the thread spring / summer 2012 edition

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THREADSpring/Summer 2012

The

THREADSpring/Summer 2012

The

WWW.CORNELLFASHION.COM1 The THREAD SPRING/SUMMER 2012

12 LATE BLOOMER

37CFC FASHION SHOW2012 COLLECTION

33 BLOOM

03 EDITOR’S LETTERCONTRIBUTORS

FEATURE

37 CFC FASHION SHOWEvent Review

39 DESIGNER PROFILESAn insider’s look into three CFC designers’ collections

43 PENDLETON COLLECTIONScholarship team creates its fourth collection

45 GOURMET GOWNStudent makes fashion delectable

47 FASHION FROM AFARFashion on the other side of the globe

49 ALUMNI AFFAIRSThe glamorous and unglamorous life of a red carpet reporter

FASHION

06 RELAPSEA fantastical twist onto Cornell students’ daily lives

BEAUTY

30 BLOOM Beauty in its purest form

LATE BLOOMER

LIFE IN PLASTIC, IT’S FANTASTIC

YOU’RE ONLY BAD IF YOU’RE CAUGHT

MORNING GLORY

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ith summer arriving at our doorsteps, we at The Thread incorporated the beauty of flowers in this issue. Inspired by our surroundings at Cornell, the Horticulture greenhouses on campus set our scene for the beauty shoot (page 30). Since I

absolutely adore flowers, I was proud to influence this part of The Thread –we had previously only used plain backdrops for our beauty shoots. Student Grace Choi (also one of our models this semester) is also taking a more organic approach to fashion, participating in an edible fashion design competition this summer (page 45). Choi will only be allowed to use chocolate, sugar and icing to create her design. We can’t wait to see the results! Putting together the fashion spread was also an organic process; full of spontaneity and unexpected incidents – much like the everyday life of students. Our biggest challenge yet was taking the ordinary and mundane and turning it into something extraordinary. The results became a complete fantasy, both dark and light (page 5-28). Coordinating multiple models into our shoots was also a main challenge. Thankfully, we survived and our respect for other fashion magazines ambitious shoots has increased immensely. As we look to Vogue as our mentor we realize how much The Thread has grown from its first issue and how we are beginning to resemble a higher quality magazine; our stronger photographs, more organized layout and even the small adjustments such as changing the font have made a huge impact. The Thread started in spring 2011 with just four people, no funding, and a lot of ambition. Ambition pays

Letter from the Editor

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Katherine Patterson EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

off; this can be seen with many fashion designers who could not create such impressive collections without such great aspirations. With Cornell’s Fashion Collective (CFC) completing its 28th successful year, we can see emerging talents from hard working students about to cut their teeth in the fashion industry. Katie Elks, Matt Gottesman, and Brandon Wen are the designers featured in this issue for their innovative creations (pages 39-42). This was my first semester as the Editor-In-Chief for The Thread, and I have had the most wonderful time working with such a talented bunch of creative peers. Like many on the magazine this semester I will be leaving Cornell, but not because I’m a senior. I will be returning home to New Zealand, marking the end of my year on exchange. The next semester of The Thread will bring forth new people, welcoming new ideas. Jessica McSweeney, currently a brilliant contributor to The Thread, will be the new Editor-In-Chief. I have full faith that the magazine is left in safe hands. Finally I wish to thank all those involved with The Thread this semester, I am truly proud of the issue we made together.

Sincerely,

The Tulip room shoot at the horticulture greenhouses - Priscilla Yang

THREADThe

KATHERINE PATTERSONEditor-In-Chief

ARIEL SODOMSKYRACHEL BENSINGERJESSICA MCSWEENEYWHITNEY MCMULLINKAIWEN ZHONG

Spring/Summer 2012

CALVIN W LIUCreative Director

Art DirectorFashion Stylist Beauty Stylist

Photoshoot CoordinatorLead Photographer

Photographers

Creative Associates

HOWARD CHANGPresident

Marketing DirectorFinance Director

Webmaster

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORSSheldon Hill, Ithaca Antique Center, Evolution, Avanti, The Cornell Store, Purity Ice Cream

Fashion EditorFeatures Editor

Contributing Editors

VINCENT AHNLESLEY YOUNG PRISCILLA YANGROBERTO CARLO SOTOEILEEN M. XIEALLAN DELESANTRORELICQUE LOTTBENJAMIN WAINBERGREBECCA DUGAL

EMILY FIPPHENRHYME LIUSEN FANG

Returning to reality can be difficult. This fashion shoot casts a fantastical twist onto real life situations. The drone of a normal day is transformed into a caricature of itself. Waking up late for class, losing focus in a lecture, the harshness of a night out, and the fatigue of a morning walk home are dramatized through this stark take on campus life.

