Taylor wears all black so well, a skill not easily learned. People think dressing in all black is easy. That’s true, but making all black actually look good is much more difficult. Taylor integrates different textures and silhouettes, like the billowing burnout tee, to create a chic and aesthetically rich look without using even a hint of color. Her Sam Edelman “Zoe” boots, a perennial favorite among Chicagoans, adds the perfect dash of edge.
I was completely shocked when I saw the brand name Tory Burch subtly etched in the metal clasp on her purse. At first glance I thought her handbag was Alexander Wang or a similar brand. This is literally the coolest bag I’ve ever seen from the designer, and a welcome departure from the usual Tory Burch products that drip with her signature “T” logo. In retrospect I shouldn’t have been surprised. Taylor has excellent taste, and like all great fashion lovers, could care less about the “brand” of an item. The only thing that truly matters is the construction, quality and design of a piece.
I am excited to share with you all some big news. I am one of the featured speakers at the 20SB Summit this weekend at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center in River North. This event is the premier blogging event of the year for 20-something bloggers and Chicago is lucky to be hosting this year. People are traveling from across the planet to learn about harnessing the power of social media from the world’s best bloggers. I am so honored to be featured as a speaker alongside trailblazers like Gala Darling! This conference is for bloggers of ALL kinds, not just fashion bloggers.
I will be on a panel alongside representatives from Groupon, the world’s leading social media discount site, and Klout, one of the premier social media indexing firms. The moderator will be Justine from Brand About Town, the event sponsor. My role will be to represent the position of the “blogger” within the brand-blogger business relationship during this discussion.
Below is the title and official description of my session:
A “Brand” New World: Making Your Blog Work For You
What is social currency and how can it help you pay the rent? Learn how to monetize your passion for blogging from those who know best, as this session welcomes speakers from across the brand spectrum. Hear from Carolyn Tang Kmet of the online phenomenon Groupon, who will speak to their affiliate program, Megan Berry from the influence indexing site Klout and fashion blogger Amy Creyer of Chicago Street Style, who has been featured in tons of places including CNN, NBC Chicago, MTV and the Chicago Tribune. Amy has worked with a number of different brands, including: JBrand, Havaianas, Oliver Peoples and Cynthia Rowley. Moderated by summit sponsor Brand About Town, the team behind blogging advocacy programs for brands such as Nintendo and Gap, this spirited session will share actionable insights on how to attract brands to your blog and how you can leverage their interest into tangible benefits for you and your readers.
Like any other profession, blogging requires skilled time management. This is a skill I’ve slowly been learning over the past year, as what was once a little hobby has blossomed into a demanding job with investment banker hours (with 1% of the pay). As I find myself landing more and more exciting opportunities with my website, I’ve had to re-evaluate the way I allocate my time.
With that being said, I ended my relationship with Racked Chicago yesterday as a contributor. I would like to personally thank the Chicago editor, Jared Hatch, for giving me the opportunity to work with him as a freelancer over the past few months and for his kind parting words and well-wishes. I have also decided to reduce my blogging at PinkMemo from weekly to bi-weekly, so you will see posts from me every other Thursday going forward. I would like to thank the PinkMemo CEO and editor-in-chief, Maxine Trowbridge, for her understanding and flexibility. I will still be submitting street-style photos to Refinery29 as I have since January. I thought long and hard about these decisions over the past month, and they’re the best choices for me.
I think people sometimes forget that I am a graduate student at DePaul earning a Master of Science degree in management. I have my most demanding class this fall; Quantitative Statistics. It’s been a delicate balancing act trying to do well in school, grow my blog, and contribute to other websites. By reducing the energy that is spent elsewhere I can focus exclusively on Chicago Street Style and do well in school.
For me, this is all about refocusing my fashion blogging priorities on the street-style photography. After all, that’s really what it’s all about for me!
