Fashion Week 2009

This week I headed back home to New York to experience what is the hallmark event of the year for the fashion industry and that is Fashion Week! It takes place twice a year in Bryant Park during September and February to allow journalists and merchandisers a preview of the top designers collections for the upcoming season so they can start forecasting trends and preparing their orders for their stores.

It was my second time actually getting to go into the tents after going once during high school. The energy and excitement I feel when I walk up the steps into the tents is indescribable and it is always the perfect confirmation that I have made the right choice in following my "passion for fashion" as a career. We had seats at an 8PM show to see the collection of Erin Wasson, so we arrived around 7:00 to peruse the sponsor booths and mingle in the Mercedes Benz VIP lounge! A few minutes after we arrived, Jenny from Gossip Girl and then Bruce Willis walked in! When we finally sat down in the main tent for the show, I just couldn't stop smiling and looking around at all the buzz of editors taking their front row seats, event managers running around with their walkie talkies, and the press and paparazzi snapping their cameras like crazy at all the celebrities. The show itself was great and had a very hippie and relaxed vibe displayed by models with beachy hair and lots of denim. After the show, I even ran into a former pal from Bergdorf's! He is an Assistant Buyer for Women's European Labels (Chanel, Dior, Lanvin, ...) and just graduated from UPenn this past May. His first day in this position was the same day as when I started my internship so we had our orientation together at the store! It was a great feeling already feeling connected in the industry just from my internship this summer.

Overall, I had a lovely weekend being back in New York City and it got me so inspired to whole-heartedly begin the process of reaching out to some people about getting a job in fashion for when I graduate. Once again, thanks for reading... I'd love to hear your thoughts!

The Start of Senior Year!

Hi! My name is Emily Quadrino and I'm a senior Marketing and Italian major from Staten Island, New York. I've been asked to write a blog chronicling this ever-important and life changing senior year of mine. I have learned so much along my way at Villanova from professors, friends, upperclassmen who I considered role models, and most importantly with the guidance of all the lovely ladies at the Clay Center! I hope my experiences will in some way help you and make you evaluate a little bit more how you spend your time at Villanova which can ultimately lead to how you will spend your time in life after college.

It's extremely hard to believe that I am rapidly approaching the end of the "best four years of my life" and have attained the status of a senior in college! These past three years have been a absolute whirlwind that have allowed me to take advantage of opportunities I never could have imagined taking part in. I remember having a mental checklist as I neared my freshmen year at Villanova from studying abroad, to mission trips, to Special Olympics, as well as pursuing great internships. While I am thrilled that I have reached all of those goals, it is crazy to think that the final item on this "college checklist" of mine is finding my dream job at the end of these four great years.

Some tidbits I've learned along the way that have brought me closer to finding a job I hope to love, go hand in hand with very these wise words I once heard from a guest speaker on Villanova's campus, "Find something you love and go after it, and you’ll never work a day in your life." I recommend thinking about that quote as a starting point to anyone who is ready to consider what their career path after college will be.

As a freshmen, I remember feeling very set on my major which was accounting. I had excelled in accounting courses in high school and thought becoming an accountant was the perfect natural progression for me, especially since the firms had shown such a great presence on campus and held awesome events for accounting majors, including freshmen! However, it was sophomore year while studying until 3am in Bartley for a managerial accounting exam that I started to think, "Is this something I really enjoy and could see myself doing for the rest of my life?" I thought back to the days when grown-ups used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I had such a love of fashion, beauty and anything related to the sort. I was obsessed with magazines and held on to all of my issues forever, just to reference them from time and go back to my favorite articles in "InStyle" and "Elle". This passion for the fashion and beauty industry came to fruition for me when I studied abroad in London and interned for the Luxury Products Division at L'Oreal! It was the perfect internship for me and got me so excited at the career opportunities that I learned about during my time there.

When I returned to campus January of junior year, I was ready to face the very important and time consuming summer internship search. The best advice I have for this process is to be open-minded and proactive! Apply to any companies you would dream of working for and just go on their websites and at the bottom of the sites you will find an "About Us" section which usually leads to information about internship opportunities. I was very fortunate to have made a contact at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, but I started to lose hope when I hadn't heard from them after sending my resume. However, I decided to send a follow-up e-mail to check up on the status and sure enough the next day i received a phone call that I had gotten the internship based solely on my resume!! It was thrilling news and I'll end tonight's entry on that lovely little dream come true of mine to give you all hope that despite the economic conditions we are in, there is hope for everyone of every major as long as you decide on a dream and go after it!

I hope this first entry gave you a little picture of my highlights here at Villanova so far. Please let me know if you have any questions/comments/or suggestions on what experiences you would like to share! Thanks for reading :)