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RELAPSE

PHOTOGRAPHER

MAKE-UP

HAIRSTYLINGMODELS

Eileen M. XieAllan DelesantroPriscilla YangJessica McSweeneyRebecca DugalCalvin W LiuLesley YoungNorvella DunwoodyGrace ChoiCourtney MayszakCarly DeanJohanna GrazelVivi ChenCatherine NjaagaNicole FitzsimmonsFranck BlackwoodRudy Gerson

FOREVER 21 studded lace tank topFREE PEOPLE cream pleated skirtLILY white satin robeSHELDON HILL vintage pearl jewelry

LATE BLOOMER

LIFE IN PLASTIC, IT’S FANTASTIC

LEESANGBONG shoulder pleated blouseGAP white jeansTHEORY white chiffon maxi dressFOREVER21 lace dress HANNAH TACK lace dressDOTTI white chiffon tent dressSHELDON HILL vintage pearl jewelry

YOU’RE ONLY BADIF YOU’RE CAUGHT

MALE MODELS:PENDLETON X OPENING CEREMONY cardigan CHLOE SEVIGNY leopard print wool cardigan

FREE PEOPLE black sequin tube top H&M blue pleather and faux suede paneled mini skirt AMERICAN APPAREL red ‘Afrika’ print mini dress JEFFREY CAMPBELL lita spike shoes VENA CAVA FOR UNIQLO crop top AMERICAN APPAREL pleather leggingsCALVIN KLEIN black heels SHELDON HILL tangerine geometric earrings, necklace, pink stud earrings, aqua geometric earrings

MORNING GLORY

FOREVER21 black lace braletteH&M skull-print crop blouseJOYRICH X GIZA dinosaur moto jacketSHELDON HILL vintage jewelry

For this issue beauty is shown in its purest form. The boundary between natural and surreal blends to create three ethereal looks, with flowers in bloom, flawless faces, and soft makeup that radiate a simple elegance. As the sun’s soft morning glow lends rays to our visions of beauty, we enter the garden that this shoot has created.


BLOOM

Eileen M. XieRelicque Lott Priscilla YangRebecca DugalCalvin W LiuElizabeth SpinkPhilina YeeShanika Hettige

PHOTOGRAPHER

MAKE-UP

HAIRSTYLEMODELS

FASHION SHOWCFC

REPORT FROM THE RUNWAYAnu Lingala’s collection, “Underneath the Alligators.”

ou feel it as soon as you walk in. Barton Hall, normally reserved for the pounding feet of track stars, is lined with high heels and over two thousand red chairs. There’s a hushed buzz happening just beneath the lights, murmurs made by proud relatives and style enthusiasts.

“It’s your daughter’s first year? Our niece is a senior.” The stage, a geometric masterpiece by fifth year architect Nelson Crosby and a team of other architecture students, is larger than life. This is the Cornell Fashion Collective’s (CFC) 28th an-nual show, and it may just be its best. Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) profes-sor Anita Racine, who has been CFC’s faculty advisor for the better part of four decades, said this year’s show was especially remarkable to her because of the first and second year design-ers’ lines. “Each are unique and distinctive, whereas in the past they were just the beginners and they may not have had the skill level or the savvy to put together spectacular pieces,” said Racine. “I’m very impressed.” CFC President Brittany Lutz noted that this year’s designers have “explored new ways to interact with the stage.” For instance, there’s first year Lily Wolens, a particularly well-spoken young designer whose impressively grandiose gothic gown marks a stunning debut. “My piece is inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier – I went to [a Gaultier] exhibit a few months ago, and I fell in love with some of the pieces there,” she said before the show. Wolens will spend her summer in Paris interning at Gaultier’s label. On the runway, all 80 yards of Wolens’ work made an impact, billowing out from behind its model like plumes of black smoke. There’s also junior Matilda Fatoumatta Ceesay. Her collec-tion “Njehringe” is her vision of the creations that would come from Africans incorporating a chest of old European corsets, girdles, and bloomers into their own culture. Ceesay, whose garments are cut from hand dyed West African fabric that

