Let's Play Dress Up.

           

           From grade school all the way through high school, I always had to wear a uniform.  It was convenient and I never had to worry about what I was going to wear.  To be honest, when you attend an all girl’s high school, you don't worry about anything.  Most days I don’t think I even brushed my hair.  All you had to do was brush your teeth, put on some deodorant and throw your hair up in a bun and you were out the door in minutes.  Sounds nice, huh?  This year was my second year of being able to freely pick out whatever I wanted to wear.  Even though it was nice not having the responsibility to worry about my outfits in high school, going to college really opens up a lot of doors for your creativity to flow.  If you walk on to my campus, you can obviously see that not everybody cares about what they wear everyday.  You can find a variety of people wearing anything from sweatpants and t-shirts to body-con dresses and platform heels.  You can pretty much get by wearing anything.

             Why I am writing this article today is to share with you why you should care about your appearance.  While walking on campus and around your college, you never know who you are going to run into.  Your appearance and your attitude can reflect who you are or even who you aren’t.  It is your first impression.  You never know who is surrounding you.  The company you have been interested may have a recruiter on campus and if you make a bad impression, it can mean game over.  Think about the people you see on your campus or around your high school.  Is there ever any moments where you look at someone and ask yourself, “Why is she wearing that?” What if people are saying that about you? 

            The first impressions are always going important!  So always make sure you look positive and look somewhat presentable.  You never know who you might meet at any given time.  

The Fashion Resumé Restyled.

Applying for jobs in the fashion industry is very unique. Let me first say that this may be one of the most frustrating and worrisome thing that I will ever put myself through.  Meeting deadlines and getting your resume and portfolio perfect is a very stressful thing.  When that is all over, all you can do is just sit back and wait.  You wait and wait to here back from a potential employer.

At the University of Cincinnati, as a fashion student in DAAP, I am required to go on a COOP (Cooperative Education) every other semester.  Coops are a formal integration of classroom theory with work experience designed to expand, enhance, and enrich a student's academic training.  So in basic words, every other semester I go work full time for a fashion related company.

So for those of you out there you may be in the same situation looking and applying for jobs, keep reading because I am going to share with you my struggles and what I have learned in this process.

Your Resumé

Your resume is probably one of the most vital things that you need to apply for a job.  It should be clean, professional, and most importantly, informative.  You want to include your education, experiences, awards or honors, any activities you participated in, and qualifications.

Okay first thing is first, your name should be the largest thing on the page.  Now, that doesn't mean make your name size 36 and the rest of your text size 12 font. Just make sure it stands out.  Keep different text sizes to a minimum.  There should only be 2 to 3 different sized fonts in your resumé.

Having a fashion resumé gives you an opportunity to be creative with how you present your information.  That being said, it is acceptable to put a color other than black in your resumé, just do not make it the primary color or the focus.  Adding touches of SLIGHTLY visible pink or blue in the background is okay.  Notice how I emphasized slightly?

Your resumé should also include only one font.  Make sure it is readable and is not annoying to read.  Most people typically use Times New Roman, but if there is an appropriate font that shows a bit of your personality, go for it.

Somewhere on your resumé there should be your name, full address, email, phone number, and a link to your portfolio whether it is online or on a website.  Double and triple check to make sure it is an accessible link.

• Include dates, years, cities and states when you are filling out your resumé.
• Make sure there is white space.  Do not clutter your paper!
• Organize your resumé from most recent to oldest.  This goes for your education, work experience and awards. 
• For work experience, you want to consider how long you were with a specific company.  Example: I worked for a restaurant last summer for some extra cash.  I worked there for only 3 or 4 months.  I decided not to include that in my resumé to make room for experiences that were related to the field I was applying for.  

Here's a picture of my current resumé: 

I did blackout some of my information for privacy reasons. 

As you can see, at the bottom of my page I included my availability and that recommendations would be available upon request.  I also included a Thank You!

So these are a few tips that I have for creating a fashion resumé.  If I ever think of more information, I will update this post at the bottom of the page.  If you have any ideas or recommendations, feel free to share them in the comments!

Shoes To Wear In College

Last year around this time, I was wondering the same thing all incoming freshman are today.  What shoes are best to wear around campus?  Well today I am here to tell you what has worked best for me.  Watch my latest video to see what i recommend to wear this school year!

Shop Till You Drop: Successfully Shopping Tip 5

This bit of advice is for those who want to grow their wardrobe.  Whenever I go shopping, I try and pick up one accessory for myself.  By doing this, over time, your collection will grow and expand. 

Shop Till You Drop: Successfully Shopping Tip 4

I am one of those people who are very frugal with their money.  So I often find myself debating whether or not I should or should not buy that embellished top that I have been
eyeing online for days.  Whenever I run into this dilemma, I stop and think about the three S’s: Style, Savings, and Season.  These three words have saved me many of times from wasting my money.

              Style: Think about your closet.  When you look at the garment you want to purchase, can you think of anything you already have that is similar?  If you can think of something, think about how similar it is.  If you can think of two or three things, than you probably don’t need it.  Also think if you will need to purchase another piece of clothing to pair with it.  For example, if you buy a new skirt, do you have skirts that will properly match it?  Does it need a belt?

               Savings: Look at the price of the item.  Think about how much you have already spent that day.  Also try and think of a place where it could be cheaper (only if it is overly-pricey!). I then think of how many times I will wear the piece of clothing.  If I can’t see myself grabbing it out of my closet often, I will most likely put it back.

                Season:  My last S also goes with style.  I think about when I am going to wear the piece of clothing.  Are you only able to wear it in the summer?  Can you think of ways you can incorporate it into your wardrobe in all seasons?  If I am able to think of how I can incorporate the piece in my outfits for each season, I more likely to buy the piece of clothing.

Shop Till You Drop: Successfully Shopping Tip 3

Shop Till You Drop: Successfully Shopping Tip 2

Shop Till You Drop: Successfully Shopping Tip 1

Having a Career in the Fashion Industry