The Criminally Chic

After recently moving, I decided to revamp my closet and I was a little shocked when I separated out how many items of clothing still had tags or just haven't been worn since I moved to Los Angeles from NYC last year. I spend a lot of time searching through boutiques and stepping on other women's backs with my stilettos at sample sales to acquire the small oasis I call my closet.  Sure, some people may call me an impulse shopper, but there were so many places I imagined myself going in that to die for Luca Luca dress. I only wore it one time, but somehow it managed to find its way into 5 people's facebook albums! Sometimes I blame facebook for bringing many beloved items to an early back closet grave.

Lucky for me, the process of taking it in is pretty simple once I managed to let my goods go! I simply brought in my old party dresses and walked out with a check for my beloved items that they felt would fit the customers of that store. *Disclaimer: I did also walk out with a simple, black Herve Leger dress for $350, but who could let it sit there at that price? It doesn't even get that low at the Las Vegas store and they send all their sale items to that location!*

In a time where many women are spending more attention to what they are spending, designer vintage boutique shopping can allow them to still get the fashion-forward designers they love, but for a fraction of the price! One women who is helping to support trend setters everywhere is Bianca Kaplan. She just recently opened a designer vintage boutique in San Francisco, CA. During a time that many people are getting laid off and struggling to find work, she still took a leap and created her own opportunity to do something she is passionate about. How can you not find inspiration in that? Through entrepreneurial workshops put on by Woman's Initiative, a non-profit organization that helps women open up their own business, she put together a plan and executed it flawlessly.

CC: When did you know fashion was what you wanted to do for a living?
BK:  I always had an eye for fashion.  I tried sewing and I was really bad at it.  I love putting clothes together that aren't necessarily my own designs.

CC: What inspired you want to start a boutique? 
BK: I have always dreamed of owning my own boutique.  My husband and I owned a bar in SF for five years and we sold it at the right time.  After the sale, I decided that I was going to open up my own business.  I took a class at Women's Initiative to help me get my business plan together.  They are a non-profit that helps women who want to start their own business.

CC: Your boutique is very unique and innovative for San Francsico.  How do you select the brands and merchandise for your store?
BK: I am always looking for a label at BIANCA*STARR.  I am trying to remain selective and vintage items are what I am really looking for.

CC: What sets your boutique apart from the others in your area? 
BK: We dry clean everything which is unique in SF.  We also do not carry any pants whatsoever.  I handpick everything.

CC: Can you virtually walk us through your store, What do we see? What should we expect?
BK: Bright red door, pink walls and a gorgeous chandelier.  We have all of shoes in a row on the floor and one rack on either side  with many many dresses, skirts, blouses, sweaters etc.

CC: What is the price range in the store?
BK: Anywhere from $12.00 to $150.00

CC: If you could give advice to women who are thinking about starting a boutique what would it be?
BK: Go for it!  It may not be easy at first but it will get better! Follow your dreams!  I have friends stuck in a cubicle and their life is just that!  With my new job, I make my own schedule and live freely!

CC:  That's very inspirational advice! For someone who hears you say that and finally decides to follow her gut and open up her own store, where do they begin to look for funding in this economy?
BK: Their are so many small business loans out there.  You need to do some research.  As for me, I took a small class in my neighborhood that showed me where to get those resources.  They are out there!

CC: Tell me more about Women's Initiative and their role in your boutique.
BK: They were great. They guided me through the process of opening up my own business.  From getting the permits, licenses you name it.  It was great to have women who have done this before guide you through this process.

CC: How long did it take you to open your doors once you decided on opening a boutique and scouting locations? 
BK: My current location was available about 3 weeks before graduating from women's initiative.  I jumped on
it.  It needed alot of work.  We did all the work in one month and now here I am sitting in my boutique writing you!

CC: What are the biggest challenges you face as an owner of a discount designer clothing boutique?
BK:  I am on a side street from the main drag. I would say the foot traffic is good but could be better.  Other than
that I am keeping hopeful if what the future has to hold and couldn't be happier with my decision.    I also have 2 boys and a husband who I couldn't have done this without!!!!  I love you boys so very much. You are my world!

