COCKTAILS WITH CLAIRE

I love going to fashion events and I especially love a good theme.

I attended this fashion-filled event called “Cocktails with Claire” hosted by Claire Sulmers, the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of FashionBombDaily on Saturday, Dec 1. I’ve been to the event a few times and it’s usually a pretty good time. I’ve always loved FBD and I’ve been following Claire’s journey for several years now. I really admire the way she built the site into a media powerhouse and garnered so many fans and followers over the course of her career. She talks frequently about how she saw a void in the marketplace AND wasn’t getting the opportunities she felt she deserved in the fashion industry and that’s what compelled her to start FBD. It’s now become a household name and she gets invited to speak about her experiences at fashion and business panels across the country. I’m a newbie in this fashion blogging game and I already see how much work it is and how much dedication it requires. So, I can appreciate someone who makes a living out of this life — and a good living at that.

This year’s event called for an animal theme print and we pretty much all translated that to leopard print looks. Basically the whole scene was filled with variations of leopard (or do you prefer calling it cheetah print?) and it kinda made me wish I would’ve gone for snake or zebra or something different. But alas, I chose to don my new leopard pants from…you guessed it…Shein! lol I wore an old hot pink cropped sweater from Forever 21 and Nine West black boots. I also pulled out my LOVE earrings for a little extra panache. What do you think of this look? As you can see, my friend also wore basically the same thing and we didn’t plan it at all! ;)

The event usually includes themed/sponsored cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, lots of picture taking, vendors to purchase apparel from and the opportunity to network with other fashion enthusiasts. In previous years, Claire has presented a few celebrities with fashion or business-themed awards. To be honest, I’ve had a better time in previous years when I felt like the event was really well done and very organized. This year, it felt a little thrown together but I guess that’s probably to be expected with the very tough year the site has had. Their IG page was suspended at 1M followers and she hasn’t had any luck restoring the page since then. She also started a few backup pages and I believe one or two of those were also suspended after they had gained substantial followings. As we all know, IG can really become a large source of income if you have a following that brands want to promote to. So, although I didn’t love the event as much as I have previously, I do love that this black woman-owned brand has been able to stand the test of time and strive for greatness in the midst of trying times.

I hope to one day to be able to elevate my blog/social media to a level where it reaches the masses. I love fashion with my whole heart (so corny lol) and I want to share that love with the world! I want to help people understand that your look can greatly affect your life and change the way you’re viewed in this world. Thanks so much for stopping by. xoxo - Ashley