I recently was interviewed by Business Insider regarding the recent popularity of luxury fashion brand Gucci; curious about what I had to say? Watch the video above or click the link here for the transcript of the interview!
April 29, 2016
What Julia Has Been Up to This Month: Edition 1
[A picture from the summer that I started Fashion Pulse Daily]
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for a while, you could miss it.” Yep, this is a quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and I’m sure I’ve used it on the blog before, but with a constant, if not increasing list of urgent to-dos and musts these days, I found it crucial to take pause and reflect (also, how is this movie 30 YEARS OLD?!?!?). As the medium of blogging and sharing the sharing of information as a whole has evolved, I am constantly thinking about what that means for me personally and Fashion Pulse Daily. I can’t and for the most part haven’t done things exactly the same since the blog launched in 2008, but at its core, the mission remains consistent. I bring a mix of fashion and beauty insider knowledge and expertise to the table, along with personal opinion, style, and a finger on the pulse of the next cool product, place, or experience.
I’ve realized that I’ve gotten so caught up in the routine of needing to do all of these things that I’ve lost sight of how I really want to do them. I want you to feel my excitement when I come across something incredible, and so I’m going to test out capping out the end of each month with a “What Julia Has Been Up to This Month” post, featuring quick little tidbits across rotating categories for a more personal touch that I really want to implement back into the blog. If you like it, I will keep it up, and if you have suggestions- please send them my way in the “comments” section- thanks! I’ve already written WAY more of an intro than I intended, so without further ado…here’s the debut edition!
[Image via Bejeweled: London Jewelry Designers You Need to Know]
Writing: I’ve been a bit of a slacker at FPD for good reason: I’ve been consumed with writing and prepping loads of academic-related work! I recently presented to London College of Fashion Retail Management Masters Studies students (hosted by LIM College) on Digital Influence in Fashion Marketing, and am in the early stages of research for a conference in the fall in which I may be presenting on the cultural and sartorial significance of the kimono. I’m also wrapping up the semester at NYU with my class Style & Society Part II, and beginning to get ready for the Summer Fashion Lab on Fashion Blogging that I teach at LIM College (open to high school and college students-come take my class! You can find out more about it here!). I’m also gathering thoughts and materials in order to teach the Fashion Merchandising & Retail Management Capstone in the Graduate Studies Program at LIM College for the summer semester, and updating my class for Fashion Writing this fall in the undergraduate program as well. Am I keeping busy with courses? You could say that, yes!
Continue reading…
April 22, 2015
FitReserve Helps You Reach Fitness Goals with Ease & Efficiency
[The FitReserve Sign Up Portal]
If you’ve made it this far with a New Year’s resolution of fitness becoming a part of your life in 2015, chances are it’s here to stay – congrats! Reinforce good, healthy habits and stay in shape by shaking up your routine a bit with new activities and venues to try them at with FitReserve, a premium multi-studio fitness membership that lets you set the pace at how many classes you can realistically attend, coupled with full access to schedules at its participating partners’ studios.
Currently only in New York City, you can save up to 50% per class by using the membership, gaining entry to approximately 3,500 classes per week at over 85 top studios across the city. For each month/billing cycle, you can take up to four classes at each individual studio, while each membership tier lets you choose from 5 classes ($79/month), 10 classes ($149/month), or 20 classes ($249/month).
While testing out FitReserve over the past month, I spent a lot of time learning about studios and classes I had never heard of before, and making sure all the information that I needed was available, from the a description of the class to the instructor’s background, and what kind of equipment I needed to bring (yoga mat,etc), or style of shoes that were required to be worn for a particular activity. Everything I needed was ready available, and the reserve and check in process at the studios always went off without a hitch. For an additional inside into FitReserve’s unique positioning and business model, I spoke with Megan Smyth, co-founder and CEO of the company, whose background was originally in investment banking, and has immersed herself in the world of fitness for the past three years.
Fashion Pulse Daily: What made you decide to start FitReserve?
Megan Smyth: We created FitReserve to simplify your active life with one convenient all-access membership that allows you to mix and match classes from a curated selection of the top studios at a more accessible price point. Fitness is a way of life, but it also has to fit your life. With FitReserve, you get the freedom to choose from full class schedules at over 80 elite studios across NYC and attend each studio up to four times per month so you can create a true routine that works for your busy lifestyle. Plus, FitReserve members have access to insider perks from the best in apparel, nutrition, beauty and more to help you look and feel your best.
FPD: How many studios are you aiming to add per week or month?
April 10, 2012
Fashionable Reads for Spring 2012
“BY INVITATION ONLY: How We Built GILT and Changed the Way Millions Shop” by GILT Groupe cofounders Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, is the story of a love for shopping samples sales, alongside passion, friendship, and a great concept with valuable differentiators to become one of the most successful models for the fusion of fashion and tech. Now attracting five million members and earning a $1 billion valuation, Alexis and Alexandra bring you inside the world of their company, which started in 2007 and has grown exponentially to revolutionize the market and rethink the way that people shop in-store and online.
There are absolutely wonderful takeaways and insights that the book divulges, written in a joint voice by the co-founders and best friends, who aren’t afraid to share what some may consider trade secrets; how they came to make crucial business decisions, and signing on and forging strong relationships with brands to trust them and the business model. Forget “The Hunger Games;”This is one book that any fashion-intrigued entrepreneur would want to pick up and not put down until the last page is read!
Now in it’s second print issue, Style.com/Print is a larger than life edition that gives more of an insider’s view on the latest in fashion. With a bevy of “top 10” lists (top 10 jewelry, bags, shoes, models – voted by Style.com readers) alongside anecdotes and Q&As with industry greats (this issue features world-renowned photographer Juergen Teller and designers Alber Elbaz and Joseph Altuzarra), this is one magazine we’re going to pry our eyes away from the computer for and slowly digest, page by page! Click here to take a peek inside the issue, now available on select newsstands.
–Julia DiNardo