For more information on BIANCA*STARR, check out her website at www.Biancastarr.com. Make sure you click on her blog too and check out the play by play of the start up of her new store if you need a little extra inspiration to open your own boutique in your city! And for those of you who are inspired to start shopping, check out her San Fran boutique!

BIANCA*STARR
3552 20th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
open everyday 11am-7pm

XOXO,

The Haute Chick

Stephanie Redhead is a public relations coordinator at Twinkle by Wenlan. Women in public relations are always looked at in New York as having the 'It' job. Stephanie takes us through her career path and education to serve as an inspiration that it is never too late to get the experience for what you really want to do. Although she already had a solid footing in fashion, she still wanted to take it to the next level for herself and get into the PR side of the business. She sought out a certificate program at the Fashion Institute of Technology under Fashion Events & Public Relations and graduated last spring.  Did you know you could actually take a class for "how to style celebrities?' She has a daily life that is the envy of many criminally chic darlings: tons of clothes, fashion industry events after work, and getting to work with editors, designers, models, and more!

CC: Who do you work with there? The designer, PR houses, models . . etc?

SR: I work directly with the designer, Wenlan Chia, editors/ stylists; PR companies.  Right now with fashion week, I work with everyone from hair, make-up, dj, lighting, set design, models, and modeling agencies.

CC: What was your start in a fashion career?

SR: I grew up in fashion!  I remember every Saturday as a kid my mom would take me to Macys Herald Square.  When I was 15 I landed my first job as a sales associate at the Limited, and tt was then that I knew I wanted a career in fashion. I majored in Fashion Merchandising at Howard University and graduated with a BA in Arts.  My work experience was more on the Buying/Planning side of the industry. My first position out of college was Merchandising Manager for JCPenney. At that time the managers bought and planned the merchandise for their store. I had a great amount of experience in understanding sales trends, sell-throughs, and margin. It was a great foundation for me.

CC: You later went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, what was your transition into the program?

SR: After a couple of years in Buying/Planning I knew I wanted to do something else within the Fashion Industry. I knew I loved clothing, was very outgoing, and LOVED Fashion Week. Taking all of that into consideration, a close friend suggested Events.  I looked at FIT’s website, and saw courses in Fashion Events & Public Relations so I signed up for an intro class. I was hooked!  I enrolled in the Certificate Program at FIT and graduated this June.  The courses were taught by professionals in the Industry, which was great for real hands-on experience, and for net-working.  The courses ranged from Intro to Fashion Events, How to Write Press Releases, How to Produce a Fashion Show, Styling Celebrities, to Writing a Business Plan.  The certificate program was great because the courses were held in the evening so you could go to work full-time and take the courses afterward.  The program is also flexible giving you two years to finish the certificate, which is perfect.

CC: What are your favorites that we should be looking out for in the show this week?

SR: Beautiful soft colors, texture, and classic silhouettes.

CC: Do you have time to have a life? If so, what is your social schedule like with your job and what kind of hours do you work vs play? PR girls are always known to be fab!

SR: Ha!  I usually have a life but haven’t had one this week . I usually work normal hours and of course stay longer if necessary.  I still have fun- after working in the office, I go straight to fashion events to network.

CC: Are there any perks? If so, what are they?

SR: Tons of clothes!  The opportunity to visit many venues in the city and meeting new people that become lifelong friends.

CC: Remind me to leave you my size information! Do you get to meet any celebs?

SR: Yes, I meet celebrities all the time.  I have one visiting the showroom this afternoon!

CC: I see I'll be stalking the Twinkle entrance while I'm in New York for Mercedes-Benz Fashion week! What are your favorite places to shop in NYC?

SR: I’ve always loved Bloomingdales, but I don’t look at it as a department store. It has everything and a lot of up and coming designers- they know fashion!  I never have time to shop so I love making purchases on shopbop.com

CC: Smart girl! I'm noticing more and more people are tending to shop online. . . even people  like me who crave shopping in person! What trends are you in love with or wish would die this fall?

SR: Hmm.. Good question. I love color, and texture so the mixture of both on fabrics are getting me excited this fall.  I’m not digging the shoulder pads.  I was around when they were in-style. I would hate to repeat that look!

CC: Do you have a favorite hang out spot or low-key restaurant in NYC?

