Reporting from New York – Once upon a time, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, was something revered by fashion insiders, designers, publicist and celebrities, but not for the average consumer. A lot has changed since those days, now fashion week is something that can’t be ignored, its everywhere you look. Last year, Vogue magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America launched the first-ever “Fashion’s Night Out,” a one night global shopping event that would bring the artistry of fashion to the masses and give the retail industry a much-needed boost. This year, it grew to bigger proportions with hundreds of participating stores and events, Mayor Bloomberg even renamed the No. 1 subway line “The Fashion Line” for the week. From New York to Boston to Brazil, FNO was heard across the globe.
So clearly I had to experience it for myself — I set out with two colleagues (Elisa Negrin and Jessica Elker) where we started out our adventure in SoHo. The usual shopping destination was filled with a sea of people, all spilling into the streets. It is typically a jam-packed area, but on this night we felt like tourists in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. We started at Prada, where a chicly dressed crowd walked around with white wine in hand. Then, we headed to my favorite (and only) sighting of the night – the amazing Jenna Lyons at JCrew, who was chatting with shoppers, likely about one of her fabulous designs. She was wearing her usual deconstructed, shabby chic gear. As we made our way to the Meatpacking District, where I had planned on participating in the Fashion Lives Downtown Foursquare scavenger hunt, I realized I would only be able to participate the old-fashion way, by experiencing it myself sans Twitter or Foursquare (apparently, both sites where experiencing technical difficulties due to the increased traffic). Although I missed out on the $5,000 worth of Mastercard prizes, it was fun to engage with friends and talk about one of our favorite topics – fashion.
If FNO’s main objective is to make fashion accessible and get consumers shopping again, that they did, with most stores enticing shoppers with some sort of promotion to encourage purchasing. After all, a night dedicated to fashion and shopping, with the benefit of being able to donate to charity by buying the FNO gear is always something to support (the title FNO shirts raised money for The New York City AIDS Fund in The New York Community Trust).
Yesterday, Team MMC took it to the streets…streets of Central Park that is. It’s a long standing tradition throughout the country – The JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, a 3.5 mile race to support local charities. For NYC, it was the Central Park Conservatory.
As we walked through the crowds of people, we couldn’t help but notice the creativity that thrives in this City – it was exemplified through the unique team shirts and slogans. The teams bonded as you saw groupings of the fast runners, joggers and walkers.
Team MMC made the race more interesting by offering $50 to the runner with the fastest time. AND the winner is – Annette Evans, coming in at 29 minutes and 33 seconds. A close second was Scott Slattery at 31:52.
Thank you to Mary Beth, Maree and Kate for helping to organize this event and thank you to our runners – Cathy Fitzpatrick, Marissa Festante, Erica Nadboy, Annette Evans, Scott Slattery, Cara Caulkins, Mary Beth and Maree!
A special thank you to our volunteers – Jen, Emily and Mariana.
Here’s to more wellness activities for Team MMC in 2011!
I woke up this morning, on February 1st, to my iPhone alarm that said, “How are you doing on your New Year’s resolution?”
It’s my one month check-in to make sure I’ve started new habits and following the path I set at the beginning of January. Every new year, millions of resolutions are made and then broken and we are all guilty of this at some point. So how do you make this year count? How do you make lasting changes that improve your life? This year, my resolution was to Live Life on Purpose – I want to make conscious decisions about every facet of my life, from big to small. What does that mean? A lot can change in one year, a lot of good can happen, but you have to set out with a purpose so that life doesn’t pass you by. I want to look back in December 2010 and be proud of my accomplishments, even if it means organizing my closet.
What will be different about this year for you? Whether it’s to run a marathon, start going to the gym, start saving for a house/car, read more, etc – what matters most to you and what will you put energy into achieving?
The clock is ticking – what will you do with 334 days, 47 weeks, 480,960 minutes?
Our relationship began four years ago and it was hot and heavy from the start. I clearly remember our first day together; I had a yellow post it with an address on it in my hand, a suitcase that weighed over 100 lbs and my pillow. After exiting LaGuardia airport, I got into a yellow taxi cab, just like I had seen in many movies. I told the cab driver to please take me to “210 East 25th street,” (this is where’d I’d live during our courtship). “What are the cross streets he yelled back?” Hmm cross streets, we don’t use this terminology in Florida. I told him I didn’t know and he grunted that he would figure it out. After settling in, I took a “practice” trip to 51st and 3rd, home of my new internship in the Big City. I had previously prank called the agency’s main number several times to make sure I pronounced “Marina Maher Communications” correctly. I did.
Every day in this new relationship was exciting. The butterflies fluttered in my stomach from the beginning. During my first week at MMC, I went into the mail room because I was asked to send a package. I politely requested tissue, a glossy gift bag, a label and a brown marker. I see this man shaking his head, what did I do wrong
I thought to myself. “That isn’t going to cut it here. You go after what you want or you’ll get eaten alive,” he said with a stern voice that almost seemed caring in his own unique way.
Between cross streets and my authoritative new attitude, in two days, I had fallen for this City and I was ready to take this relationship to the next level. And from that day forward, I learned a new saying and way of life, every single day for the past four years. So as I celebrate my four year anniversary with New York City, I reflect upon the many lessons I’ve learned and I’ve included some of my favorites below:
- Winter comes every year: There are four, reoccurring seasons. This is not just something that is written about in textbooks and children’s bed time stories because it makes for a pretty picture it’s real! “In the winter when it gets really cold,” I was told by my new team mate, “you should wear a thick coat, gloves and something to cover your head and ears every day.”
- Your voice is meant to be heard: From the first day of my internship, I was told that my opinion mattered. That translated into every area of my life and taught me it’s always best to speak up, whether it’s a new creative idea, thought on how to make things better, or overall observations share it!
- Be a media-hound: When I first heard this one, I thought “wow New Yorkers have a cool way of saying everything!” But my first manager was right, reading the latest happenings in media and related industries leads to even bigger ideas for our clients.
- If you fail, fail fast: Everyone makes mistakes, but if you take your mistake, learn from it and figure out a new way around the obstacle you become even stronger and perhaps a leader in that area because of it.
- Embrace your uniqueness: When you meet people in NY, typical casual conversation includes discussing “what you do” and “where you’re from.” But in this City, it’s okay to be different, to like different things. Because of this, there is a neighborhood for any mood, whether you’re into art, greenery, culinary delights, the new “it” scene, or a hole in the wall mom and pop restaurant this city has a place for you so take time to enjoy whatever it is that makes you feel alive!
Happy Anniversary New York City! Thank you for unforgettable four years! Cheers!
