FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA x GLAMOUR MAGAZINE.

Our First Lady is absolutely inspirational. In the December edition of Glamour Magazine, Mrs. Obama shares some very good advice and talks about her work mentoring young women. This stuck out to me in particular:

Don’t wait to be “discovered” by a mentor:
“I was blessed throughout my entire career. I had people rooting for me. It started with my parents, but it extended to almost every teacher that I had. When I was a young lawyer, there were other women and men in the firm who took me under their wing. Look for those mentors, because sometimes mentors don’t find you--sometimes you seek them out. Oftentimes, they’re flattered and glad to lend a hand.”

My parents are my biggest fans. And I also have people who have helped me along the way. Seeing that Michelle Obama had a similar foundation and growth that led her to be a successful woman, makes me feel like I'm on the right path.

VOGUE PARIS x KAWS x RAQUEL ZIMMERMAN.

Raquel Zimmerman is one of the most sought after models in the world. And you can see why from this amazing spread in Vogue Paris' November edition. I love it because it has a bit of extra flare with a graffiti clad background with a hint of Kaws magic. Here's some more of the spread:


SIDENOTE: If/When I get married, this is what I want my dress to look like.. Isn't it dreamy?

To see the rest of the photo spread click here.

IS IT WORTH IT?

I told someone that I "like to intern" and their response was: "why would you want to work for free?"

On one hand they're right. In this economy, you really shouldn't be wasting valuable working hours on something that isn't going to give you a paycheck at the end of the week. BUT on the other hand, how else will I get my foot in the door?

Interning at Yours Truly Brand for almost a year was one of the best experiences of my life. I met so many people and learned so much all with little or no pay. I feel like you cant really put a monetary value on experiences like that.

I just want to learn. And soak up as much knowledge as I can before I graduate and have to go be an adult.

KiD CuDi x NylonTV.

+ I love his style.
+ Aimlessly walking around SoHo.
+ Makes me miss the summer.

SNEAKER LOVE : NEW NIKE BLAZERS.

I used to be a sneaker girl. Lowkey, I still am. Anyway.. Here are some new Nike Blazers! Simple colorways with a perforated Nike sign. Only $88! I love both! Click here to buy.

KARMALOOP AUTUMN/WINTER '09 LOOKBOOK.

I LOVE karmaloop. It encompasses everything that is street wear, cool and new. It features tons of brands; some you've heard of and even some local ones. I had no idea that they also put together a lookbook for this season! Check out Chester French in some of the photos here.

P.S. I want a faux fur vest SO BAD.

FALL Boots.

I came across these awesome boots randomly online this week and I'm in love. MaraisUSA is a small brand but has that old school, Oxford style of footwear that's making a huge comeback. My favorite is the tall Tuxedo boot.

FACT: the designers are Parsons students who started their company in 2007! Just 3 years after they moved to NYC to design. Amazing.

I GOT A JOB !

I'm excited... but I'm still on the hunt for an internship! I just got a reply to my inquiry for one of my FAVORITE designers. I'm trying to set up an interview this week and see what happens..

"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination."

--Fitzhugh Dodson

SHINE ON : Kanye's Photo Book

Kanye West is an icon. Love him or hate him, I feel that he is an inspiration to a lot of my peers, not only from a fashion point of view. He is Pop Art. Very much in the same way that Andy Warhol and his factory people were icons of the 60s era of change. They were underground and didn't care what anyone thought of them because they were being themselves and making art.

He is inspiring because you can feel his passion in whatever he does.

Kanye is putting out a book of photos from his groundbreaking Glow In The Dark tour. Although I didn't get the chance to go, I can see from the photos that it was amazing. Some of my favorites:

HECUBA - THE MAGIC .

I'm obsessed with this song and video. Its both artistic, different and full of stuff straight of the runway.

I wanna watch cartoons with you...

HIRE ME! PLEASE.

Interviews suck. Its such a long drawn out process of awkward questions and you trying to figure out how to say the "right" answer. What makes it worse is that most interviews now, (at least for retail jobs) are GROUP interviews. So then you're forced to sit and listen to other people say the "wrong" things and tell their long stories...

I was asked to do a group interview yesterday for a sales position at a store in SoHo. It was a pretty good interview session although it lasted for an hour and a half. But people say the darnedest things when they're put on the spot:

Interviewer: Tell me about your worst boss...
Dude: Oh my god.. this manager I used to work with was the WORST. He was, excuse my language, AN ASSHOLE. Theres no other way for me to describe him but that he was AN ASSHOLE....

We were all looking at each other like did he just say that?
It was SO FUNNY. Situations like that make me feel like why do I want to settle a job when I may be more qualified for a better position somewhere else? But thats really just MY opinion of myself.. I don't have the experience to do what I REALLY want to do yet, so retail it is.. for now.

So now begins the process of waiting for the call back.. Nerve-racking..

WELCOME .

Have you ever had a dream that you want to pursue? Have you ever had an inexplicable passion for something that you cannot seem to contain? Have you ever had so many ideas floating around in your head, just screaming to get out? Have you ever felt like you've found your path or niche in life? Well, I have.

HI EVERYONE! I'm Valerie (if you don't already know me) and I'm on a journey to find my place in the world of fashion. Yes, I know. EVERYONE is "doing fashion" or "has a clothing line" or "has a fashion blog". But I'm not like any of them. I don't want to be in the limelight or design clothes or be a pseudo fashionista. I have no interest in that. My passion is deeper than that. When I look through magazines or see a cool photoshoot, I don't just look at the clothes. I want to know who styled it, what's the story behind it, and what are the trends.

I still haven't figured out exactly what my path will be in this industry and my struggle to find the perfect starting point in an internship is making it harder. I started this blog to post my own ideas and thoughts (along with some other cool things) while trying to build a career.

THANK YOU & COME AGAIN. LOL.
-VALZ.