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Photographed by: Allen Delesantro

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CORNELL FASHIONCOLLECTIVE

2012 FASHION SHOW

wows just hanging on the rack, is originally from Gambia, where malaria is a rampant problem. “It’s so bad that some-times when people are sick and don’t even have malaria, they just assume you have it because it’s so common,” Ceesay said. Her final look is a bodysuit with a netted azure cape made from a material that was developed by a Cornell Fiber Science major. Able to absorb three times as much insecticide as cur-rent repellant netting, the new fiber may be a means to more effective malaria prevention. Even with the talents of 37 other student designers strutting down the runway, the senior collections alone may have been enough to justify Lutz’ comment. Sara Yin’s bold reds and modern shapes packed a visual punch. The haunting regality of Suyoung Min’s “Dark Romance” sent quiet whis-pers of admiration reverberating through the audience. Ame-lia Brown’s spicy color palette was reminiscent of a tropical vacation, complete with a final white stunner that would have been right at home in Carrie Bradshaw’s Sex and the City 2 Dubai wardrobe.

Anu Lingala’s collection, “Underneath the Alligators.”

Maggie Dimmick’s collection, “Saguaro.”

Written by: Jessica McSweeney

The laser-cut leather layered over delicate swaths of muted red and aqua in Emily Parkinson’s collection was as beautiful as it was intricate. While Maggie Dimmick put a con-temporary spin on the American Western look, Liz Wheeler awed – per usual – with a line that conjured up a band of fan-tastical forest-dwelling collegiates. The final collection of the night belonged to Katie Elks, a CFC executive board member who brought the evening back to basics with classic blacks and crisp silhouettes. Though every year the CFC show brings a spark of magic to the often fashion-isolated hills of Ithaca, there’s some-thing exceptional about this year’s production. The sky-lit win-dows above read “Cornell University,” but if you forgot to look at them for even a moment, you might have sworn you had been transported to a fashion haven not so far away: Lincoln Center.

DESIGNERDOSSIER

Students pulled out all the stops at this year’s Cornell Fashion Collective’s (CFC) annual runway show. We caught up with three CFC designers before the show as they developed their collections: Katie Elks, Matt Gottesman and Brandon Wen. We discussed what it is like to find inspiration, manage time, and create beautiful clothes - all while still being a student.

Elk’s 2011 CFC collection

ith so many crazy and fantastical looks on the runways today, it’s refreshing to talk to a young designer like Katie Elks, a senior Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) student, who has a more practical approach to fashion. Her focus is on wearability. The

ideal wearer’s target age is of 30 and above: “someone who really understands that clothes are an investment.” Most up-and-coming designers today seem so focused on dressing the elusive “It” girl in avant-garde styles, but Elks takes a simpler approach. Her inspiration from the first true American sportswear designers, like Claire McCardell and Norman Norell. She interned at The Row this past summer and found that their clean lines, focus on construction, and minimalist styles in luxurious fabrics “definitely lined up with” her interests. Elks has been a member of CFC since her freshman year. This year, as a senior, she will be making a twelve-piece collection. Over the years she has learned that her strengths as a designer are organization and time management. She doesn’t feel overwhelmed for this year’s collection, but admits that she of course feels “a little bit of stress just like everyone else.” When asked about the future, Elks says that it is something scary to think about. However she is “really excited to start working.” She has had great internship opportunities and is confident that fashion is the field she wants to enter.


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DESIGNER PROFILESCFC FEATURE

KATIE ELKSSenior designer’s final send offWRITTEN BY ARIEL SODOMSKY

DOSSIERElk’s sketches from this year’s collection



hile Matt Gottesman is a talented junior FSAD student and designer now, he hasn’t always known that fashion was the right path for him. He went to a math and science focused high school. He participated in theater which eventually led him to costuming, and the

rest is history. He has since moved from theater costumes to “real clothes for real women,” and likes that he “can see clothes being used” as a part of a woman’s daily life. Some of Gottesman’s fashion knowledge can be attributed to his internships with notable designers such as Anna Sui, Brian Reyes, and Prabal Gurung. His collection this year is inspired by bright colors, techno, and an old Korean folktale about devouring men. He wants the clothes to be “very pretty” but also have a sense of “darkness” and plans to achieve this by incorporating harnesses into the collection for a rougher edge. With this combination of lightness and darkness, Gottesman will be able to distinguish his unique style on the runway. Gottesman seemed confident about the collection but admits that there are some things he wishes he could have done differently. Like many designers, Gottesman has found time management to be a challenge, and wishes that he had started sewing his collection earlier. He plans to make many pieces, such as coats, trousers, and blouses, and it’s taking him a while to perfect his designs. The designer also admits that he “tends to hate pieces when he’s working on them but then ultimately likes them.”

