and bloggers alike, is quite the amazing place to be right now, and I'm so glad to be a part of it.

Thank you all! Sending you all tons of love!

Hasta Luego!

Love,
Little Luna

Dictionary for Dolls & Dudes: Panache

Hey everyone!

So it's Wednesday and I thought I would start up a "Word of the Week" feature on here to bring you all some light into the jargon of the fashion and beauty communities. To keep it relative to the purpose as well as fun, I've titled it the "Dictionary for Dolls & Dudes" (because alliteration never becomes cliched at all)!

To start us off, I'll begin with the word that got me thinking about this in the first place:

Panache 


(Noun) Pronounced "Pah-nawsh, with the accent on the second syllable" 


Definition: Flamboyance in regards to one's style or action.


Example: There was such panache displayed at John Galliano's final Dior collection, it's hard to believe he can truly be replaced.


Origin: The word is of Latin origin (pinnaculum) but the connotation it carries today derives from its French origin (pennache) and literally means the "plume" of a hat or helmet. The word itself became often associated with King Henry IV of France, who was recognized not only by his characteristics as a pleasure-loving, cynical and courageous but also by the white plume that always adorned his helmet and was a part of his battle cry: "Ralliez-vous à mon panache blanc!" Translation: "Follow my white plume!"


Sources:
1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary
2. Wikipedia


The reason I took note of this word was a blog I began following that really intrigued me, titled Panache Offblast, but I had no idea what the term in the title meant! I figured I wasn't the only one, though, because language is always transforming as well as fashion and beauty, so put the two together, and you bet that there are new words getting introduced into those aspects of culture as well. Thus I came up with this idea, which as a lover of language, I thought it would fun feature to share with you all!


Did you know of the word "Panache"? Do you use it in your speech frequently or on occasion? Do you like the word? If you didn't know of it or use it before, will you start to now?


Hope you enjoyed this feature and look forward to being a part of this small-yet-large aspect of fashion and beauty, because how you talk to folks in the industry can make or break who your connections in it.


Also, any words you've heard but aren't sure of? Feel free to post below or shoot me an email at littleluna.love@gmail.com or you can even tweet me (Twitter info is off to the right)!


Hasta Luego!


Love,
Little Luna

Don't Let the Black and White Confuse You; I'm a Rainbow Swirl Lollipop!

Hey everyone!!!

It is absolutely wonderful to be back!! If you aren't a follower on Twitter, the reason I went all Houdini on you guys once again was due to the massive overhaul that took place in my room. I'm sharing it with my little brother and now we've managed to paint the room, as well as the rest of the place, white, get new beds (bunk beds to be exact), shifted some furniture around, got rid of A LOT of stuff, set up a mini office in one corner of the room and I've just about got all of my wardrobe and makeup set up. There are still some minor things that need to take place but things have been working out pretty smoothly now. I will say that I'm still trying to find where is the best place in the apartment to take pics so you may see me all over the place in the next couple posts. Anyway, I'm so happy to get back into the swing of things on here as there is a lot I want to chat with you all about and I've taken the time away to prep some new ideas I hope to begin sharing with you all very, very soon as well as some posts I intended to share before but with all that was going on,  I didn't get the chance. So let's get started, shall we?!

Last week on Friday, I did something out of the norm and got up extra-early instead of my usual afternoon time wake-up (though I'm currently trying to shift that routine so I won't be so out of it once school starts--2 weeks left!!). The reason was due to an interview I decided I'd give a try at Dylan's Candy Bar! If you've never heard of this place, I'll fill you in on why you should check it out:

1. Dylan Lauren is Ralph Lauren's (yes, the designer) daughter! Even though her work is invested in something else, she definitely has her dad's eye when it comes to style, both in regards to the store layout, products, and herself!

2. Even if you don't have much of a sweet tooth, like myself, there is undoubtedly something that will call your attention! They have candy from every country that produces it and it's definitely something we all should experience (I sadly didn't get to go into the store that day but I'm thinking of returning soon just for it).

