Simply Stylist LA Recap
Simply Stylist LA was a huge success! The most stylish fashion and beauty lovers came together for an all-day Fashion and Beauty Conference at The Grove LA and presented by Citi.
The day kicked off with a VIP networking brunch at The Fat Cow sponsored by Barneys New York and everyone left with a $200 gift card - insert girly squeals here! Simply Stylist founder Sarah Boyd, Tomoko Ogura, Fashion Director at Barneys New York, and Ambi Sitham from the anti-bullying nonprofit The Farley Project spoke to the attendees. Afterwards, the Fashion and Beauty Panels took place at the Pacific Theaters with a coffee break hosted by Annie Finch of Katherine Cosmetics. more details on the panels below!
The Brand Experience in The Park saw brands showcasing and selling their signature items at a discounted price, hosting contests, and gifting the attendees. Throughout the day, Breakout Sessions took place for all attendees interested in the inner workings of the fashion and beauty industry. These mini-crash courses hosted by Ashley Torres, Sazan Barzani, Madison Guest, Jamie Greenberg, Vanessa Flaherty and Lauren Buchsbaum of Nordstrom provided hands on opportunities for industry hopefuls to learn how to break into the business. If that wasn't enough there was also pampering offered to attendees, including manicures by Luxe Nail and Spa Boutique, hair styling by Román Salon and hair charm accessories by Charmsies, makeup touch-ups by Blushington, eyelash extensions by Blink Bar, personal shopping advice with Celebrity Stylist Jacqueline Rezak, and so much more. Fashion brands onsite were Lovers+Friends, Rad+Refined, Crossroads Trading, Ditto’s, That Madonna Girl, Call It Spring and Sarah Boyd x Capwell jewelry. Sparkling Ice, Glow Bio, and VeeV provided beverages, while Pretzel Crisps and Halo Top Creamery provided food. TOPSHOP hosted a happy (half) hour to finish out the day.
We would love to thank everyone who participated in the event. We hope you feel inspired and encouraged to go for your dreams. The sky is the limit!
Inspiration from the day to take with you...
Lauren: “I’ve been friends with Jessica Alba since I was 13 years old. One year she finally asked me to come with her and do her makeup for a Revlon campaign she was doing. It’s not just my celebrity friendships that made my career though, it’s been a slow and steady burn and it’s my passion and drive that brings in clients. You really have to focus on your clients, take care of them, and make sure they feel comfortable.”
Tara: “Nothing happens overnight. I’ve been in the business for 15 years and I still go out and network, make sure my face is out there. Yes you have to have good taste, but you also have to hustle and be willing to do the grunt work. Stylist is a hard job and you have to sacrifice a lot, but it’s so rewarding if you do it right. Stay humble!”
Anita: “I always pull looks from Style.com. I also have a blog that I work on with my team that has everything from styling to editorial to décor. I also look at other stylists work.”
Panel 1: Keynote - Brandi Cyrus
While Brandi is most known for being the older sister of singer Miley Cyrus, at Simply Stylist she is a celebrity in her own right. While she got her start in music, fashion has always been a passion of hers. On her family’s You Tube channel Seriously Cyrus, Brandi has her own show “Brandiville,” which are 5 minute fashion segments where she talks about everything from how to wear trends, styling, and mixing up styles. Her biggest influences are Miley for working hard, knowing what she wants, and going after it, and her mother, Tish, who is a great business woman and always taught her kids that they have to work for what they want. Brandi loves fashion because it’s subjective, there are no rules, and you can really show who you are through your fashion. For those looking to follow in her footsteps, her number one tip is that she’s all about the do it yourself mentality. Anyone can launch a You Tube channel and increase their Instagram and Twitter presence to get started. She told the crowd once people see you working hard and doing things for yourself, then they’ll be willing to jump on board and want to help you.
Panel 2: Experts & Entrepreneurs
Raissa Gerona of Lovers + Friends, Sunni Spencer of ENKVegas, and Alexis Wolfer of TheBeautyBean.com, moderated by Erin Weinger from The Hollywood Reporter.
Raissa is designer of LA based fashion line Lovers + Friends, which she runs with her partner Rich. She originally went to school to be a lawyer, but afterwards decided to follow her true passion for fashion. She started her first clothing line in 2008, but due to the economy she was not able to see it to fruition. She says that she learned so much through failing with her first line that when she started Lovers + Friends and found the proper funding they went full steam ahead and never looked back. She feels very fortunate to be doing what she loves every day and credits her success to the hard work of her entire team at Lovers + Friends.
Alexis started TheBeautyBean.com about five years ago to empower women to feel better about themselves. Her career started in the fashion world, working in the editorial department at Lucky while she was still in school getting a degree in Human Rights. She decided to blend the two worlds and start a community where fashion and beauty could help women feel better not worse about themselves.
Sunni started her career as a buyer at Bergdorf Goodman. She worked her way up at the company through management positions and after several promotions found herself running the couture floor at age 25. While it was a challenge to manage people at such a young age, she knew her worth and her passion and kept asking for opportunities to grow and change. She told the crowd to never take no for an answer.
