After a nearly two-hour delay, inclement weather, an in-flight Internet speed that made AOL dial-up seem speedy (not to mention a hard drive crash, luggage problems and all-around bad vibes when the turbulence hit), the Fashion Trends Daily team landed in New York. At 2:00 AM. Needless to say, it wasn’t ideal, but Fashion Week waits for no one.
A Panel at Lucky FABB 2012
Before the festivities of Fashion Week, however, the team at Lucky Magazine puts together FABB, their Fashion and Beauty Blogger Conference. Now in its third year, the conference has grown from a small, intimate gathering of 100 bloggers to a bustling conference with over 300 guests. FABB always offers a stellar lineup and this year was no exception. The day was centered around the theme of “making it on your own terms.” Panels included bold-faced entrepreneurs such as Lauren Bush, Lauren Conrad and Frederico Marchetti of Yoox.com. In addition to teaching bloggers the business side of the industry, FABB also hosts more seasoned vets such as Leandra Medine of the Man Repeller, Aliza Licht of DKNY, Erica Domesek of P.S. I Made This and more.
Brandon Holley at Lucky FABB 2012
Outside the panels, guests got the chance to immerse themselves in the P&G Beauty Shop the Counter experience, which featured the latest from Olay, Herbal Essences and more. Let’s just say that bloggers aren’t shy about testing new products, because many of the popular items, such as the Olay Pro-X Cleansing Brush, were swiped clean after the first breakaway session. Brands such as C&C, AG Jeans, Just Fab and more offered the chance to take photos and design their own jeans and build relationships with brands that embrace the blogging community.
Rachel Zoe at Lucky FABB 2012
The final panel was a keynote conversation between designer Anna Sui and Simon Doonan, the Creative Ambassador-at-Large at Barneys New York, and one of our favorite personalities. Together, they explored Anna’s inspirations – which draw from “genius boxes” full of magazine clippings that the designer has been amassing since her teens – as well as her creative process and a sneak peek at her upcoming collection and collaboration with Coach. The always-charming Doonan was quick with the bon mots and recounted stories he and Sui shared in the past and moderated the audiences’ questions. After the panels and breakaway sessions (bloggers learned the ropes from Lucky staffers such as Deb Schwartz, Jean Godfrey-June and Alexis Bryan Morgan as well as brands such as Club Monaco and Reward Style).
“I have a problem with the bun. It reminds me of Norman Bates’ mother in ‘Psycho.’ — Simon Doonan
The evening ended with a cocktail reception where the bloggers got face time with one another and the Lucky staffers. We loved chatting with Schwartz herself, who helped establish Lucky during its first year on the newsstands as well as Domino, another one of Michelle’s favorite publications. Gracious as always, Lucky’s Brandon Holley (in Anna Sui, naturally) made sure to greet everyone personally and send everyone off in good spirits for the second day of FABB – a first in the conference’s history.
Photos courtesy Lucky FABB