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DESIGNER PROFILESCFC FEATURE

MATT GOTTESMANLight meets dark in junior’s collectionWRITTEN BY ARIEL SODOMSKY

Gottesman making his vision a reality.

2012 CFC vision board. Collection sketches.


randon Wen, a freshman FSAD student, considers his first CFC undertaking “overly ambitious.” While some freshmen might attempt to do the bare minimum in their first year in CFC, Wen has gone full steam ahead into a unique and daunting project: creating a wax and

resin headpiece as the focal point of his presentation. Wen had originally intended to create a neckpiece, but after realizing how difficult the concept was to put into action, he changed his mind. Wen previously took a wax sculpture class and really enjoyed working with the material. This inspired him to use it in his CFC piece as the main element for creating his design. Other inspirations come from jewelry designers’ small pieces with organic shapes and sculptures. A difficulty is that he knows what he wants “but the issue is trying to put it all together in the right way.” In addition to creating this piece for CFC, Wen is also hoping to use it in the Arts of Fashion Competition in San Francisco. The competition’s theme is “Transparency,” so Wen is trying to incorporate the concept of “seeing the body and seeing the clothing” into his piece. He likes to merge fashion with other creative elements like sculptures. To him, “it just feels right.”

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WRITTEN BY ARIEL SODOMSKY

Gottesman making his vision a reality.

Collection sketches.

Wen perfecting his works before the show.

BRANDON WENFreshman’s ambitious first project

Wen experimenting with wax.

Model at dressed rehearsal.

2012 Pendleton collection on the CFC runway show

hether you’re a fashion design visionary or a managerial wiz, Cornell’s Pendleton Scholarship Team is the group you need to know about. Since its inception, the completely student-run apparel business

simulation has been a must-see at the Cornell Fashion Collective (CFC) show each spring. The group produces impeccable menswear with both a unique creative vision and a keen awareness of the current season’s major trends. The Pendleton Scholarship Team began under the direction of Applied Economics and Management students Mac Bishop ‘11 and Jeff Aziakou ’10 as a collaborative project with Oregon-based company Pendleton Woolen Mills. Bishop, Aziakou, and seven of their talented peers produced a twelve-piece collection with Pendleton fabrics for CFC in the spring of 2009. The team earned quite a bit of press in its inaugural season, catching the attention of major publications like Teen Vogue. Now prepping to premiere a fourth collection, the team has stayed true to its original aims, connecting Pendleton Woolen Mills with a younger market while developing the collaborative skills of its student designers and management. Past collections have been inspired by Americana-tinged sojourns and the longings of a band of stranded explorers, each year a chance for a new team of visionaries to redefine “the Pendleton man.” This year, the team is sticking to its Big Red roots. “Our man is a bit sportier, more varsity than before,” said Whitney McMullin, a senior Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) student and the team’s Associate Director. “We’re picturing him in more of a Cornell, academic setting – we have a varsity jacket and sporty vests. We also have a lot of fun and colorful Jacquard prints, which we’re excited about.” The design process begins in early fall, when the newly selected team members share inspirational images and blurbs about their ideal “Pendleton man” and target customer. Weeks of editing and discussion culminate in the development of thumbnail sketches and preliminary fabric selections from Pendleton’s vast array of wools. By the time the spring semester approaches, the team is just about ready to