3. Not a candy person at all? Check out their gear! They have colors galore when it comes to their other products, which include cute clothes for everyone, colorful bags, delicious-looking stationery (NERD ALERT: I go absolutely wild looking at this page), and many more.

4. The New York City Flagship Store has a separate space for parties as well as a very nice café with a menu full of yummy delights.

Isn't that rad or what?! I obviously didn't take any pics (how odd would that look while waiting on a line for an interview) but definitely will share some next time I go. I don't know how the outcome is looking, seeing as it has been about a week, but I always wait 2 weeks before holding off on expectations. What I thought was a fun part of the interview, though, was the question "If you could be any kind of candy, what would you be and why?" I answered, "A Rainbow Swirl Lollipop because each characteristic on its own stands out well but put them together and you get something awesome, like me!" When written it may sound a bit cocky, but I'm pretty confident in that answer and know that it's definitely applicable. Oddly enough, I was dressed like the complete opposite of a Rainbow Swirl Lollipop but more on that in a second.

After I scampered off and had some breakfast, I scurried over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to finally check out the Savage Beauty exhibit. I got there at about 11:15 a.m. and was met with the following line:

That would be the museum behind me in the last shot and the first two show the line going down the block, away from the museum, and then wrapping back toward it. Also, this was just to get inside the museum itself! Another line awaited to go to the exhibit! I should have known a little better and my feet were already dying in the shoes I was wearing but I soldiered on till about 12 p.m. when a guard came out with a megaphone to declare the exhibit closed for the rest of the day!! Talk about popular! A little disappointed, but tremendously happy to return home and kick off my shoes, I went on my way and plotted to return over the weekend (more on that in a future post). Before I did that, though, I shot some pictures of my outfit to share:

I wanted to go for a classy look that still felt comfortable for the Summer so I initially thought "Blouse & Skirt & Heels" but didn't really feel my options until I took a look at this midi houndstooth skirt, a vintage score from my mother's closet. Where's the skirt you may ask? It's the dress I'm wearing! That's right: I took it all the way up and it fit beautifully. To keep it figure-flattering I cinched the waist with my favorite vintage green belt (not with the intention of matching it to my bra straps lol). Speaking of the bra straps, I didn't want to show those off so I topped it off with a pinstripe blazer to create some minor print-mixing (TIP: You may have heard it dozens of times but the key to easy print-mixing is keeping your color palette the same on both prints). I finished it off with my classiest purse and pair of heels, silver horseshoe earrings (Yes, I'm wearing earrings after a two year break!), and, of course, a pearl necklace--this having been my two-layered ivory and grey one from my last trip to the Flea Market.

For hair, I went with a messier version of the same hairstyle I wore for the last interview outfit I shared to deconstruct the outfit a bit. Lastly, for makeup, I kept it simple with pink lips and lengthy lashes.

How do you like this outfit? Have you ever tried wearing a skirt as a top or dress? Are there any other pieces that you've alternated its original use and why? If you were any type of candy in the world, what would you be and why? Do you think I was right to say Rainbow Swirl Lollipop or did you expect something else? Did you check out the Alexander McQueen exhibit over the summer? Most importantly, how have you been in all my time away?! What have you been up to in that time?!


For anyone who isn't really confident about switching up a skirt into a dress, I'd like to share another example that does it really well! As I've mentioned a few times, I'm a petite-yet-curvy little doll so you may think "That's why you can get away with it!" Let the lovely Tanesha Awasthi a.k.a. Girl with Curves show you how much of a misconception that is, as she is a woman that is on the Curvy-Girl spectrum (some may refer to it as Plus-Sized or Full-Figured as well, but I love Tanesha's take on it best).

So take those skirts out for a spin one of these tremendously warm days as something other than a skirt! Maybe you'll find out you have a new favorite dress/top (definitely found my go-to dress for a more formal occasion)!

Hasta Luego!

Love,
Little Luna