Fashion Forward

Your girl is lovely, Hubble.

2009-01-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love the movie "The Way We Were." I could watch Barbara Streisand for hours on end. Her passion for politics, ambition for women, undying love for her man and life, make me want to live my life to its fullest.

While I do not have a passion for politics, I adore fashion. A passion for fashion, could you ask for more? I have ambition but for public relations. And the undying love for a man, well I had that, but like Barbara aka Katie, we have gone our separate ways.

At the end of the film, years had passed since they had seen one another. They separated under hostile circumstances, similar to the split I experienced. I have watched this scene over and over again to gain the strength to be done and start anew. But in movies, they have the ability to jump into the future and reveal to the audience a positive, enlightening ending. But in real life, how do we get from an end to a new beginning?

In this scene, Katie stumbles across her first love Robert Redford aka Hubble in front of the old Plaza Hotel. She sees him from a far with his new wife, the "simple girl." What I envy is her ability in which she walks up to him with such ease, confidence, and pride. Her life is complete without him. After dealing with a breakup from my first love, I need to see that light of living wholly without him.

It is the final scene that you grasp the closure between the two. But I wonder if Katie or Hubble fully moved on without that final call of 'action'? It is sad but true, it is not easy to move on when your past is still present. When ending a long term relationship closure is crucial to take that next step.

This ending scene was recreated by Sex and the City in the second season finale. Carrie Bradshaw breezily walks up to Mr. Big, glances at his simple girl, brushes his sexy bangs to the side of his face, and confidently tells him, "Your girl is lovely, Hubble." Typical Big does not understand the depth and emotion behind this statement. Her last line to him, "And you never did," gives her the final closure she needed to close that chapter of her life.

As she walked away, the infamous line played overhead, "Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they just need to run free til they find someone just as wild to run with them." I couldn't agree more. I'll find that closure someday but until then I am running free and being happy.

One love & lots o' shoes

2009-01-03T19:45:00.001-08:00

What is it about high heels that makes all the troubles in the world seem miniscule? When I have a bad day, I fantasize about my shoe collection and slipping into a pair of chic designer heels. I admit this sounds materialistic and shallow, but my shoes seemingly get me through the day. They have the ability to lift me out of a rut, physically and emotionally. Not only do they give me height and tone my calves, but they make me feel fabulous.

When the weekend is on my heels, I often sit in class, twirling my pencil, thinking about my outfit for the evening. I personally like to start from the bottom up. My shoes are automatically the first part of my outfit to hit the runway. Without a fantastic pair of heels for the evening, I feel I have nothing to look forward to. They complete my outfit; a better accessory than any man could be.

Maybe my obsession with shoes is over the top. After all, shoes are just shoes. It is not like you sleep with them on (well maybe sometimes I do). But when you put shoes in perspective, everyone needs a pair or two… or fifty. They inevitably get people from one place to another, some more fashionably than others, but regardless, they do the job. One could say it is a trendy form of transportation.

Or perhaps shoes just help define a person. For me, shoes say everything about who I am. After attending college in a small, liberal town, I can honestly say I have had my share of flip-flops and Birkenstocks. While the first states, “I just threw these on” and the second “I don’t care what I wear,” both create a statement about the person. I feel comfortable generalizing because when I slip into a pair of high heels on a Monday to walk to class, I know people are looking at my feet and the way I strut in my heels. And by all means look. My shoes are meant to be noticed. They are an extension of me.

So who is to say you can’t have something fabulous to lift your spirits and your height. As a very wise man (and my personal favorite), Manolo Blahnik, once said: “[My] shoes are special shoes for discerning feet.”

Your Tone Is Not Appreciated

2008-05-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

“Did you get my e-mail?” asked Carrie.

“Yes, and I’m ignoring it,” replied Miranda.

“So far not impressed with the e-mail,” Carrie said with exasperation.

This small conversation from Sex and the City ran through my head as I sat staring at my computer, rereading an e-mail that was making my blood pressure boil.

My generation has fallen completely dependent on e-mail, text messaging, basically instant communication. As I sat staring at this e-mail, I began to resent modern forms of technology.
I was working with a group of fellow public relations students on putting together a strategic communications conference in Portland, Oregon scheduled for Winter 2009. I love event planning; the flowers, the food, the speakers, every last detail. But the details were far from my mind when my group and I differed on the size of the event with the coordinator from the Journalism School (SOJC). My group wanted the first SOJC conference to start big; the coordinator had a smaller event in mind, completely devastating my teammates and me.

I read the e-mail again to make sure my eyes were not playing tricks with my emotions. There it was: “Woohoo! Can’t wait to plan this conference.” Personally, I can wait. How could one of my teammates have turned on our group and decided the smaller event was beneficial for the school? She won with betrayal.

I met with my group the next day, completely disappointed. As she arrived, I immediately asked why she changed her mind regarding the size of the event. Her reply shocked me: “I didn’t. Did you read the e-mail?” My dislike for e-mail only grew more as I forced the word “yes” through my gritted teeth.

Apparently, beneath her exhilarated “Woohoo!” was a response from the head of the SOJC giving us permission to create a large event. I felt embarrassed for not reading the e-mail in its entirety, but how was I supposed to know there was more to the message? Her tone was enough to make me close my computer.

