Teen Vogue Fashion U

This weekend I attended Teen Vogue's Fashion University program, a weekend of fun classes and shopping events with other fashion-obsessed girls and boys. The program is by application only, and thousands apply. I was lucky enough to be accepted into this program that boasts attendees from all over the world; some countries that were represented this year were Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Poland.

The weekend started off with an H&M shopping event to kick off the weekend. The event featured a live musical performance by British band Brother, as well as a DJ and a variety of snacks and drinks to sample while we browsed the collection.
The next day I woke up bright and early for a day full of seminars, arriving at the Hudson Theater in New York City's midtown for 8:45. The lobby of the theater was full of stalls set up by some of the event's sponsors. We received a LeSportSac tote full of goodies upon check-in, which included a glossy copy of Teen Vogue's November issue among many other things. I was approached with pamphlets and slips to fill out to enter giveaways as soon as I walked away from the check-in table; it was overwhelming, in addition to the swarms of fashionable teenagers and young adults that made walking around a difficult task. There was a Makeup For Ever lash bar, where we received limited edition false eyelashes designed exclusively for the event by Teen Vogue's beauty and health director Eva Chen. Essie was giving away free bottles of nail polish, with a variety of beautiful shades available. Trollbeads was hosting a giveaway for a ring and Clean & Clear was giving away a basket of products. LeSportSac was selling merchandise. Guess was handing out t-shirts designed to benefit charity by a TVFU attendee. And there was so much more that I can't even remember!
We entered the theater and heard Michael Kors, who was the keynote speaker. It was lovely to hear him, and he bestowed a lot of advice upon his adoring audience. "Once you're bitten by the fashion bug," he declared, "you've got to read it all." I've certainly been bitten.
Next, off to the seminars! I attended classes with Teen Vogue's creative director, Katia Kuethe, who explained how she runs cover shoots, in particular the Alexa Chung shoot for Teen Vogue's November issue, as well as how she does the graphics for the cover. I then went to hear the Proenza Schouler boys, who were interviewed by editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue Amy Astley. They spoke about how they attained such success, starting with stories from their Parsons days and finishing off with answering questions from the audience. I had lunch with new friends and then returned to the Teen Vogue offices, where I heard Lauren Berger, the "Intern Queen," give advice about the right way to go about getting an internship. It was so helpful and was probably my favorite class that I attended because I gained so much knowledge. I then heard Linda Fargo speak, who is the Senior Vice President of New York City luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman. Afterwards, I returned to the Hudson Theater for a panel of the Teen Vogue editors: Amy Astley, Gloria Baume, Jane Keltner de Valle, Shiona Turini, Danielle Nussbaum, and Andrew Bevan. I greatly enjoyed hearing the editors speak about their experiences and was very inspired, especially by Shiona's dazzling Miu Miu heels!

Shiona's gorgeous ensemble.

The day was completed by a soiree at Topshop in Soho, where a section of the second floor was reserved especially for the TVFU students. There were desserts, a candy bar, drinks, and free gifts with purchase. I had fun browsing the merchandise of my favorite store, as well as receiving a dramatic makeover from a Topshop makeup artist.
On Sunday (today), I arrived at the Hudson Theater at 9:00 for a panel led by Simone Oliver, Senior Fashion & Styles Web Producer for the New York Times, on Fashion in the Digital Age, which featured the following speakers: Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power of WhoWhatWear.com; Rich Tong from Tumblr; Aliza Licht, Senior Vice President of Global Communications for Donna Karan International; and Susan Koger, founder of Modcloth. Graduation followed, where we received diplomas and had our photographs taken individually to finish off the eventful weekend.

To add some color to this post, I'd like to show you what I wore to the Sunday events of TVFU:

Sweater and dress (worn underneath) by Topshop, socks from Urban Outfitters, tights unknown, Andre oxfords (bought in Paris).

Overall, I'm so glad I attended this event. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people, who are just as intrigued by fashion as I am. Because after all, as Michael Kors said, "no one else understands."

xoxo