Lessons:
Alexis: “Female entrepreneurs think they have to do it all. But it’s more important to find out what you’re good at and what you like to do, then surround yourself with people you trust who you can outsource to. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Raissa: “It’s not about how many hours you work, it’s about working smart. Focus on what you’re good at and let go of certain things that you can let others handle.”
Sunni: “You have to surround yourself with a team you can trust.”
Power of relationships and networking:
Sunni: “Be authentic. You’ll know within a few conversations if you’re really connecting with someone, if not move on. There’s a difference between being persistent and being pushy, which is a big turn off.”
Raissa: “I want to work with people I love and who understand what my brand and I are about. The same thing goes with the bloggers, influencers, and celebrities I work with. I treat relationships as dates, getting to know each other first, then seeing if there’s a way they can work together. If not the worst that happens is I have a new friend.”
Panel 3: Bloggers
Chriselle Lim from The Chriselle Factor, Shea Marie from Peace Love Shea, and You Tube Vlogger Evelina Barry, moderated by Natalie Alcala from Racked LA.
Chriselle Lim: With a background in both fashion styling and the editorial world, Chriselle is now one of the most popular fashion bloggers and You Tube stars. Blogger Tips: "If you want to succeed, know that you have to give 200% in the beginning." "It's okay to say no. Prioritize - and when you do choose something, be there and be present."
Shea Marie: She originally started her blog as a way to have more than just a paper resume. Soon more and more people started following her and her business grew exponentially. She has a top secret shoe collaboration coming out this year with a yet-to-be-named brand. Blogger Tip: "I don't always give away everything I'm wearing on Instagram. I use it to give a behind the scenes peek.”
Evelina Barrie: Moved to the US from Moldova at age 19. At the time she had a stressful life in design and architecture, and started her You Tube channel as an outlet to talk about her day. She found her viewers were more interested in what she was wearing, so she started doing tutorials. The rest is history.
Power of relationships and networking:
Shea: “Meet other bloggers, help each other grow, work on projects together. This industry is so much about who you know.”
Evelina: “I started this for fun before knowing it could be lucrative, I’ve had to learn from my blogger friends.”
Panel 4: Stylists
Celebrity stylists Tara Swennen and Anita Patrickson, and celebrity makeup artist Lauren Andersen.
Tara’s career started at Barneys New York, then she went on to work for two major names in the fashion game. She has a large list of A-List clients and she also works on several ad campaigns and in editorial shoots.
Anita started out as an assistant West Coast editor at Conde Nast, which she credits with leading her to styling. She had to style, write, set up shoots, pull from show rooms, etc. She realized she like the styling aspect of her job the best and after a few years at Conde Nast she left to pursue a solo career as a stylist, which she has been doing for the past six years.
Lauren always loved makeup, and in college was always changing her major. She got a job as a makeup artist at the Lancome counter and realized this was where her passion lied. After graduating instead of moving on into graduate school she decided to pursue a more artistic path. She worked with anyone she could, even doing makeup for free, anything she could do to boost her portfolio. At the time she was posted her pictures on MySpace.
1st Big Break/How to be Successful:
Lauren: “I’ve been friends with Jessica Alba since I was 13 years old. One year she finally asked me to come with her and do her makeup for a Revlon campaign she was doing. It’s not just my celebrity friendships that made my career though, it’s been a slow and steady burn and it’s my passion and drive that brings in clients. You really have to focus on your clients, take care of them, and make sure they feel comfortable.”
Anita: “I still don’t think I’ve had my big break yet, but my Conde Nast job certainly launched me into styling. To be successful, you have to think on your feet, be methodical, and stay calm. Styling is only 20% of our jobs, the rest is everything else that comes with the job. You must be tenacious and resourceful.”
Tara: “Nothing happens overnight. I’ve been in the business for 15 years and I still go out and network, make sure my face is out there. Yes you have to have good taste, but you also have to hustle and be willing to do the grunt work. Stylist is a hard job and you have to sacrifice a lot, but it’s so rewarding if you do it right. Stay humble!”
Advice They Wish They’d Known:
Lauren: “Don’t give up. Do something every day that furthers your career, whether it’s flipping through magazines for inspiration, introducing yourself to photographers or other makeup artists.”
Anita: “It’s gonna be fine. You’re gonna be okay. Push past the point where you want to give up, that’s when you’ll make it.”
Tara: “How much the business changes. Styling used to be so behind the scenes, but now with the rise of reality tv, corporate endorsements, etc. it’s so different. You need to be open to change and evolve with the times.”
Where do you get your inspiration?
Tara: “For clients, Style.com is my first go to. WWD for current events in the fashion world. Wire Image to see what people are wearing.”
Anita: “I always pull looks from Style.com. I also have a blog that I work on with my team that has everything from styling to editorial to décor. I also look at other stylists work.”
Lauren: “I find inspiration in everything, even just walking around to see how people are doing their makeup. I especially love walking around in NYC. I like looking at other stylists and makeup artists’ Instagrams. I love websites like Byrdie Beauty, Beauty is Boring, and Who What Wear.
Panel 5: Keynote - Catt Sadler
"When you walk in the room and know how everyone's job is done and respect them for that...it's an art."
“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”