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PENDLETONFEATURE

WRITTEN BY JESSICA MCSWEENEY

finish muslin fittings and move into garment production. The business team begins to think about merchandising strategy once the line debuts at the CFC. This spring marks the first time the group will sell pieces from previous years, an exciting venture that they are thrilled to pursue. The Pendleton Scholarship Team’s real world approach to the fashion design process is arguably its greatest asset. Design collaboration – an unsung reality of the apparel industry – is the team’s constant mission, allowing its members to bring a collective vision to life. The management side of things is equally nurturing, providing business students with hands-on experience in flexing their entrepreneurial skills while working with creative minds. “I love being around creative people,” said McMullin. “Being a part of Pendleton, I’ve learned about the difference between left brain and right brain [thinking], and a lot about teamwork.” In addition, Pendleton has provided a foray into menswear for many budding Cornell designers. “I know my friend who worked on Pendleton last year is doing a menswear collection this year — I think it gets people to think, ‘Hey! I can do menswear,’” said McMullin. “I’ve seen that happen a few times.” So what’s ahead for the Pendleton Scholarship Team? For starters, a lot of long nights leading up to the debut of their collection at the CFC show. The team is also hoping to develop more of a consistent brand, including an in-the-works website and a versatile logo that can be used from year to year. Ultimately, they would love to see other Cornellians take advantage of the amazing opportunities that their project provides. “We want to gain more campus awareness and focus on getting more people involved besides FSAD students,” said McMullin. Though still a growing enterprise, it’s clear that the Pendleton Scholarship Team is a tour de force with no signs of slowing down.

PENDLETONPendleton Scholarship Team shows no signs of stopping with fourth collection

2011 Pendleton collection.

“Redefine,

and redefine,

and redefine.”

Grace (below left) and examples of other stylists work at the Hunger Pains Food Fashion event

fter all the press Lady Gaga’s meat dress stirred up, sophomore Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) student Grace Choi is following suit, only this time with more appetizing materials to create a one of a kind piece.

Chocolate, sugar, and icing will be manipulated to construct her dress. “It is a strange concept, because [the fashion

students] don’t know sugar, they know fabric,” said Julie Ehrentraut, founder of the Domino Sugar All American Classic Edible Competition. This is the first year for the event which will take place at the Ithaca Mall on October 5, 2012. The four student competitors are each paired with a professional cake artist to compete in the fashion face-off. Choi is partnered with cake artist Kim Simons of Cakes by Kim Simons. “She’s fantastic,” Choi said of her partner, “I’m really excited that she’s so motivated and so into it.” In addition to material requirements, each pair is expected to complete 25% of their garment the day of the actual event. “It’s like Iron Chef meets Project Runway,” said Choi. The student designers are competing for the grand prize of $2500 and a private tour of the Tommy USA archives in New York City. For the competition Choi is exploring many avenues to come up with inspiration for her design, from architecture to art. One source of inspiration is designer Deeder Brand, whom she found through Cornell’s Introduction to the


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UPCOMING EVENTFEATURE

GOURMET GOWNStudent makes fashion delectableWRITTEN BY RACHEL BENSINGER

Collections Project class. “Right now,” said Grace, “I am still in the middle of searching for an inspiration dress.” She added that the concept for her dress has evolved from a more structured Grace Kelly look, to a garment that may be more minimalist in its nature. The designer explained that working with edible materials is like nothing that she has attempted before. Her final goal is to create a dress that looks as though it is made out of fabric, rather than out of edibles. On this front Choi is very confident. “I think that we can really nail it,” she declares. The competition will benefit the Ithaca Advocacy Center and Cortland’s Aid to Victims of Violence Program. Ehrentraut stated that she chose the cause because her family has been affected by domestic violence. According to the Domestic Violence Resource Center, “One in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime.” “You’d be amazed at how many [victims ofdomestic violence] there are, and they’re everywhere. They’re at all different walks of life. All different financial levels,” Ehrentraut said. This cause is allowing the four competing students to test their own ability to work in a team in order to assemble one delicious gown. The competition gives Choi the opportunity to evolve her own design concepts as well. “Redefine, and redefine, and redefine,” Choi said. “I think that’s what makes a garment.” As Project Runway’s Tim Gunn would say, Choi just needs to “make it work!”

Salon du chocolat’s edible fashion creations.

ana Burton, a junior FSAD student, is experiencing a different world of fashion for the spring semester by studying abroad in Hong Kong. Burton has swapped Cornell for The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. “It’s really exhilarating. I don’t want it to end!” she said.

