Event: Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB) Conference
Where: Milk Studios NYC
Summary: This was my first time going to the IFB Conference. It was definitely an interesting experience. Being that I'm a shy individual (no, really, I am), I used this opportunity to get out of my shell and network. Also, I wanted to hear advice on how I can be able to promote my blog more. And let me tell ya something, that is actually a hard task for me to do. Heart, Print & Style is my baby. And in some ways, I want it to stay that way. But a little part of me does want this blog to gain a bit of exposure. It was not until last month that I finally put Google Connect on my page (it's located at the bottom...so follow me if you like this blog...*gasps* Was that just me promoting my blog? Wonders shall never end...). I've had my Twitter (follow me if you like...oh dear, there's me promoting again) for little over a year but it has NOTHING to do with HPS. Yes, even though the link to this blog is on there, I do not tweet about it. So, attending this conference was a must for this lil' ol' newbie. Did I benefit from going? I will say 'yes'. I did learn a few tricks of how to get my name out there (for example: if you use Twitter and you want to tweet about your most recent outfit, @ mention the brand(s) you are wearing. Pretty much ALL of the brands have a Twitter account). I networked my ass off *pats self on the back* Met some of my favorite bloggers and, of course, met some great people, too. I will say the age range was from 14-60ish. The fashion there was ridic! So many females and males were not playing. They came to show out. And it was fun to see.
I got there late. I walked into Is the Social Media Industry Broken? panel. Quite honestly, I didn't pay attention to what they were saying because I was trying to find a seat. I had also noticed that quite a number of people were standing up. For such a large conference I was puzzled as to why only about 100 seats (if not fewer) were set up. *shrugs*
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| This |
During the intermissions, IFB offered us many activities to get ourselves into. One of those activities was to get out nails minx'd out. This was sponsored by Magnum. Totally forgot to take pictures of me getting my nails did. Whoops. And taking a picture of it now will only make your eyes sore. Trust me, I'm saving you from torture.
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| Ms. Titilayo Bankole. She made my nails look good. Catch her at http://www.titilayobankole.com/ |
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| Bobble stand. We can select any water bottle and button seen on this table. Fun note: the water bottle has a filter. Victory! |
If you wanted to get your hair styled, KMS California was there to assist. For free.
I had to take a picture Katherine of La Petite Marmoset, a fellow DC FABBer and one of my favorite bloggers.
Speaking of bloggers, it's time to check out some style!
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| Katherine of La Petite Marmoset Check out the back of her dress! |
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| Alissa of Stylish Curves Check out her velvet pink blazer and purple heels! |
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| Alissa and I |
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| Shainna of A Thick Girl's Closet Nice outfit! We also were rocking the same H&M bag. She used her as a clutch. I used mine as a shoulder bag. |
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| Check out Shainna's cool zipper earring! Also, later on in the day, she changed into these cute as hell oxfords. |
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| Here I am with another DC Fabber, Jennifer of Comme Coco |
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| Check out Jennifer's turquoise necklace and sick palazzo pants! |
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| I cringe when I have to wear heels (pretty much the reason why I wore flats to the event ). So when I came upon a female rocking these interesting pair of shoes, I actually EEK-ed! lolol. I was in pain for her. I asked her how does she manage? She said that she does take a stumble or two but for the most part, she's comfortable in them. |
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| (l-r) Monroe of Fashion Steele NYC and DC FABBer Katie of Today I Want... Check out Monroe's lovely maxi dress and Katie's colorful skirt! |
Oh wow. Who is this lovely lady? Oh yeah, it's moi. This is what I wore.
