How many emails are in your inbox, the first skirt I ever made and thrifting!
That job at the Gap was crucial in nurturing my business, retail, and fashion skills—I still have the pin I wore when I worked there. (I’m a sentimentalist, or maybe a pack rat; it’s a fine line.)
All about the first skirt I ever made click here.
“By the time I was eleven, my interests in selling and business took a clear turn toward fashion, compelling me to visit fabric stores in Chicago so I could make my own clothing. It was also at this time that I switched to a new school and, for my first day of sixth grade, I made my very first skirt with the help of my mother. It was a bold move considering I didn’t know anyone and because the skirt was made from a houndstooth fabric that I’d hand-sewn to match the pattern I’d purchased along with it. It had an elastic waist, and everything was super jagged. My mom looked at the finished product and said to me, “Take pride in the work you put into it, and believe in yourself,” which instilled in me a level of confidence that’s so important for young women. Believing in yourself and what you do is half the battle. Even if I got judgmental looks from other girls, which I know I did, I didn’t care. My feeling was, I made this skirt, and I’m owning it! It was this gumption that led me to make friends who would come over to my house, where I’d “produce” runway shows by styling them in my clothing or pieces I’d created.” Chapter 1, DON’T BE AFRAID TO EVOLVE, Page 4 in EMBRACING THE CALM IN THE CHAOS.
I was thinking more about my skirt I made and how yes I still have it stashed in my closet along with all my favorite vintage pieces either I made or thrifted back in the day. And then it made me think about my recent newsletter when I was a Professor at Columbia University and how all the students love my brand BOY MEETS GIRL from surfing their favorite pastime shows on TIKTOK (aka Gilmore Girls, OG Gossip Girl, and Vampire Diaries). This then led me to find all these posts from Reddit on Gilmore Girls asking where they could get the shirt she was wearing!
”My mom is a big thrift store shopper, so we used to go “thrifting” all around Bucktown and other areas of Chicago where I grew up. Through those experiences, I learned a lot about iconic designers, everyone from Chanel and Missoni to Donna Karan and Norma Kamali. I was very influenced, specifically, by the great women designers, leaders, industry standouts, and entrepreneurs, especially because my mom was a working mother, and I got to see her dressed in some of the pieces they created and wore, which sparked my passion for clothing and design.” Chapter 2, DON’T BE AFRAID TO EVOLVE, Page 4 in EMBRACING THE CALM IN THE CHAOS.
Then I thought about my love for thrifting and how students are now thrifting my 23-year-old brand ( my fabric baby) and then I thought about how I was thrifting at the age they are now thrifting and how cool that thrifting is now so loved on TikTok with most of Gen Z. This then led me to a post that got a lot of love when I shared it on Twitter and Instagram about how many emails you keep in your inbox. Let’s just say I look at my emails like a vintage piece and yes my inbox is quite full!
Don’t forget to scoop up my book
Don’t forget to listen to my audiobook
Don’t forget to leave a review for this first-time author
Thank you all!