Burton described Hong Kong street fashion as being greatly influenced by the Japanese Harajuku style, “It’s the complete opposite of minimal dress.” With trends such as four–inch high sneakers, the street style has been the biggest difference from the styles found at home. There’s “a ton of layers and mismatched prints, colors and a bunch of jewelry,” she described. “I think it’s really cool.” Hong Kong embraces a mixture of the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy in the fashion culture. “Instead of having one Prada shop there’s five or six,” she said. Burton finds the contrast of high fashion shops and the vast array of cheap clothing available striking. She spent the last year and a half studying Mandarin preparing for her exchange. The Hong Kong Polytechnic has an exchange partner with hundreds of universities all over the world, Burton has made a diverse group of friends. “Surprisingly I don’t have many American friends here,” she said. Most of her friends are local students or other exchange students from Europe or Asia. She has not come across many communication barriers since classes are taught in English, and although there are a vast number of languages spoken in Hong Kong, Burton can usually find a way to communicate. During her semester away from Cornell, Burton has decided to take on a lighter workload and use the spare time to explore and enjoy the city. She also has had the chance to take subjects not offered at Cornell. One of her favorite classes is Fashion Retail Buying. “It’s really practical for something I might be interested in doing in the future,” she said. Burton has found that while she is learning a lot about the Asian fashion industry, she is also able to teach her peers the current trends and brands emerging in the US.


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FASHION ABROADPROFILE

WRITTEN BY KATHERINE PATTERSON

FASHION FROMThe Thread’s previous stylist delves into fashion on the other side of the globe.

AFAR

American influences are not too hard to find in Hong Kong. “Shopping-wise there’s a part of Hong Kong that’s like 5th Avenue but just a million times bigger,” she said. “I realized how similar some parts of Hong Kong are to New York – a lot is really western.” By the end of her exchange, Burton plans to have vis-ited Taiwan, China, and Thailand. At the time of the interview, she had just returned from two weeks in the Philippines. Un-surprisingly, she has decided to extend her time abroad into the summer as well.

Burton (second from left) vacationing with peers in the Philippines.

Hong Kong street style.

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ALUMNI AFFAIRSFEATURE

WRITTEN BY ARIEL SODOMSKY

CARA The glamorous and unglamorous life of a red carpet reporter

I’m a reporter for Star Magazine in Los Angeles. On a daily basis I stay up on celebrity gossip, read our competition magazines and check blogs, call sources of mine to see if they have

new stories, conduct interviews with celebrities, and write up stories to go into the magazine.

ell me about your job. What do you do on a daily basis?

I came to Cornell wanting to be a doctor. After a semester of Biology 101 and Chemistry 208, I realized that I didn’t want that anymore. Someone asked me what my dream job would be and without hesitation I replied, “Editor in Chief of US Weekly, I want Janice Min’s job” (she was their editor at the time). Whoever it was that asked that then told me, “So do that.” I always loved reading the weekly gossip magazines, but I never thought I’d be able to make a career out of it.

How did you end up working in the magazine industry?

Cara Sprunk, a 2010 Cornell graduate, didn’t always know that she wanted to work in the magazine industry, but it turned out to be a perfect fit. After three internships at various magazines, Sprunk started working at Star Magazine in NYC and recently moved to Los Angeles. We checked in with the American Studies major to see what working at a magazine is really like, how it feels to be on the red carpet, and to get her advice for breaking into the industry!

The red carpet is definitely not as glamorous as it looks. There is a TON of waiting around for celebrities, who can be really, really rude. A lot of them walk by without doing any press and won’t even look up at the people screaming their name. It’s exhausting, waiting around for celebrities in this cramped area. But whenever I want to complain, I just think that it’s actually pretty cool what I’m doing, so I should stop whining about my feet hurting or being hungry. To survive on the red carpet, I try to wear comfortable shoes (or at least bring some), not show up too hungry, ask PR reps for bottled water (they’ll usually get you some), and make sure my phone is fully charged so I can text and tweet to pass the time.

What is it like being on the red carpet? Is it as glamorous as it looks on TV?

In the summer of 2008 (after my sophomore year) I interned at Life & Style Weekly. I completely lucked out in that the intern coordinator was a Cornell graduate (Barbara Seigel ’02) who was on the Cornell Daily Sun and a member of Alpha Chi Omega, like me! That summer I fell in love with the industry and by the end, had put myself in a good position to get other internships. I interned at OK! Magazine in the summer of 2009 and Star over winter break 2009-2010.

While at Cornell, did you intern for magazines over the summer?

I don’t want to be a reporter forever. I’d love to be an editor so I can write and gather news. We’ll see what happens!

Where do you see your career going in the coming years?

