New Position: Chanel Brand Ambassador

After a year and a half and two promotions later, I have taken over the CHANEL department at Saks Fifth Avenue as the label's Brand Ambassador. Who wouldn't want to advocate for Karl and all the pretty things he creates for the Paris fashion house? You bet your bottom dollar I'm looking forward to my merchandise allowance. ;) Goes to show hard work and initiative pays off, but this isn't where I'm stopping; CHANEL corporate, you're next. Success never settles.

CHANEL: The Boy Chanel Hand Bag

A few weeks ago my store had our seasonal CHANEL trunk show for the fw 11 season, and there were many incredible bags, but the one that caught my attention the most was the Boy Chanel bag. The bag is currently featured in Saks' September Fashion catalogue and I'm sure will be an instant favorite for a lot of women. I love the chain with a leather shoulder strap, the sideways clasp closure, the CHANEL sideways embossment and the overall look of the bag. Just like Elizabeth Olsen (above), a very good client of mine just purchased the 2,900.00 bag and for good reason. It's a fashion classic, duh! Chanel has a variety of classic and fashion bags, and this fashion bag will surely be a classic in it's kind. I actually delivered the bag today and she loved it despite the the one month wait. It comes in three sizes as well as a clutch. What do you guys think?

Fashion's Night Out: Saks Fifth Avenue

My favorite Brazilian Bombshell (at work), Julie & I.

Even though we didn't have Joe Jonas, Anna Wintour, or Lea Michele at Saks unlike our NYC flagship, my small Santa Barbara store still had a lot of fun during our FNO. We whipped out a red carpet, a DJ, a bar, heure d'oeuvres, and a photo booth. I honestly wish we pulled the big guns and had local celebrities host our FNO like Katy Perry or Oprah! I still had fun even though it seemed like no one was really celebrating. I had the most fun playing in the Chanel boutique trying on the latest and most classic bags. The mademoiselle, as modeled by GG starlet and Anna Wintour favorite, Blake Lively, was my favorite. I worked the whole day before FNO started at 6pm, so I decided to keep my attire simple.

I wore a Burberry coat, Alexander Wang Tee, Uniqlo cargos, and a pair of white Converse.

Saks Fifth Avenue: Fall Campaigns (behind the scenes)

Thank god for Saks POV, because as a Saks employee myself, I get to really experience what it's like to be a buyer or how our ad campaigns are put together IN New York without having to really be there by reading their blog. I get to virtually learn about one of our women's contemporary buyers, our mens accessories buyer, and many more amazing NYC Saks big wigs and how they go about their job or what's the hottest trends both on and off the runway.

Saks decided to have their fall campaigns right outside their Fifth Avenue headquarters (and on it's roof) and they brought in the big dogs for it including Chanel Iman, Anne Vyalitsyna, and my favorite, Coco Rocha. Legendary photog, Albert Watson was behing the lens to capture what looks like a great look book for our company. We were also very fortunate to have the incredibly talented, Annabel Tollman, style our shoot. From the looks behind the scene, the girls are rocking some serious fall fashions, which is great, because stores can expect some great merchandise! Fall is my favorite seasons, because we get an array of pieces from wool hats, gloves, cashmere, coats, sport coats, pants, and many more in a variety of fabrics, patterns, and colors. Can't wait to get the fall/winter fashion catalog in stores & at home! To join our mailing list or acquire our seasonal catalogs, click here.



From Saks POV.

Saks Fifth Avenue Mens Collection Fall 2011 Summit

Being able to travel with your job is an incredible opportunity and I was so excited when my manager promoted me and told me about a summit I would be going to in NYC. As a current Brand Ambassador for the SFAMC, I was beyond ecstatic to learn about our upcoming fall collection, because to be honest, my store did particularly well last fall, so I was excited to see what we'd be getting in...and hopefully be selling out of. The summit was jam packed with presentations covering cashmere sweaters, merino wool sweaters, our loro piana suits, shoes, accessories, and two brand new sister lines entitled 212 and 611 launching in early November. Throughout the summit I made great friends and was really able to network. I met my incredible brand team in NY including the buyers, brand managers, VP, and product managers and also met other fellow BA's from around the country including Florida, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, and Las Vegas. I've gained so much knowledge during my work stay in NYC, I was so motivated at the end of it that I wanted to go home and start to develop a product knowledge meeting with my entire store!

Our NY team definitely hosted a spectacular summit with incredible breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (including an all you can drink end of the night every night we worked). One particular moment that I will never forget was meeting the Vice President and Mens Fashion Director for Saks Fifth Avenue, Eric Jennings. I've read a few interviews of his and reviewed his guest editorials with GQ and Details, so it was amazing meeting him in person and really picking his brain. We talked a lot about blogging and the evolution of mens fashion...I cannot wait till January when I get to go back to the concrete jungle to learn about our Spring 2012 collection. Here's to an exciting fall season!


Eric Jennings, VP and Mens Fashion Director for Saks Fifth Avenue & I.

Teddy Bear Foundation for Saks Fifth Avenue Santa Barbara

I work with some of the best gals ever and I love my managers to death. They have been some of the best managers I have ever had in my retail career. I've had pretty shady and not-so-nice supervisors in the past, but I absolutely adore my management team at Saks in SB. Anywho, we had a giant party with the Teddy Bear Foundation this past Thursday and I was fortunate to attend and work the event. The festivity was pure chaos with over 20 food vendors, psychics, tarot card readers, photo booths, belly dancers, bars on every corner, hot looking servers, Billy Baldwin, Kenny Loggins, fire fighters, and more, the event was a blast! The event was from 6pm to 11pm and we had over 400 attendees, so it was a bit of a mad house. Nonetheless, the event was successful and we raised over $150,000 during our auction and it was a fantastic night. Here are some of the photo booth photos my coworkers/managers and I took! =)

Tommy Ton for Saks Fifth Avenue

I literally pooped in my pants when I went to visit the work's site..you know, to go shopping. HAHA I was so thrilled to see a quick collaboration with Tommy and the Saks girls at our New York offices. Such a creative idea; I see Tommy doing a lot of projects, like his Sightings project with Sergio Rossi and all his Vogue & Style.com stuff. Good job SAKS, for snagging a top street wear photog. Kudos!


Just for old memories sake.. =)