Hi friends! I made it back Saturday afternoon from New York City where I attended LuckyFABB (Fashion and Beauty Blogger Conference put on by Lucky Magazine). I spoke prior to leaving about my anxiety and all the nuttiness that goes on in my brain, and I really appreciated all of the lovely comments which helped push me out of my comfort zone.
I usually don't stay this close to Times Square, but it was fun for this quick trip!
I arrived Wednesday morning after a super smooth direct flight from Lexington where I had an entire row to myself. Hooray for comfort. I had a couple of meetings and then went to dinner with the always fabulous Patty and her friend (now my friend) Massiel. Gluten free pasta really hit the spot!
Afterwards, my roommate and fabulous plus size blogger Chastity of GarnerStyle arrived. It helped knowing I wouldn't be walking into the conference alone.
Was obsessed that they used a blingy Charming Charlie necklace as the lanyard for the conference pass!
Day 1 was at The New York Times building, and it was a great venue. Great panel discussions and conversations throughout the day, plus the uh-may-zing gifting suites. Insanity from sponsors. I feel like I'd need 10 posts on their own just to cover them. In the meantime, check out the list here.
1. Community ROI with Erica Domesek, Founder, P.S. I Made This…; Gabi Gregg, Blogger, GABIFRESH; Alisa Gould–Simon, Founder, Pose; Verena von Pfetten, Executive Digital Director, Luckymag.com
2. 5 Mistakes You Don't Want to Make: Lindsey Calla, Fashion Blogger and Stylist, Saucy Glossie; Amber Venz, Blogger and Founder, RewardStyle; Mattias Swenson, CEO, Bloglovin‘; Hayley Phelan, Fashion News Editor, Lucky
3. A style conversation with Lucky Editor-in-Chief Eva Chen (the coolest!) and Kate Bosworth
4. A style conversation with Eva Chen and Eva Mendes – she was amazing
5. Social media platforms discussion: John Jannuzzi, Senior Digital Projects Editor, Lucky; Aliza Licht, SVP Global Communications, DKNY; Suzanne Schloot, Social Media Manager, Kate Spade New York; Stephanie Horton, Chief Marketing Officer, FarFetch; Amy Cole, Instagram
Right off the bat, Eva Chen brought up that “being nice is in.” The tone was set that we as bloggers should eschew competitiveness and cattiness, because it never leads to anything good. This resonated throughout nearly all the talks, along with the word “authenticity” (which I obviously agree with!). Being yourself was the trend in the room, and everyone was really amazing. The first morning I got to meet some of my plus size fashion favorites, including Nicolette Mason, GabiFresh, Manfattan, MargiePlus, and Kirstin Marie. Everyone I encountered was super friendly. Even had Gill Gorman Round, GM of Lucky ask me how I was doing and welcomed me to the conference. I know it's a tiny thing, but still went a long way into feeling like I belonged there.
Outfit from Day 1: Karen Kane Top c/o Gwynnie Bee, MYNT 1792 Jacket from Madison Plus Select, Old Navy Coated Rockstar Skinnies, RSVP Extra Wide Calf Boots from Zappos, Kate Spade bag.
Day 1 ended with Chastity and I doing a photo shoot at Gwynnie Bee, which put us back at the hotel pretty late.
Teaser photo of a dress from the photo shoot. 100% sequins!
Day 2 was at the famous Conde Nast building in Times Square. Talk about tight security! The day consisted of several breakout sessions featuring popular bloggers like The Man Repeller and Into the Gloss and people from companies I'm obsessed with like ASOS, Warby Parker, Birchbox, and more. I grabbed lunch with Kirstin and the awesome Emily from Sonsi.com. At the end of the day, we were sent on our way with a massive 40-ish pound swag bag. It was insane.
I can't even explain all the amazingness that is in this photo. Only miss for me was a size XS shirt from a brand. I'm going to sort through everything and see if I can get a fun giveaway together!
Day 2 Outfit: NY Collection dress c/o Gwynnie Bee; Old Navy Leggings, Old Navy denim jacket, Moon & Lola necklace, RSVP Extra Wide Calf Boots
The flight home was a little stressful as my bag was overweight and was going to cost $125 to check onto the plane. I stuffed my tote bag with the excess weight and trudged through the airport with it while hobbling on my boot. I nearly had the door shut on me when trying to get from one side of the Detroit airport to the other for my flight back to Lexington. Then, I realized my bag had busted and clothes were spilling out the sides. Good times. But I made it home unscathed 🙂
I was exhausted after this trip, but am so incredibly thankful that I went. I can say without a doubt that I achieved both inclusion and had experiences. Double win, and amazing motivation to push myself further outside of my comfort zone. I literally kept repeating in my head, “gratitude, gratitude, gratitude” because it was just an eye opener that I could be myself and be accepted for that. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be attending a conference like this, at this weight, feeling good in my skin, surrounded by amazing people. It is surreal and I am incredibly thankful.