Pinterest Influencer Meet Up in NYC

This is blog post is WAY overdue, but I couldn't write it until now because of how surreal everything I experienced in New York City was.

A bit of back story, my life changed in 2011 when I joined Pinterest. Apparently, my love for the addicting social media platform had some love for me too. My following grew to close to a million, and since then I've been given opportunities to work with people and brands I never imagined I would have the pleasure of working with. Part of the reason why I have had such wonderful partnerships is because I have a firm that represents other pinners like myself.

HelloSociety is a Pinterest marketing and technology firm that matches tastemakers and brands to help promote great products to pinterest users. A couple of weeks ago, they sent me and about twenty other tastemakers to New York City to meet with brands and have a roundtable discussion on best practices of Pinterest, as well as how we can help these brands have their products seen by pinterest users. The brands consisted of West Elm, Glamour, Vogue and Etsy to name a few. It was an incredible opportunity to hear from the social media and marketing strategists of such HUGE and influential companies. And what blew me away even more, was that they were all in one room to hear about how twenty people, who were pretty much nobodies a couple years ago, use this platform successfully.

On top of it all, I stayed in the most beautiful hotel in SoHo, The Trump Soho Hotel, ate at amazing restaurants like Mercer Kitchen and got to play dress up with Rent the Runway and Shoptiques.com. I also met men and women from all over the country and world. No one was alike and no one seemed to use Pinterest in the same way. I expected this meet up to feel like blogging conferences I've attended in the past where I felt like I needed to dress super cool, have amazing business cards and know about the latest blogs. Not here. Graphic designers, photographers, moms, interior designers, architects, bloggers, fashion stylists...Everyone was different, but one thing we all had in common was the ability to spot unique things that we think everyone will enjoy.

My life is forever changed by this experience mostly because it was only four years ago that I really considered a career change, and now here I am truly living out my heart's desires in the most unexpected and wonderful way. I'm so thankful to everyone that has supported me so far and to Hello Society for giving me such a memorable experience.

Below, is a little video of me answering some questions about myself that Shoptiques.com put together. I hope you enjoy!

Photos by Erik Melvin.

Culottes

Culottes are coming back-not really in the 18th century nobleman wearing blousy breeches way, but in the silhouetted shorts kind of way. We saw some serious culottes in resort '13 collections from Céline and Acne, but a more accessible way to wear culottes is in a shorter silhouette. These pleated ones are my favorite from Asos, they have a leather appearance but seem lighter and easier for summer. Another way to wear culottes is paired with a crop top, I love the way Topshop styles these brightly colored ones with a printed top:

I like these printed ones, also from Topshop:

Not Your Mother's (hair color)

Temporary hair color is a trend that won't go away. Whether you want to use chalk, color rub, or semi-permanent dye, adding a bright color is a fun way to change up your look.

One easy option for temporary rainbow hair is chalk. "Chalking" has become super popular because of how easy it is to wash out of your hair, and you can use a lot of different colors at once. I like using chalk because it shows up on even dark hair, but it's sort of messy and always made my hair look super dry. If you want to try chalking at home, make sure you're purchasing soft chalk pastels, not oil pastels, at the craft store. Free People even makes a cute set of chalks for your hair. My favorite tutorial to follow can be found here.

Another version of "chalking" is color rub, which looks like eyeshadow, and you apply it much the same way you do chalk. My preferred option for color rub is Kevin Murphy's Color Bug

Another option is semi-permanent dye. Manic Panic is my favorite (probably since it's the only one I've used...). It is more difficult because, unless your hair is very blonde, you have to bleach it first. But Manic Panic offers a wide array of colors and it doesn't feel so damaging to your hair. I used this tutorial 2 years ago and it's still the best one I've found.

Images from: Fashion Gone Rogue, Free People

Summer Shorts

Shorts are my absolute favorite item of summer clothing, I own far too many pairs of cut offs and am constantly searching for a perfect new pair of Levi's that I have until I wear huge holes in them. Cut offs are obviously a go-to summer staple, but they can be dressed up for night time with a blazer and heels:

Printed shorts are another option, I like these floral printed pastel shorts, they would look great with a loose tank. I also like these abstract printed ones, they seem like a perfect "dress-up" short.

Wish I would've jumped on these Zara beaded beauties when I had the chance:

Leather shorts are still going strong, I've been searching for a good quality, vegan pair for awhile now, but I need to save to get a good pair like these from Free People. I love how they're styled with a utility vest and heels:

Images from: Song of Style, Late Afternoon, Mr. Newton

Vests

Spring has sprung! I don't know about you, but here in Arizona layers are important during this time of year. During the day you'll find the temps soaring at 80 degrees, and then they plummet down to the 60's. One of the latest fashion trends I'm really loving right now is adding a vest to your ensemble. It's one more layer to keep you warm, but it's sleeveless and easy to shed when you need to. I never really gave vests much thought because the last time I wore one it was the 1990's. It had flowers on it and a ribbon belt in the back. Anyone remember this?!

These vests are MUCH different. Specifically, cargo vests and denim vests are the ones to wear. Check out this style inspiration...

Images:  In Honor of Design, Penny Pincher Fashion, Obaz, Obaz