SR: Well since neither my boyfriend nor I cook; we go out to eat.  I usually write a review on restaurants on www.twinklebywenlan.com under Twinkle’s favorite things. So my favs changes every month. But for a hang out spot, we’ve always liked going to Spotted Pig, and I’m in love with Mary’s Fish Camp right now!

XOXO,

The Haute Chic

Turner's line of headbands Gloria and Beatrice

The first entry in this series will be a profile on Kristen Turner, a fashion stylist in West Hollywood who is a bundle of creative energy that can do everything from create a designer look to her own line of beautiful headbands, Gloria and Beatrice! I had the opportunity of interviewing Kristen in West Hollywood after a day of dashing around from boutique to boutique. (Oh what a life!!!)   She had her first gig after school in fashion PR and later went to 5^th Ave club, the personal shopping department at Saks. It was there at Saks where Kristen was to get the foundation she would need to start styling through contacts that came into the store and her eventual stylist mentor that took her under her wing. “There’s no school for styling. You have to get out there and find a really good person to train you. On set things can get scary and someone is bound to be mean to you at least once, but you can’t be afraid to try. Just be sure you are always professional and always on you’re A-game because like most attractive positions, there is always someone waiting to step in your shoes. ”

The uber stylish Turner was all smiles as she discussed trends she was really into like strong shoulders, how her dream client would be to style Whitney Houston for her come back, and how she would love to see the death of tie dye! While there may be no typical workday as a stylist, if there is a big event she needs to get someone ready for she may spend her day calling showrooms and designers to get clothes, shoes, and accessories to pull from. At the end of the day, she may compile two or three rolling racks full of clothing to complete one look! This may require going to between 20-25 places in a day to find just that one outfit. Fashion styling may sounds like the glamorous life, but some days get stressful when you are under a time crunch.

CC: What advice would you give to other Criminally Chic ladies who would like to break into the business of celeb fashion styling?

KT: “Get it in your system. Eat, breath, and live it. Read all the magazines and know who the celebs are, what they wear, and what their body types are. Don’t forget the more editorial magazines like W, Oyster, and Purple. It’s also important to get out there and meet people then e-mail them to follow up. If they don’t e-mail you back, don’t let that stop you and think this is too hard. Also like I said before, getting a good mentor who is already in the game can really help you.”

CC: What is a great fashion tip you can share with readers?

KT: “Undergarments are the foundation of your outfit and can make or break you. Wear spanx, even if you are Hollywood starlet tiny, and don’t ever leave the house without a bra unless you are headed to the beach!”

CC: Who are some of your favorite designers?

KT: “I love things that have a classic style like vintage Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, and Carolina Herrera. I also love Zac Posen. As far as shoes, you can’t go wrong with Christian Louboutin. His shoes are like art. I literally have an autographed pair that I keep in a clear, plastic display box that I purchased at Saks!”

CC: For someone who is visiting Los Angeles, where would you tell them they had to shop before they left?

KT: “American Rag because they have a great mix of current items that you may find at Barneys mixed with great vintage finds. I love that they have a vintage section that doesn’t ‘smell vintage.’”

For more information on Turner's line of headbands, please vist her on  the web at www.gloriaandbeatrice.com.

XOXO,

The Haute Chick

This past year, so many people who felt secure in their jobs and careers in Corporate America have gotten the rude awakening that most companies are more concerned with their bottom line than their employees. Sometimes even while stuck in Corporate America, we still yearn to do something we could be more creative with or had more passion for. I know there are a lot of you who are in between careers right now and wondering should you just bite the bullet and go back to find something similar to what you were doing versus following that little voice in your gut. Then there are those of you who still have your job, but are witnessing people getting laid off right and left, only left to wonder “will I be next,’ ‘should I finally start my own business?’

With a growing number of young ladies in America getting laid off from their jobs or wavering between starting their own path, I want to unleash The Criminally Chic Diaries. This month, I’m going to begin profiling fabulous young women who are taking a more creative approach than regular corporate jobs and also ladies who took the plunge to start their own venture. I want you to be able to answer this question truthfully – ‘Am I using my gifts and talents to the fullest?’ If not, maybe it’s time to follow me on a journey through The Criminally Chic Diaries and start exploring a way to take your talent to the next level.

If you know a fierce fashionista that should be profiled, please contact me at thecriminallychic@gmail.com

XOXO,

The Haute Chick