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!


Reading: In my constant rotation is The Wall Street Journal’s “Off Duty” and “Personal Journal” sections (this article was the most interesting one this week), while I glance at TheSkimm on the subway in the morning, and am listening via Audible to Cheryl Strayed’s “Tiny Beautiful Things.”  The books that I’m actually holding in my hands to read are my friend Angela Gilltrap’s Bejeweled: London Jewelry Designers You Need to Know, which features interviews and stunning visuals from 30 ultra-cool London jewelry designers, and In the Name of Gucci: A Memoir by Patricia Gucci, a personal account of growing up in the legacy of an Italian fashion house, navigating the waters of family drama and business, cast into the global spotlight.

[A new necklace colorway from Sorrelli; Le Labo’s latest, greatest parfum]

Loving: Sorrelli’s brand African Violet collection, (get a load of this piece!), yoga with Lauren Harris, and my pretty new Niemeyer blue tortoiseshell eyeglasses from the Zenni Optical Metropolitan Collection!

Shopping: Just purchased items include a super mini roll-on version of Le Labo’s newest fragrance, Thé Noir, and a few equally mini Diptyque candles for myself and gifts for others, because… you can never have too many (although Fashion Pulse Hubby begs to differ…)!

Planning: Getting excited for the summer; I just booked a stay at the Jersey Shore and am looking forward to taking weekend trips to places in the tri-state area. Japan sucked up a lot of my time and money for vacations this year, and obviously was so worth it!

Thankful: This is by far THE most important category of them all; I’m so incredibly grateful for the dedication and hard work of Rachael Comeau and Lané Botha this year. They provided all-around extra support and wrote some great pieces for Fashion Pulse Daily. Their professionalism, humor, and creative input will definitely be missed, and was so appreciated!