It's official, I am an Uptown Girl....but Downtown at heart. It has been a little over a week at my new apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Not going to lie, there was minute there where I thought I was going to have to move home because it was so difficult to find a place to live. Other than the residential locale, I ended up in an amazing place. I have a roommate, Brooke. She is from Florida, my exact age and has a finicky miniature Dachschund named Pewter. Gidget and her are loving living together! My rent is also super cheap for New York standards. Typically, living uptown would cost more money, but not here in New York; downtown is where the action is at, so that is where people want to live. What the Upper East Side lacks in cool bars and restaurants, they gain with Central Park, space and affordability. Not to mention the four B's...Bloomigdales, Bergdorfs, Barneys and Bendels! Tragic, I know.
I also start my internship at Ann Inc. this week. Ann Inc. includess Ann Taylor and The Loft. It isn't quite John Varvatos or Alexander Wang, but it is a position in Visual Merchandising which is the direction I want to head. A Visual Merchandising team creates any visual marketing concept you would see as a consumer. The lighting, wall decor, mannequins, etc. are all decided upon by the Visual Merchandising team. I think it will be awesome to put my creative eye and visual mind to work! I am super excited to start...the corporate office is in the Time Square Tower. Kind of crazy to go to Times Square to work! All internships through Parsons are UNPAID, however they look amazing on your resume, are a great way to network for future positions and I get two units for school, so it is all good.
Since the interview process has began, I have been inside the corporate offices of companies I have only dreamed of. I would say the most exciting has been Christian Dior which is a part of the LVMH group. LVMH is a huge conglomerate that owns companies including Louis Vuitton and Sephora. The position was for Boutique Management, so it wasn't really something I wanted to do, but the opportunity was awesome. In addition to Michael Kors, John Varvatos and Vince for which I interviewed with previously, I have met with Rebecca Taylor and worked Market Week for Alexander Wang.
Alexander Wang was the coolest thing thus far. The showroom is beautiful and located in China Town. The walls are all painted white and has really high ceilings. New York is all about "pre-war" buildings like it is some sort of social status...this building was pre-war, but not sure why that really matters? Anyway, the decor was very simple and modern. Alex's favorite candle burned not only in the bathroom, but on at least ten tables in the showroom. We later did some research and found out that each candle is $75. No big deal when your Alex. Alex is only 27 years old, went to Drew School in San Francisco and is also an alumni of Parsons. I saw him walking through the showroom a couple of times; pretty surreal. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be experiencing these things. I assisted the sales representatives in their meetings with buyers on the showroom floor. Buyers consisted of big name companies such as Nordstrom, Bloomies and Gilt Groupe, but also in smaller boutiques from all over the world. The interns received $100 a day to Alexander Wang's sample sale, so it was totally worth it. We also got lunch everyday, but in the Fashion Industry that doesn't say much. Let's just say I was starving per usual. Working with one of the most popular designers today was an opportunity of a lifetime for sure.
New York continues to be crazy and challenging everyday. Although I often try to remember why I am here and all the amazing opportunities that have come my way solely because I am a student at Parsons. I absolutely love it, but know that my heart is in California! xxx jena
PS-No, I haven't fallen in love yet. Not even trying. So you can all stop asking ;)
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