While I got my books signed, I chatted with Simon about style.  I love to ask people about their style icons, because their answers always reflect their personalities.  Simon Doonan says, “I divide them all up into different categories,” a style icon for every occasion!  Simon’s “High Fashion” style icon is Daphne Guinness, “Pop” is Katy Perry, and “Red Carpet” is Tilda Swinton.  Wearing his signature floral shirt, he described his style as “Carnaby Street Mod.”

Meeting Simon Doonan at Barney’s New York at Northpark was such a treat.  I couldn’t have thought of a better way to kick off the New Year.  Remember to pick up a copy of Gay Men Don’t Get Fat at Barney’s or at bookstores, you won’t stop laughing.

Working at J. Crew seasonally, while studying Marketing at Texas A&M, was the start of Angela’s retail career.  She loved putting together outfits, especially creating back to school wardrobes for her customers.  At A&M, she took retail marketing and buying classes, all the while knowing that she would like to be a buyer.

Angela is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  You can tell she loves what she does, and that her priority is making her customers happy.  I asked her what her favorite part about her job is, and she responded “There’s so many!”  She added, “I love interacting with customers, but really I love working with the team.”  And trust me, her team is lovely to work with.  She got into management at Nordstrom because she wants to become a buyer, but also because she loves helping her team “Learn and grow, help them sell more, and help them to reach their dreams and goals too.”  Obviously, she’s a real people-person.

Since she’s so passionate about her job, Angela has some great advice for those of us that want to work in retail.  First of all, “get ready for long hours!” and working during the holidays.  More importantly, “keep a positive attitude.”  In her job as Manager, Angela deals with frustrating situations.  She stressed the importance of keeping the customer at the center of everything, also a famous Nordstrom value.

According to Angela, the biggest trend for shoes this year is bright colors like fuchsia, turquoise, and orange.  At Nordstrom, brands like Pele Moda, Vince Camuto, and Nine West are featuring brights, as well as color-blocking.  Very high heels are also “in,” Angela says, “they’re not getting any lower.”  Angela describes her style as “accessorized, current, and classic but not basic.”  Her style icon is Diane von Furstenberg.  “I love her colors, I love her fabrics, very flowy and feminine.”  She also likes the Trina Turk collection, also sold at Nordstrom.

When you need new shoes, remember to stop by Nordstrom at the Galleria Women’s Shoes department and ask for Angela, or any of her outstanding team.

Now that finals are over and us college students can breath a little, we can now turn our attention to last minute Christmas shopping. We told you about Amy Schroeder, owner of Simply Chic, yesterday, well tonight is your chance to shop her jewelry line. Every Monday night, Amy holds fixed price auctions on the Simply Chic Facebook page. Once you see a piece you like, you comment on the picture with “SOLD” and your email address. I love her jewelry, and the versatility and quality of her pieces make it even better. Not to mention the affordable price. Most of her jewelry is under $30 and shipping is FREE!

]]> http://www.smustyle.com/simply-chic-monday/feed/ 0 http://www.smustyle.com/fashion-insider-amy-schroeder/ http://www.smustyle.com/fashion-insider-amy-schroeder/#comments Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:45:07 +0000 Alex Small http://www.smustyle.com/?p=8965

Amy Schroeder, owner of Simply Chic

Who doesn’t want to look Simply Chic?  Well, lucky for us, there is a Dallas-based online jeweler that offers Simply Chic pieces at reasonable prices.  Amy Schroeder is the brain behind this gem; Simply Chic is for anyone who wants to accessorize without spending a lot, which is something we can all appreciate! After graduating from Mississippi State, specializing in Fashion Merchandising, Amy worked in New York honing her skills for the fashion industry. I got a chance to talk to Amy about how she started Simply Chic.

Fashion runs in Amy’s family, her cousin and two aunts work in the industry as well. Amy always wanted to start her own business, so it was easy to combine that with her passion for jewelry. She says “People can change an entire outfit just by accessorizing and Simply Chic is a great way to achieve that without spending a lot of money!” Every week, Amy features “statement pieces as well as some everyday pieces.” She makes sure “that each item is not limited to one outfit or occasion.” After receiving my own Simply Chic jewelry, I saw that the quality is incredible, and her pieces are so unique.

Amy Schroeder cleverly utilizes Facebook to sell Simply Chic’s fixed-price jewelry during auctions every Monday night at 8PM.  She posts pictures of available items on her wall, and customers comment on their favorite pieces including “SOLD” and their email address to purchase the item. So when people comment and “like” the page, their friends will find out about Simply Chic as well.  PayPal makes it easy to pay; plus, there is free shipping on every order.

As I always like to find out, Amy’s style is “classic and trendy”.  Her style icons are Katie Holmes and Kate Middleton. Her advice for those of us that want to work in the fashion industry is “never be afraid to take chances. The ‘fashion world’ can be scary, you have to be willing to take risks to achieve your goals and succeed!”

Look out for another post tomorrow with some of our favorite pieces and remember to check out Simply Chic’s next auction Monday December 19 at 8:00 PM central time.  Purchases from Monday’s auction will arrive in time for Christmas, so pick up your last minute gifts from Simply Chic!  Like Simply Chic on Facebook, and follow Simply Chic on Twitter @Simply__Chic.

SMUStyle Blogger Alex Small and Lauren Scruggs

I met Lauren Scruggs at the Jean Paul Gaultier press event in November.  Not really knowing what to do at such an important event, I was standing alone when Lauren introduced herself.   Lauren came up to me and had said had read some my blogs on SMUStyle.  Lauren was also a SMUStyle blogger at one time.  She put me at ease right away with her outgoing and friendly personality.  We hung out together at the event and even tried to get a picture with Jean Paul, but, of course, his handlers shut us down.

I was so struck with how gracious and kind Lauren was to me.  It was so impressive that someone in her position in the fashion industry would approach me and be so genuine.  I mean, I’m just a freshman and she has her own online magazine, LOLO Magazine.  This is something that I will never forget even after spending just a few hours with her.  She had made such an impression on me.

I was so shocked to hear what had happened to her.  I felt compelled to share her story with you.  From all the news stories and her website, it sounds like she is handling this like she would handle anything else in her life: with determination, courage, and grace.   If you would like to learn more about Lauren and make a donation to help with medical expenses, please go to LOLOMag.com or her CaringBridge site.   Please keep her in your prayers.