“Diets, Like Clothes, Should Be Tailored To You” – Joan Rivers

So, I have recently had a sort of epiphany about my waistline, this accompanied by some real ‘tough love’ by my father over Easter vacation. I have to say, it is possibly one of the worst moments in your life when a parent sits you down and tells you that you are overweight, to the point where you really need to do something about it; but what makes it 10 times worse, is when you know that they’re right.

I have known for some time that I am overweight; I can’t wear the clothes I long to and I always feel like the odd one out in my group of friends – a feeling deemed ‘fat b**** on the end’ by my sister. My family have battled weight gain brought on by emotional eating for years so now I want to do something to change that.

“I Know What Women Want. They Want To Be Beautiful” – Valentino

Having not been too up to date on my posting recently, I want to take a second and reflect on what was one of my favorite shows from Paris Fashion Week – Valentino.

It was immaculately tailored perfection with the ideal use of color, leather and prints. It summarized the effortlessly chic nature of Fashion Week in Paris in such a understated manner that spoke true elegance.

“The Difference Between Style And Fashion Is Quality” – Giorgio Armani

Consider this little quote from Giorgio the start of me weighing in on the current street-style debate. The phenomenon of fashion bloggers and those photographed for their street style has gotten carried away on it’s own momentum; we live in a time where everybody assumes they can be a fashion blogger and matter to the fashion editorial world just like that, the same applies for street-style kids thinking they are models.

Gone are the days of pure fashion editorial, instead we are subjected to the realms of Instagram hash-tags such as #WIWT (what I wore today) #OOTD (outfit of the day) – are we now congratulating people on getting dressed for the day?

“You Must Welcome Change As The Rule But Not As Your Ruler” – Denis Waitley

So, for a while now – almost a month – I have been absent from my blog. I haven’t meant to be, but with the stress of starting a new job in the run up to Fashion Week and bending over backwards for that job, time just somewhat got away from me.

Anyway, this is my welcome back post! I will still write about Fashion, PR, New York and all things me, for anyone that might like to read them. Big Apple Dreaming, we’re back.

“Fashion Is A Very Stressful Place To Work Because Of The Shows – No One Expects A Writer To Produce 2 Books A Year On The Dot” – John Galliano

So yet another New York Fashion Week has come and gone. Fashionistas have arrived and conquered, editors haven’t slept, the after-parties have been riotous and we still aren’t quite sure what John Galliano was doing with Oscar De La Renta.. All over New York, those in the fashion world are taking a deep sigh of relief and looking forward to a weekend of, well, sleep.

So, what was the highlight? For me personally, Oscar De La Renta – sure we didn’t get an actual answer on Galliano’s presence but when the collection came down the runway, we didn’t need one. From the felt hats, wrap belts, draped fabrics and the pale, matte make up, this collection read like a Galliano manual and although slightly biased (I heart Galliano), it was my fashion week moment.

“Every Year The Women Of New York Leave The Past Behind & Look Forward To The Future… This Is Known As Fashion Week…” – Carrie Bradshaw

New York Fashion Week, NYFW to those in the know and the hashtag that never gets old, is where the New York fashion crowd come to mingle, not touch carbs and enjoy the latest collections. For fashion PRs, its 7 days of hell, for productions companies sleep becomes something for the week and for the socialites, well, it just doesn’t get any better.

So why is it that this week, despite all the hardships it involves, it still one of the most amazing, unworldly and favorite calendar weeks of the year? Simply put, because it’s FASHION week. Designers worldwide flood the fashion capital to show their latest collections, debut the latest trends and to simplify it more, show us what they got!

“I Think It’s Healthy For A Person To Be Nervous. It Means You Care – That You Work Hard & Want To Give A Great Performance” – Beyonce Knowles

Having now done the hardest hurdle and actually gotten myself a full time, salaried job, I find myself absolutely terrified about starting said job tomorrow morning. However, so many people have told me that nerves are a good thing; it would be more worrying if in fact I wasn’t nervous and felt overly-confident about what I’m doing.

I don’t want it to sound like I am completely clueless and blagged myself a job, it isn’t like that. Instead, it’s more like ‘sure, my internships have prepared me for this’, but now instead of someone else being accountable for me making a mistake it’s all on me.

“Choose A Job You Love, And You Will Never Have To Work A Day In Your Life” – Confucius

This Confucius quote was in a fortune cookie I got when I was about 14 years old. Oddly, it has always stayed in my mind and I think this is partly why I kept going after a career in PR despite the ups and downs.

It’s my opinion that here in New York City, the message of this statement should resound even higher. In a city with a dog-eat-dog nature, it is SO important to do something you love so when those phone calls come in asking you to work all hours and you don’t have time to eat let alone have a social life, you don’t mind because you love what you do.

It isn’t to say that doing something you love will never be challenging but the difference is that you will enjoy the challenge.

“In Difficult Times, Fashion Is Always Outrageous” – Elsa Schiaparelli

Tonight the SAG awards took place in LA, and keeping up with award season, celebrities outdid themselves; monochrome trends came out on top and black and navy were the colors of the night! Here are a few of my personal favorite looks from the red carpet!

[Kerry Washington in Rodarte; Jaimie Alexander in Marc Bouwer; Naomi Watts in Marchesa]

[Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Haute Couture; Nicole Kidman in Vivienne Westwood; Amanda Seyfried in Zac Posen]

“I Didn’t Really Know What I Wanted To Do, But I Knew The Woman I Wanted To Become” – Diane Von Furstenberg

It was recently brought to my attention that perhaps in my career ambitions, I am not aiming at the right level, that I am actually in fact underachieving in comparison to my resume.

I have written a number of posts about the pains of the New York PR scene, the transient nature of the fashion world and the difficulty of finding stable employment; but what do you do if someone tells you, you’re not succeeding because your entry angle is all wrong. Now I have started applying for the next level up – coordinator, assistant account manager, account executive, and guess what? It’s paying off…