LuckyFABB 2013 Recap: Day 1

So last week was LuckyFABB in New York City.   I was so excited and I have some great coverage for you that I'll split up into several blog posts.

I was lucky enough to get to stay with my friend, and fellow blogger Stephanie, from Cookies and Daydreams.  Her house is so awesome and she even will be on HGTV because they redid her one room!

The room makeover (just a sneak peek) that will be featured on HGTV. 

She is great company and it made the whole being away from home thing much easier, so check out her blog when you get a chance because she has awesome DIY posts as well as recipes!

So....the LuckyFABB conference itself....

So tired waiting for the train into NYC.

When I arrived in the city on the morning of the first day I met up with Amy from One Artsy Mama.   Here we are standing in line...

I wore a Bebe Leather Jacket, Target Leggings, JustFab boots, a blue dress from Body Central, and an Alexander McQueen scarf!

It was so neat when we first walked in for registration.   We were handed a folder with the day's agenda as well as our name badges attached to a gorgeous charm necklace from Charming Charlie!

The first speaker of the day was Gillian Gorman Round, who is the General Manager of Lucky!    

Gillian welcoming all the bloggers!

Then came Eva Chen!  She is the Editor in Chief of Lucky Magazine and is so adorable!  She was interviewed by Lauren Sherman, the Editor a Large of Fashionista.com. 

Eva was so down to earth and explained that she was wearing a sweater from DKNY that is actually from the 90's and belongs to her mother! She had a Marc Jacobs dress over that, and was wearing her hubby's socks and her own loafers from Top Shop!   She gave some great tips on being a blogger and growing your brand.  She explained that you should know who you are, and your values, and stick to them.   Her 3 tips were:
Don't be afraid or nervous.
Enjoy what you do.
Always be yourself!

She also advised against pointing out "Cheap" things because you want every reader to feel equal...so just because something cost $5 doesn't mean you need to celebrate it as "cheap".  In fact, Eva's own words were "All things are equal." AMEN!

The first panel was Community ROI: Turning Your Readers Into Your Advocates.  

The panel was Erica Domasek of PS I Made This, Gabi Gregg of GABIFRESH, Alisa Gould-Simon of Pose, and Verena von Pfetten of Luckymag.com.

One of the things I took from this session was that social media is more important than comments on your blog.   Social media basically is a way of commenting on blog posts, so dont stress out if you don't get tons of comments.    The panel discussed their experience with high/low traffic posts and gave some more tips for bloggers.

Next there was a break where I took advantage of the All Access Gifting Suite.

A preview of my goodies.   My post about them will be up later! 

After we reconvened, it was time to meet Eva Mendes!  She was SUCH a sweetheart.   She was interviewed by Eva Chen!

She's just so darn gorgeous.   We learned that Eva likes floral for Spring so she will be featuring that in her new collection at New York & Company.   She also likes lipstick over gloss and the smokey eye versus natural eye makeup.    And when it comes to technology, she likes her iPad more than a laptop OR desktop!    Eva Mendes created her line because she wants women to trust her as a brand and a designer.  She's a girl's girl so trust is important.  Her line is affordable for all women and that means a lot to her because she grew up in a lower middle class family and she doesn't want other women to feel that they have to struggle to look good!   I absolutely adore her!

Oh and she said her worst look was when she wore a side braid to a premiere. 

I still think she's gorgeous!

The highlight of everything was when she took a girl's scarf from the audience and showed us how to wrap it around our heads!  

After lunch, Eva Chen came back on for a conversation with BryanBoy.  

He reminded us to not blog about things we truly don't like, and that it's okay to turn down the opportunity.  Also, he said it's okay to wear outfits over and over again.   His last great find as a Stella Sweater and when asked for a tip to get a good deal he said to always research promo codes.   

During audience Q&A, someone asked what Eva and BryanBoy's blogging do's and don't were.  Eva said DO videos, spellcheck, and use your own voice and said DO NOT copycat.   Bryan agreed with her and also said that make your selling point be your blog, not just your business card.  

Next up was another panel, for Five Mistakes You Don't Want to Make.

Moderator Haley Phelan from Lucky, Lindsey Calla from Saucy Glossie, Amber Venz from rewardStyle, and Mattias Swenson, the CEO of Bloglovin.

   

This panel was very informative.  They explained what platforms you can use for which social media promotion.   They also said to listen to what your readers tell you, and listen to what people say you're good at.  For me that's budget posts, modest and realistic outfit posts, and giving advice.  Also they explained that you should ALWAYS be authentic and stay inspired, but also keep challenging yourself when it comes to your content.   

After a break it was time for the Blogger's Choice panel.... Where to Post What: Which Social Media Platforms are Best for your Content.  

John Jannuzzi from Lukymag.com, Aliza Licht from Donna Karan International, Suzanne Schloot from Kate Spade New York, Stephanie Horton from FarFetch, and Amy Cole from Instagram. 

This panel was awesome and one of my favorite tips was that it's okay to not use every social media platform.  Also, they reinforced what I already stood by when it came to images...I use Instagram for my images, and Twitter photos only for an image that I don't really care to reference again.  


After one more break, it was time for Evan Chen to bring out Kate Bosworth!  She was gorgeous and such a doll!  She was also very shy which was crazy because we are the ones that should be shy!!!

She is so down to earth just like Eva Mendes and I enjoyed learning about how simple she styles herself and how she stays true to herself.     

After Day 1 ended I rushed home and had to rest up for Day 2... which I will recap tomorrow!!