Teen Vogue Fashion University 2015 Summary

Friday
6pm- I arrived at Express, a clothing store, located in Times Square, thinking it would be a super chill drop-in and mingle experience, I was greeted with a long line of fellow TVFU students wrapping around the building. After waiting for 20ish minutes another section of the line, including me were let in. Instantly I was overwhelmed, in a good. As you took the escalator up to the second floor, you saw Chelsea Leylend DJing, and Andrew Bevan greeting a large line of guests eager to meet him. I ventured in further, trying to squeeze my way through the large crowds of people, and shelves filled with clothes. At the event, servers were passing around hor d'oeuvres, and colourful drinks. There were two giant lines, one for a Photo Booth, and the other for false lash or flash tattoo applications. At one point Amy Astley appeared and another long line of eager girls gathered in hopes of meeting her. At one point I thought that I was standing in line to talk to Andrew Bevan, but it turns out it was just a really large group of people talking. It was a super cool experience, and I'm really grateful that Teen Vogue went through the trouble of planning it and hosting it.  After about an hour I decided to leave and head back onto the bustling streets of NYC.

Saturday
7:30am-I arrived at 1World Trade Centre and checked in, it was amazing to see soo many different personal styles in one room, I mean talk about inspiration!
9am- This was my first lecture of the day, and I couldn't have asked for a more inspiring way to kick off a great day. Vashtie Kola spoke about her journey into the fashion industry and how she made it to where she is now! She seemed super down to earth, and really relatable, and mega successful doing amazing things in directing, DJing, and designing!
10:10am- The second lector was from one half of the creative minds behind Frame Denim, Jens Grede. He was so charming! Jens broke his talk down into 9 lessons, he was really funny, really knowledgeable and just generally a really great guy! I feel a cheeky Frame denim purchase coming on soon.

11:20am- It was time for Rebecca Minkoff, she was soo pretty in person, and it was really interesting to see the face behind the brand that I have come to love. Her story of how she made it was really encouraging.

12:30pm- Next was the stylist behind Lupita Nyong'o, Micaela Erlanger. I felt that I was going to learn the most from her, since she is in styling, something that I'm super passionate about, and she did not disappoint. She was so kind, and even stayed around after her talk, to answer our questions. It was so cool, to hear first hand what it's like to prep for award season and dress celebrity clients.

Then it was lunch, in the Conde Nast's super swanky caf.
2:50pm- Jodie Synder, half of the genius behind Dannijo accessories. Her passion for what she does was very inspiring, and she's a great example that your childhood hobby, can one day become your occupation.

4pm-The last lecture of the day was a panel of editors from Teen Vogue, monitored by Amy Astley. It was like the Teen Vogue Handbook, but in person. I took a lot of notes during that seminar, I was excited to be there, amazed by their words of wisdom; but mostly just super happy for all them for being able to work at such a creative space, like Teen Vogue, and through all their hard work, be where they are, it's just so cool.

To end the day, there was an incredible mix and mingle with the editors of Teen Vogue, perfect for networking and getting qualified career advice from some pretty stylish people.
Sunday
8:30am-Check in, again so amazing to see everyone looking so stylish.
10am-ZAC POSEN!!!!! Yes I was lucky enough to hear this beautiful and talented man speak, and damn, he is my new favourite. He's really cheeky, and the passion he has for designing, like actually draping the fabric on the mannequin, is relevant in the way he speaks about his craft. I think the coolest part of the whole weekend had to be the moment Zac Posen, actually talked us through how he creates his dresses, and showing what really is going on inside his fabulous, feminine figure loving gowns.

The following pictures are of Zac Posen describing the process of design the dress above, worn by Dita Von Teese

11am- We were handed our diplomas and the greatest weekend ever was officially over.

Would I recommend applying to TVFU? 1000%
Did I have the time of my life? 10000%
Was it everything I thought it would be? Everything and soo much more!