New York City Trip!: Tips Included

As I sit on the airplane headed back to Charlotte, I wanted to reflect on my experience in New York. This blog entry I decided to post something a tad more personal. Yes, it is still fashion related, which is why I felt like it would be a perfect fit for my blog. A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to receive the “Rising Star” Scholarship through the National Retail Federation. National Retail Federation is a club I joined at school, where we learn information about the industry and more. The “Rising Star” Scholarship is a scholarship that is given to one Freshman or Sophomore who is majoring in Retail. The winner receives a $1500 fund towards the National Retail Federation Student Convention in Times Square, New York.

I was ecstatic when I found out I won this scholarship! Since there were so many people who applied (most of them older than me), I figured I wasn’t going to win. After I read more into the scholarship, I realized that this was an opportunity of a lifetime. Even though the convention is mostly meant for Juniors and Seniors to get jobs, I knew this would be a great way to get my foot in the door with many well-known companies! Some of the companies who were planned to attend the show were Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Nike, Neiman Marcus, Google, and Urban Outfitters (there were plenty more… I will have the website linked below). These companies consisted of specialty stores all the way to department stores.

Enjoy this blog post as I share my story about taking on New York City! I hope you gain some knowledge about places to shop, eat and you learn more about the fashion industry from reading this post.

DAY 1

CLT to LGA – 11:30 am

My mom and I packed our bags and traveled in style! We arrived at the airport a couple hours early to get everything situated. The flight was only about two hours, so not bad at all! We arrived at LaGuardia airport in New York. As soon as I looked out the airplane window, I fell in love with the city.

Outfit Details:

Top: Forever 21 Black Turtleneck Long Sleeve

Jacket – Forever 21 Denim Jacket

Pants – Anna Craig Boutique Denim Jeans

Shoes – Steve Madden Grey Studded Booties

Belt – Gucci Belt … my belt is knock-off!

After we checked into our hotel (the middle of Times Square), we didn’t want to waste any time! Off to Time square we went. The city is truly beautiful! Immediately, we were thrown into the hustle and bustle that fills the cold crisp air. Luckily, it was about 50 degrees that day. We went shopping at stores such as Forever 21 and the M&M store.

Next, we ate the most delicious pizza ever!!! @Ray’s Pizza … The food was great; however, the people were extremely creepy. They kept asking for my number and it made me feel uncomfortable (keep that in mind if you ever plan to visit this shop).

The rest of the day we took a bus tour around the city and ended up in SOHO. The shopping is unbelievable. If you are traveling to New York, I highly recommend shopping in SOHO. Some stores are extremely high end (expensive), but you can find good deals! Personally, I loved the character and architecture that filled Soho. My favorite shop was a local flea market of different art vendors. I am obsessed with handmade art, so this was a perfect fit for me.

Popular SOHO Shops: Chanel, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Urban Outfitters, Free People, MAC, Forever 21, ZARA, Top Shop, Brandy Melville, Origins, Burberry, Aeri, etc.

I didn’t get much in New York, but here is a small list of some goodies I purchased! This is nothing special, because I really just wanted to take in the city as a whole and explore as much as possible.

MAC Fix Plus – Rose {$26.00} Link Here

Aerie Makeup Bag

Brandy Melville Richie Tank Top - {$16} Link Here

Brandy Melville Erica New York Sweatshirt {$32.00} Link Here

Fresh Free Goodies (Trial Products)

DAY 2

Today is the first day of the National Retail Federation Student Convention! We had to be there at 9 am from 4 pm. Everyone wore business attire in order to impress the different mentors from the companies that were there. In fact, there were over 90 mentors that represented their companies at the convention.

Outfit Details:

Top – Forever 21 White Cold Shoulder Mock Turtle Neck

Bottom – Forever 21 Olive Green Trousers

Jacket – Forever 21 Camel Tie Coat

Shoes – Anna Craig Boutique Pointed-Toe Booties

Earrings – Sheila Faijl Everybody’s Favorite Rose Gold Hoops

As soon as I arrived I was greeted with tons of great items from the different companies who sponsor National Retail Federation! My bag pictured below (from Nordstrom) was filled with cool gifts. I also received a specialty Under Armor Bag monogramed with the hashtag they recommended us to use throughout the convention (#Retailsfuture). I felt strongly about this hashtag, because people my age are truly the future of retail. We are the new millennials, and our opinion is everything when it comes to the industry. Not only as a consumer but as a future producer.

Here is a schedule of Day 1!