Email is an extremely popular form of communication in both the business world and personal relationships. Unfortunately, the underlying tone of the e-mail message might be misinterpreted by one person, like in my case. By misreading or not reading the e-mail in its entirety, the smallest disagreement can rapidly spin out of control leading to a face-to-face misunderstanding or confrontation. Without effective communication on both ends, no business or personal relationships can survive.

I learned my lesson: read the entire e-mail before jumping to any conclusions. Communication is central to most conflict situations and can easily be avoided and/or resolved by communicating more efficiently with one another. But I can’t help but wonder, are all these new forms of communication really helping us communicate effectively? I'll blog, e-mail, text, instant message or tweet to let you know...

"Hello Lover!"

2008-05-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

I thought the lingering ache of a broken heart was intolerable...I was wrong. The constant, agonizing pain of having a tonsillectomy is enough to make me beg for another broken heart.

A few short hours after my surgery last Thursday, I didn't think the day had any hope of getting better. I never thought I would be drinking water with a plastic spoon and attempting to eat baby food again in my life. As I was lying in my bed, fantasizing about a cosmopolitan, I turned on my last saving grace: Oprah. At 4:00 p.m., my life went from bad to fabulous; from a simple flip-flop to an extraordinary high heel. As the words, "Hello lover!" bellowed from my television, I knew today the fantastic women of Sex and the City would be on Oprah.

The women were put together so beautifully, each exuding their own personality. Sarah Jessica Parker looked fabulous in a bright colored dress and matching Christian Louboutin heels. The entourage soon followed including the fantastic Mr. Big. The energy of the movie was palpable and my excitement for the film only grew. The interviews were personable and absolutely delightful, enough for a smile to appear to conceal my pain.

I can honestly say the hour flew by. From the clips of the film, laughs of the characters and insight into the gorgeous wardrobe, I couldn’t help but think: These four women have created a lifestyle worth imitating and striving to achieve. The show, and now film, has helped produce a generation of women who will not settle for anything less than life-long friendships, rewarding relationships, successful careers and wardrobe full of wealth and knowledge. Many women, including myself, grew up fantasizing about a single girl’s life in New York City. Sex and the City proved this life is not only possible but highly desirable. The show is revolutionary not to mention ‘stunning, and impossibly fresh looking.’

Then I took a step back and looked at the women behind these characters. Each one leads a remarkable life: happy, prosperous, full of love. Sex and the City would not nearly be as successful if the actresses were constantly being arrested for drunk driving or possession of the unknown. The reputation of each actress credits the production. A fan does not want to fall in love with a character knowing that there is a drug addict off set.

The way the women of Sex and the City exude their happiness and confidence shows they are credible, respectful actresses who take pride in their work. This is the ultimate client for a publicist. It is delightful to work with people who respect themselves and their careers. It is actresses like Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon that keep me involved and hopeful in this industry. We all know what happened to the publicists for Lindsay and Britney: they were fired.

So thank you to the fabulous women of Sex and the City. You made my excruciating pain invisible for an hour and reaffirmed my passion for public relations… and shoes of course!

The Real Me

2008-04-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

I find it odd how my major seemingly parallels my life. The more I learn about public relations and becoming an expert in the field, the more I find myself incorporating PR habits and skills in my everyday life.

After ending a two year relationship over a horrible “PR mishaps”, I found myself doing three things: watching copious amounts of Sex and the City, spending time with girlfriends, and preparing myself for the world of possibilities outside the relationship realm. The initial shock hit me like a pound of bricks and sent me to bed at 7:00 p.m. The next morning, I unwillingly pulled myself out of bed and laid in the sun for hours (I figured I could work on my tan). After a day of laughter and good weather, and thankfully few tears, I got ready for my first night out in my single gal shoes.

As I was getting ready, I found myself thinking about the process of putting one’s self back on the market and how a public relations practitioner projects their client. As a PR pro-in-training and newly single gal, I found myself taking extreme detail in presentation. In the business world, the client has to always shine in the best light and let public relations take care of the shadows. There is great attention to the presentation of the client. As for a single gal, she has to let herself shine, from the inside out. I realized while I could perfect my outside, I couldn’t truly shine until I dealt with my inner turmoil.

Public relations is all about taking care of the inside while presenting a manicured image on the outside. No matter the bad publicity or horrifying mishaps, PR experts have to pick up the pieces and put the client back together. But in relationships, who picks up the pieces and puts together a broken heart? After a break-up women have to be their own PR expert. We are responsible for our manicured image and making our mishaps look like a mere loose hem.

So with the first night in my single gal shoes behind me, I’m slowly accepting my imperfections and working what I have, manicured or not. If I have learned anything in PR it is: nothing is final. Tabloid headlines change every week, fashion trends fade every season, and when life doesn’t take care of it, well it’s nothing PR can’t fix.

As Sarah Jessica Parker in her famed role as Carrie Bradshaw once said: "You have to go back to your life as a real person. You have to pick yourself up, flaws and all, and finish. And that is just what I will do. Because when real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking." Sounds fabulous to me!