I still get a little star-struck; less so than I used to, though. I was actually the most star-struck when I interviewed Michael Douglas at the Michael Kors fashion show in Fall 2011. I never would’ve thought that he would make me star-struck! My heart was also racing because it’s really hard to get an exclusive interview at NYFW, and no other reporters were nearby while I was talking to him. I knew my editors would be really excited that I got the interview.

I also got fairly star-struck while interviewing Justin Bieber (kind of embarrassing). I went with a friend of mine who I’d met while interning at OK! Magazine, and she is a HUGE Justin Bieber fan. I was teasing her all day in anticipation of interviewing him, and then I ended up getting a little star -struck, too.

Which celebrity has left you the most star-struck? Do you get star-struck?

SPRUNK

TReporting live from the red carpet.

Being on the Cornell Daily Sun was incredibly helpful in terms of experience. I learned about AP style, conducting interviews, writing in the style of your publication, and how to produce great stories. I would highly recommend that anyone looking to get into journalism get involved with on-campus publications, since Cornell does not have a journalism major.

Do you feel that any Cornell experience or opportunity really helped you to get and keep a great job after graduation?

For some reason it’s always easier to answer my least favorite… Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola. I interviewed her in summer 2010 and she totally rubbed me the wrong way. She was the first celebrity that was truly rude to me – and I was trying so hard to be nice to her! Plus, the other ‘Jersey Shore’ people were being much nicer. It was incredibly hot on the red carpet and while Sammi was running into the event, The Situation was profusely sweating, constantly wiping his brow, and making sure he spoke to every single reporter. There’s a reason he is much more successful than her. Just saying!

My favorite celebrities to talk to have probably been Jason Segel (so sweet!), George Clooney (even though it was only for a second, it was just so cool that he stopped by and was so normal!) and Adrianne Curry (so random, I know, but she is hysterical and really fun! I got to go out with her one night and by the end of it, I wanted to be her best friend.).

What celebrity has been your favorite to talk to? Do you have a least favorite?

It hasn’t been too difficult of a transition because I was so eager to get out of New York and be in LA. I knew it was a good move in terms of being a celebrity reporter to be in the center of it all. Plus, I was so excited to trade the subway for a car, my shared one bedroom, one bathroom for a shared two bedroom, two bathroom duplex with balconies, a view of the East River for the Pacific Ocean, and be in this far more relaxed environment (although not more relaxed in the office). The biggest difference between New York and LA is that I feel like NY is a night city — the emphasis is completely on what are you doing at night – whereas in LA, your days are really important. So many weekends in New York I’d be a bum all day until I went out at night. Here, I’m much more interested in walking around, going to the beach, or going hiking on the weekend, which I guess is really tied to the weather.

Has it been difficult transitioning from living in New York to living in LA? What are the biggest differences you’ve noticed between the coasts?

Be prepared to work hard and start with a job you are way over qualified for. It’s really hard for Cornell students who have always been on top to go into the work place and then be an assistant or something and have to get coffee and book dog grooming appointments (I wish I was kidding about this stuff, but that’s how I got my start!). You have to be humble and stick it out. It certainly does not start out as glamorous as you’d like it to. But you’ll get there eventually. To make it in this industry you have to be dedicated, passionate, and really detail-oriented. Good luck!

Do you have any advice for Cornell students who are looking to enter the magazine industry after graduation?

My two favorite runway shows were Project Runway and Michael Kors. They both had TONS of looks, which I like (as opposed to smaller shows, which are much shorter). But I also loved the looks at the BCBG Max Azria show. All of those shows were pretty star-studded, which always makes my job easier.

I don’t think there is a huge difference between fashion driven events and celebrity-focused ones, however that may be because the events I cover are always a complete merger of fashion and celebrities. Even the fashion shows I cover – we cover them because celebrities go. Unfortunately the emphasis isn’t really on the clothes — although at a fashion event I always ask what they’re wearing or what they like about this particular designer.

What was your favorite runway show you attended while working in NYC? Is there a big difference between going to more fashion driven events as opposed to more celebrity-focused ones?

“My favorite celebrities to talk to have probably been Jason Segel, George Clooney and Adrianne Curry... by the end of it, I wanted to be her best friend.”

Spunk interviews Holly Madison known for her role on E!’s ‘The Girls Next Door.”

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the thread spring / summer 2012 edition

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