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| Blouse: eBay, Skirt: was a dress from Dorothy Perkins, Bag: H&M, Earrings/Belt: vintage |
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| Nadia of Nadia Aboulhosn and I |
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| Check out Nadia's overall D R A M A of her outfit. Lovelovelove! And, yes, she made the feather hat she has on. |
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| This picture cracks me up. Jennifer and Nadia goofing off during intermission. |
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| Kay Cee of Two Stylish Kays and I Check out her lovely blouse and earrings! |
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| (l) Nikia of ChiTown Fashionista Check out Nikia's mustard midi skirt and this pretty lady's (r) coral skinny pants! |
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| Janera of JaneraRose |
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| Check out her ring and junk nails! |
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| (l) Lisa of The Ghetto Fashionista and Ashley of ASHLEY4EMERGY Check out Lisa's cute peplum dress and Ashley's necklace! |
Ooh look! Pretty purple loafers.
Look, when you have time on your hands, naturally you will start taking pictures of yourself. In this case, I took pictures of my shoes...
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| Shoes: Avenue |
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| Check me out! I'm wearing the beloved MAC Lady Danger. |
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| H&M bag and swag bag getting acquainted with each other. |
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| Kristina of Pretty Shiny Sparkly Check out her leather jacket! She was one of the speakers for the "Balancing Act: Business and Blogging" panel. |
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| Folks trying to get a word with the awesome Mr. Ari Goldberg of Stylecaster. He, too, was a speaker for the "Balancing Act: Business and Blogging" panel. My favorite speaker of the day. He spoke the truth. |
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| Claire of Fashion Bomb Daily She runs an awesome, awesome fashion website. She was a speaker for "Evolution of Fashion Media" panel. Check out her houndstooth dress and adorable shoes! |
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| (l-r) Fahr of Stylish Thought and G. Danielle Check out Fahr's beautiful yellow dress and G. Danielle's pretty lace jacket! |
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| Katy of Modly Chic and Sandy Check out Katy's cute polka dot dress and Sandy's overall fantastic style. |
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| Rachel of Rachel et Nicole and Jennie Check out Rachel's cute bowtie and Jennie's simple yet cute outfit! Also her vintage 'do! |
Before catching the last speaker of the day, John Zee, Creative Director of ELLE Magazine, Katherine and I wanted to head out a get some food. Now, IFB did provide us with lunch. And I'm sure a few people in there enjoyed it. But considering the lunch consisted of: a vegetarian sandwich (white bread, tomatoes, lettuce and some green spread) and all natural pop chips, I was not one of them. Hence why I downed two ice cream bars (yum, yum, yum). Anywho, we rounded up Shaina and Faiza. The four of us walked across the street to the Chelsea Market. Since Faiza is a NYC native, she gave us a tour of the place and told us little tid bits about the market. We decided to eat at Friedman's Lunch. Great place, fantastic food. iApprove.
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| My meal for the evening. Not pictured? A glass of white wine. |
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| (clockwise) me, Shainna, Faiza and Katherine |
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| 1) Magnum nail file 2) Bauble Bar charms 3) Elle Magazine - Sept. issue 4) gla.mar.ous hairbow pin 5) Luna Chocolate Peppermint Stick protein bar and Lemon Zest Lip Balm 6) Urban Decay eyeshadow palette 7) waterbobble.com button 8) Butter London nailpolish (Yummy Mummy) 9) Nails Inc. London Special Effect nail polish (Farrington Crackle Topcoat) 10) KMS California Free Shape Hot Flex Spray and Quick Blow Dry 11. Bobble water bottle w/ filter 12) Amika Hot Pink mini ceramic styler |
And that, folks, was my day. IFB has not yet posted the video of the conference. When it's up, I'll definitely post the link to it on this blog. Like I mentioned before, I think this conference was worth the one day trip to NYC. I think I gained a bit of knowledge of how one can run a successful blog. I don't know if I'll be heading to another IFB conference, though. I would like to try a different one, say the Lucky FABB (which I heard that this year's went really well). Anywho, so many people were trying their darnest to convince me to stay for FNO (Fashion Night Out) the next day. And maybe I should've listened. If I had stayed then I would've been spared my wallet getting stolen. Ah well. You can't control the "what ifs".
Have a safe and great week...while looking fashionable!
