(Apologies for making this post more than a week after the actual event happened. Midterms came along to ruin my entire week! Okay here it is, [hopefully] everything you've wanted to know about the two ladies behind the enormously popular celebrity fashion website, whowhatwear.com.
Oh BTW It was raining outside that day so I seriously almost considered not going to the Q&A... this is why I'm in SoCal, people! I hate the rain! But last time I missed a fashion event like this, a few of my friends ended up on
thecobrasnake, so I decided to be a little more motivated this time... OKAY OKAY I'll stop talking about this and get on with it...)
There was a time when celebrities and fashion weren't put together... nowadays though, the two terms seem inseparable. I can't pick up a glossy or even a newspaper without there being a section of paparazzi photos of famous people wearing famous designers. Actually, if you think about it, it's almost like a symbiotic relationship... the designers rely on celebrities, and vice versa. But I digress; the point is,
any girl [or guy, although the discussion was really focused on women's style] who is looking to be stylish has had some sort of inspiration from a celebrity or famous actor. And out of this was born
WHOWHATWEAR.com, a website devoted entirely to achieving a celebrity inspired style that still works for the every day woman.
I guess Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power are both geniuses... they knew what women wanted and made that into an online magazine and blog that's free and accessible to anyone. But of course, these two ladies had a lot of experience under their belts before they went out for their own website. The biggest piece of advice they could give on starting a career in the fashion industry was:
INTERN! INTERN A LOT!! Both Hillary and Katherine interned at a number of magazines before landing a permanent job and moving up the ranks to editor. Also, the longer you stay at a particular publication, the more likely that publication is to hire you or at least provide a stellar letter of recommendation.
Both Hillary and Katherine come from completely different educational backgrounds, which I thought was very interesting to note. While Hillary got her Master's in Journalism at NYU, Katherine didn't even attend college as an undergrad... still, she managed to break into the fashion world through her work in dance and entertainment. Regardless of your academic background,
internships are probably the most important when it comes to getting a job in the fashion industry.
In many ways, whowhatwear is like any other traditional magazine... but without the bulk and expense of printing. Since everything is online, whowhatwear.com is incredibly accessible to the rest of the world and also perfect for posting photos of celebrities and their rapidly changing lives.
"We can see a photo today and put it up tomorrow," Hillary explained.
Okay, now on to the fun stuff... Favorite designers?!
Katherine is a huge fan of
Balmain,
Givenchy (who could ever forget Fall 09 Couture...) and
Chanel. Her personal style showed it off too... the blazer she had on was very reminiscent of Balmain's wicked shoulder-padded masterpieces.
Hillary, on the other hand, has a decidedly more feminine look, and went with bright red lipstick and a cute, flowy silky dress. On fashion inspiration, she said...
"I love Mad Men, Joan is my girl!" Favorite blogs? Both Katherine and Hillary went with Sea of Shoes, Jak & Jil, the Sartorialist, and Garance Dore.
Any tips on staying stylish under a college budget? Trade with friends! It's a great way to get rid of stuff you're bored of, even if you don't want to completely give it up. Another great tip is to buy vintage and just learn how to modernize it. Usually, vintage pieces need a little re-working to be fantastic by themselves.
Ah, and I also took the time to purchase one of their books, which is sort of like a more condensed and basic version of what they put on the website. All in all, I had a great time at the Q&A and I'm really happy I went! Here are some more pictures...
I'll get back to outfit photos sometime next week... just gotta get through this first wave of midterms. God, I can compare college to a tsunami in so many ways now that I think about it... I hope everyone is not nearly as busy as I am!
