H&M Dress // Jenny Bird x Indigo jewelry // Dolce Vita shoes // Old Navy fringe bag
Working in fashion media requires most of us to attend a slew of events on any given day of the week – sometimes every day of the week – meeting hundreds of new people, drinking way too many lipstick-inspired cocktails and Ahi tuna bites, going home with marginally useful swag bags and an empty stomach. After a few years of this vicious cycle most of us will have that moment when we’re bent over the sink eating leftover takeout and realize it doesn’t have to be like this.
Most events are pointless. The lighting is hardly on par with how we usually like to shoot product and outfits for our heavily curated feeds and ninety percent of the time the only real “business” connection made at those parties is via email weeks or months later, which would have happened whether we had forgone The Bachelorette finale in order to attend or not. Trust me. If people want to work with you – they come find you.
Of course, if you’re just starting out in the business you might find it necessary – and even fun – to go to a few fashion parties and be on the list. So disregard my jadedness for just a few more years. And of course, there are always going to be the events that are worth getting dressed up for. Sometimes you just wanna see your friends. Sometimes you just want to have a drink and enjoy fashion. Sometimes you really do want to show your support for the brand or designer. And other times, it’s going to be the coolest fucking party of the year/century/breaktheinternet and you feel lucky to even be invited.
And I’ve been on the receiving end as well. Hosting a party is nerve-wracking. I can’t even tell you how many times you’ll have diarrhea leading up to it and nightmares of crickets and uneaten cake pops. The least you can do, as a host, in my humble opinion is 1. Know everyone you’ve invited or pretend to know them when you blank out or maybe spend five minutes getting to know the said person who took time out of their day to come to your event and 2. Exist.
Last night I went to a slew of events and I won’t say names because I don’t want to deal with the backlash on this particular Thursday morning but I will say that I just don’t understand the point of some of these gimmicks, which is hard for me to say, because I genuinely respect the people behind these events (otherwise I would never have attended) and I also do love me a good prank. Operative word: GOOD. It’s no fun when you take a personal invitation seriously only to realize at the event that it was just a ploy to get you to go.
It’s still important to be a gracious host, in my humble opinion, in fact I obsess over it. No one leaves my apartment with an empty hand or an empty stomach, even if they just came by to pick up their phone charger. But would you invite someone to your house and not know who they are or even worse, tell them the phone charger was going to be there and then when they arrive, laugh as you hand them over a VHS player?
Lots of code to decipher here today! Have fun.
That’s too bad to hear. This is why I’m so picky about which events I attend. I have to get in my car, drive down, spend an average of $20 on parking, plus the cost of gas not to mention travel time which generally occurs during rush hour. I hate to say it but for the most part, it’s not worth it. Plus then you get there and you’re just another face in the crowd and you’re lucky if you get a “hiiiiiii, OMG I love your blog!” Those are my thoughts. ;)
Xo, Nathalie
woahstyle.com
“hiiiii, OMG I love your blog” – too funny! And I thought I was jaded. I agree though. I’m not saying all events are pointless but it’s getting harder and harder to decipher which are going to be worth your time, effort, driving, hunger, hangover etc when the hosts are not genuine about the invitation or forget who you are. Well, hopefully we cross paths soon enough – or we’ll have to have our own event. You bring the Givenchy, I’ll bring the loaner invoice.
YES. Exactly!! haha