Throughout day 1, I had already learned so much. Each speaker’s specific story on how they got where they were was incredible. I was honestly starstruck whenever the CEO of Neiman Marcus took the stage! It was a surreal moment for me, and I knew this was the first big start to my Retail Career.

After the convention, I went and walked the city more and ate at a pretty average Mexican restaurant in Times Square. The food is extremely expensive! That’s what you get when you’re in New York, so make sure you’re prepared.

Carlos Bakery (After Mexican Restaurant)

Later that night I met one of my best friends, Alec, who is a fashion student at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He is truly my inspiration! We went to an amazing hidden restaurant where I had THE BEST steak. Catching up was great! I could totally see us working together down the line somewhere in the industry.

Outfit Details:

Sweater – Forever 21 Tomato Colored Cropped Sweater

Pants – Anna Craig Boutique Faux Leather Leggings … as you can tell I LOVE these.

Shoes – Forever 21 Black Pointed Toe Faux Leather Booties

Earrings – Sheila Faijl Everybody’s Favorite Rose Gold Hoops

Alec’s Outfit Details:

Top/Sweatshirt – ZARA

Pants – TOP SHOP

Shoes – Gucci Loafers

Glasses – Sacks of Fifth Gucci Glasses

DAY 3

Today is the last day of the convention, for me anyways. Sunday is only interviews (for Juniors and Seniors).

Outfit Details:

Top - Forever 21 White Cold Shoulder Mock Turtle Neck

Bottoms – Forever 21 Grey Bow Tie Trousers

Jacket – Forever 21 Navy, Red Plaid Button Up Jacket

Shoes – Anna Craig Boutique Pointed-Toe Booties

Earrings – Sheila Faijl Everybody’s Favorite Rose Gold Hoops

Here is Day 2 Schedule!

In the morning, we listened to a few more speakers, then we were off to the career fair to talk and network with all the companies! My personal favorite speaker was Lauren Berger known as the “Internship Queen”. She started her company from the ground up, and had amazing advice to share with people applying, receiving, and how to impress for internships. The most famous speaker today at the convention was Daymond John from Shark Tank. He is a successful entrepreneur himself, and he shared some great tips as well. He even gave all the students a copy of his book that includes success strategies in the business/retail industry.

During the middle of the day we got to meet with eight different mentors (chosen at random) and interact with them. They each told us their personal stories, their advice for us, and some obstacles that they had to overcome over the years. My two favorite speakers included the Representative from Dillard’s and the CEO of Vivianlou. I was extremely excited to receive their contact information that I will be able to use when I get a tad older and continue to keep in touch.

Companies I got to interact with during the mentor portion ended up being Dillards, San Francisco Museum of Art, Vivianneloui, Urban Outfitters, HBC Digital, Walmart, and CallisonRTKL.

***NETWORKING IS EVERYTHING IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY

The last part of the day was the career fair, as I stated earlier. This was slightly overwhelming, considering I am only a Freshman in a huge sea of Juniors and Seniors. I knew I wasn’t going to land an internship, because large companies only allow either Juniors/Seniors or only Seniors to apply for their internships. However, this was unbelievably beneficial for me because I was able to network with numerous companies, introduce myself, give them my resume, and keep their contact information.

I ended up receiving a multitude of contacts all from companies who are interested in ME! This was such a humbling experience, because I never thought in a million years some of these companies could potentially want me to work for them down the line. SO SO SO AMAZING!!!

After the convention was over, I went to Little Italy (a MUST place to visit). My mom and I got a fabulous meal at a restaurant called Capri. We ate, then did some more shopping in SOHO. Later that evening, we met up with Alec to a phenomenal French bakery in SOHO called Ladurée.

Day 4

The last day of the trip we did not have much time because we had to leave for the airport at 1 pm. We made sure to make the most of the time we had! We got up early and met Alec once again at the best bagel place I have ever been to in my entire life, Ess a Bagel.

Outfit Details:

Top – Forever 21 Grey Sweatshirt

Jacket – Forever 21 Black Puffer Jacket

Bottoms – Lulu Lemon Black High Rise Leggings

Shoes – New Balance Purple/Blue Sneakers

Hat – Anna Craig Boutique CC Grey Beanie with Pom Pom

After breakfast, we went and saw the 9/11 Memorial and went into the museum. I must say, it was such a great experience, and I would recommend anyone who visits NYC to take time to go through the museum.

This trip was amazing, but I did not have as much free time as I thought I would. Therefore, I didn’t get to see a whole bunch of amazing sites. Even so I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything!