Carla Isabel Carstens runs freefashioninternships.com, a site offering–you guessed it, fashion internship listings. Good ones!

We asked Carla a bit about how she got started, what makes a good intern, and the one thing you want to make sure you never do when applying for a fashion internship:

Why did you decide to start Freefashioninternships.com?

It was honestly never intentional. While I was in college I would always research internship opportunities online, and one day out of sheer boredom I began posting them on a blog. Looking at these internships almost served as motivation because most of them were in New York, and I was attending school in San Diego at the time.

A few months after I initially began posting the opportunities, I had a friend of mine refer me to my own site! I knew I was on to something so I added contact information and a counter. I discovered that I was getting great traffic, and within a few days companies were contacting me to post their internships.

The site grew very quickly! Why do you think that happened?

I think a lot of people were/are in the same boat I was in. I didn’t know where to begin looking, I didn’t attend a school that had an emphasis in fashion, and I never came across any resources that were consistently updated with quality internships. Craigslist can only get you so far!

You went from in-demand intern to fashion PR maven–tell a bit of that story and how you did it.

I came across an internship on Craigslist for a San Diego-based that had actually been up for over a month. It was the first fashion internship in San Diego that I had ever come across, so I took my chances and contacted her anyway. I can honestly say that my first internship had the biggest impact on me out of any other I ever did. I was a jack-of-all-trades, handling everything from PR to Sales to Photography. I definitely learned how to be resourceful!

I then decided to take the plunge and move to New York to intern for a summer. I only intended to be there for 6 weeks, but I got another internship and ended up staying for 5 months! When I moved home, I began research companies online and saw that most action sports companies were based in San Diego and Orange County. I didn’t have the time to commute to LA as I was still in school, so this was a better option for me. Through my 4 years of college, I basically would intern in San Diego and Orange County during the school year, and move to New York to intern there during the summer.

You interned for a lot of great companies! What did you do to stand out among the applicants?

A good resume and cover letter! You would be shocked to see how many cover letters and resumes I get that are just awful – misspelled, incoherent or just plain unprofessional. Use the resources you have, like your Career Center at school. Although my Career Center couldn’t help me find a specific internship, they helped me with everything resume and cover letter-related.

What are the do’s and don’ts of the interview process?

• Bring multiple copies of your resume.
• Cancel your internship interview if you don’t plan on showing up! About 30% of the people I schedule interviews with do not show up, which is extremely disrespectful of my time.
• If you are going to be late, make sure to call ahead of time to inform your interviewer.
• Research the company you are interviewing with, and come up with a list of questions for your interviewer. This is how we gauge your seriousness about the position.
• After your interview takes place, make sure to send an e-mail thanking your interviewer for their time.

Most internships posted are for major cities like New York. What’s the best way to get an internship if you’re not in a major metro area?

Research local companies in your area, you’d be surprised what you’ll find. There are up-and-coming designers in every city who I’m sure could use an extra pair of hands. Also contact major retailers like Saks or Neiman Marcus in your area – most have in-house event and PR teams.

Any tips for ensuring a positive internship experience?

Be accountable, hard-working and positive.

If you’re in the market for a fashion internship, be sure to subscribe to freefashioninternships.com.

The IFB Evolving Influence Conference brought together fashion bloggers and brands. IFBCon Part One covers the first two sessions of the conference. Here, the remaining two:

Foot in The Door: Launch your new career with your blog

Susanna Lau – Style Bubble , @susiebubble

Style Bubble started as an obsession, with Susie rushing home from work to post 3-4 times per day. She wanted to show it was possible to have fun with fashion and how to play with clothes, that fashion was “this thing that you could experience yourself.”

Getting Traffic

Her first major press in Teen Vogue, a few months after starting her blog in 2006. Along with press building traffic and several small writing gigs on the side, her readership grew organically.

Creating content

Susie confessed that in the beginning, she had no concept of having relationships with brands. “I was just emailing indie designers to find content for my site. I was doing everything on the sly.”

Beyond Blogging

In 2008, Susie famously became the Commissioning Editor of Dazed Digital. “It was so valuable to work in an environment like that.” The position gave her the opportunity to improve her own writing as well as experience commissioning work from others.She decided to leave in March 2010 to work on her own full time.

“I have no idea what I’m doing from week to week, going on from project to project.” Recent projects include an installation with Joyce boutique in Hong Kong, commissioning a newspaper celebrating Selfridges London shoe boutique, freelancing for Pop magazine, and partnerships with Doc Martens & Sanrio. She’s also been styling the Ting Tings–frontwoman Katie is a fan of Style Bubble. “Katie has own style, so it’s really a collaboration.” Susie noted that she works to keep blog content and projects separate.

Acting as a contractor of sorts for fashion brands, Susie does custom projects for each brand, but admits that “It’s been very stressful working for myself.” She has a literary agent that she works with to help manage the business side of things.

Advice

• Keep your content fresh by seeing as much as possible and narrowing it down to what you’re really passionate about.

• When deciding which brands to work with, look for synergy with the brand–it should feel like you can do something incredible together.

Image, SearchingforStyle.com

Bryanboy, @bryanboy

Bryanboy started in 2004 as a travel journal, and has always been a diary of sorts–fashion just happened to play a part. “I’ve never really had a job in fashion,” says Bryanboy. “My interest comes from being a consumer. Over the years, my interest evolved.”

Before blogging, Bryanboy worked as a freelance web designer. Now, his energy is focused on his blog and his readers–and he wants to keep it that way. “I’m just doing something I really love and I’m just having fun in the process. For me, why should there be a next step? I can see myself doing this for 10 more years.”

He admits that he’s come a long way since the faux-cocaine pics of yore. “I also evolved as a person. I have to be a little bit more responsible. I can’t really forget where I came from and my blog is a reflection of my life.”

Getting traffic

The blog really took off in 2006. “Facebook was a good tool for me because any time I posted my link, it would send traffic.” As long as you have something that appeals to people,regardless of where they are, you can build an audience.

Adding value

As a professional blogger, Bryanboy’s value to brands lies in his ability to generate discussion. If he blogs or tweets about a brand, it encourages discussion, awareness, and inspiration. “I have so much energy, when I obsess about something I have to share it with everyone.”

His dream project? Something long-term: “Bryanboy dolls with Jason Wu!”

Content is Queen: Captivate your audience with compelling content

Emily Schuman - Cupcakes & Cashmere , @byemily

Emily started out writing restaurant reviews online. She quickly grew tired of just doing that, and decided to create a site that talked about everything she loves. Her main focus? Compelling content, pretty photos, and a clean layout.

Outfit posts

With outfit posts, she wanted to show how to mix and match pieces. “Being an effective editor is important” when deciding which photos to keep, so she tries to keep the posts short and use 4-5 of the best photos. Her boyfriend takes the photographs when she’s wearing something post-worthy (“not every day!”) that incorporates items at different price points.

Emily spends time planning which parts of an outfit to showcase–detailing, nail polish, hair. “We take a lot of pictures–horizontal, vertical, details. A good outfit post takes time and preparation.” She tries to take pictures on the weekend or in the evening during “the magic hour”–the time right before dusk, and uses a tripod and remote if her boyfriend is not available.

Food

“Shooting food is different than shooting clothing.” Emily says she started reading food blogs and photography books to get a feel for how professional photos looked. For visual interest, she recommends investing in props: napkins, place mats, ribbons, etc. “I take my time staging the shots. I want it to be visually appealing, inspiring, but still attainable.”

Naming your blog

Emily asserts that choosing a name is important. If you’re struggling, she advises writing down a bunch of words you like, putting them together, and crossing off what doesn’t sound right.

Site design

Favoring sites that are simple–white background with black text–Emily points out that people are visual. Visitors should be able to get an immediate feel for what’s going on and where to find what they’re looking for.

Getting traffic

“I commented on sites that I liked and found ways to get on people’s blogrolls. Blog growth was a gradual process. There was never one big break–there were several big things that happened.” It’s also important to be consistent: “Keep writing so people know they can come to you for more content.”

Staying organized

“I typically have some sort of schedule lined up. There’s a lot of work involved. I think about what I’m going to post, what I’m going to cook, what I’m going to wear.”

Advice

• Think like an editor. When choosing photos for outfit posts, narrow it down to 4-5 of the most visually appealing images.

• Get a feel for what you like by finding inspirational pictures online and narrowing it down to a few common elements.

• Write about what you love instead of trying to fit into a specific category.

Amy Odell - The Cut, @cutblog

Having earned a Journalism degree from NYU, Amy now reports fashion news–entertaining fashion news. While in school, she applied for all kinds of internships. “No one wanted anything to do with me.” Deciding to work for the school paper, she was then able to find events to cover, and took the initiative to go to editors to ask if she could write stories. “It’s wonderful training–going up to people at events to interview them.”

Keeping up with the news

Amy pointed out how important it is to be first in the news arena. “You have to get your post up first, make sure people know you’ll catch EVERYTHING and they can rely on you. Pull new things that come up throughout the day–I write about what I think is entertaining.” To keep up, she reads multiple news publications early each day.

Blogging for a magazine

Blogging for a magazine is a bit different than blogging for personal reasons. You have a larger platform, but you also have to stay true to the publication’s voice. “You do have to consider things like ads being pulled,” she points out. As far as content, daily Trackur reports indicate that Anna Wintour, Beyonce, and celebrities are popular. She notes that it’s important to have a good mix of news, high fashion, and celebrity news.

Even so, it’s still necessary to have your own point of view. “Blog things you feel strongly about.” She also advocates being authentic. “Be honest with your readers. Don’t be afraid to say something because no one else is saying it.”

Advice

• Stay on top of the news. Read print publications, set up an RSS feed for alerts, keep an eye on social media streams, and post quickly!

• Do something different. When multiple outlets are covering the same stories, it’s important to take a different angle–try to get a first look, or a quick quote, or go behind the scenes.

• Don’t lose your voice. If you want to be funny, be funny. Or sarcastic, or sweet, or curious…whatever suits you.

Image, Elle.com

Rumi Neely and Colin Sokol - fashiontoast, @rumineely

Rumi started fashiontoast when she noticed how many questions she got from customers who purchased vintage clothing from her eBay store. “There was a lot of curiosity from people on how I was styling outfits,” so she started the blog to show them. After a while, she noticed that the personal photo posts got the most response, so she figured she needed to put more effort into those.

Popularity

“Every day I’m shocked and amused at where the blog has gotten me. That wasn’t really my goal.” Rumi feels an obligation to her readers, and says that she and Colin are always ready to take pictures wherever they are. Though he has no formal photography training–or even real experience with photography prior to Fashion Toast–Colin says “I have a camera on me 24 hours a day.”

Pretty pictures

Regarding the photographic content of the site, “It’s just something we have fun doing, we don’t think too hard about it, and we don’t always plan.” Their process is very spontaneous–inspiration could strike at any time. Rumi notes that this spontaneity is also reflected in her stream-of-consciousness writing style, which, along with the editorial-style imagery, garners approximately 75,000 unique visitors per day. “It’s about knowing what you like and capturing it as you see it,” she says.

Getting traffic

Rumi notes that there was a slow build-up, and that there was no magic secret formula to getting readers all of a sudden. She and Colin take feedback seriously, too: “We both read all of the comments.”

The NEXT level

After receiving multiple offers to model and collaborate with brands and not really knowing how to handle it, Rumi went to NEXT to find an agent and bookers to help her manage projects. Soliciting professional assistance is a great way to ensure that contracts and financial agreements are handled properly.

Advice

• Be unique! Even if you do decide to do something someone has already done, take inspiration from the concept and do it in your own way.

• Choose projects that seem natural and are a good aesthetic fit. The Forever21 job came about because Rumi says, “I’ve been wearing Forever21 forever.”

Whew! That’s the end of our event coverage–thanks for making it this far! So…what did we miss?

Last week’s Independent Fashion Bloggers’ Evolving Influence Conference was just as informative and stylish as we expected. There was a lot of information to take in, so instead of putting up one 4,000-word post (whew!), we’ve decided to create a series with detailed coverage of each session, complete with insight and advice from each speaker. Let’s get started:

It’s Just Business: Make a living with your blog

Mattias Swenson - Bloglovin’, @mattiasswenson

The business of blogging, especially in the fashion and style sector, has come to the forefront over the past few years. Mattias Swenson of Bloglovin’ predicts product placement will expand in the coming years as brands realize how much influence bloggers have and how that influence can drive sales.

Partnering with brands

Mattias maintains that brands generally look at basic factors when determining who to work with: Unique visitors, comments per post, and number of followers. While transparency and authenticity are important, “As long as you’re selective with your brand endorsements and choose things that you stand for, your readers will trust even paid endorsements.”

Measuring success

He also noted that brands and bloggers currently measure success by revenue (money coming in), though brands rarely share their return on investment from a blogger-based campaign, making it difficult to determine how much to charge.

In general, price points have been pushed up over time and are determined by the market rates as opposed to influence. Which means that bloggers with different sized audiences might be making the same rate per campaign, instead of being compensated based on their respective influence. In a perfect/fair world, the more successful your campaigns, the more you should be able to charge.

Advice

• “Don’t sell your media like magazines or TV–you’re more than that.”

• Think of how you can use your influence to sell things you believe in. Make sure to partner with brands you really like or use.

• Spell out a clear value proposition in your pitch. Be specific about what you bring to the table and how it benefits the brand.

• Use Google URL Builder in conjunction with Google Analytics, and tag your links. Read more about installing Google Analytics on your blog in this article.

Phil Oh - Street Peeper , @mrstreetpeeper

Phil opened by talking about how he got to the point where street style blogging is his career. “Everybody thinks the road to blogging is paved with Hermes,” but he decided to differentiate by covering street style in different cities, a unique concept at the time. Part of his monetization strategy involved implementing a brand tagger so people could search for products and see people wearing those items–a very attractive proposition for potential advertisers.

Finding advertisers

He started out with three ads that he gave away for free to friends in “glam” industries. After a few years and an unhappy stint with an ad network, he started building a media kit–which he highly recommends for everyone. “The hard part is finding who to contact,” so Phil used Google and LinkedIn to find ad managers of the brands he was interested in working with.

He also teamed up with other big bloggers to pool traffic as a group, noting that trying to attract CPM advertising with big brands means you’re competing with the likes of Conde Nast, Yahoo, and AOL.

“Everybody thinks the road to blogging is paved with Hermes.”

Charging for your services

If you’re small or new and a brand wants to work with you for free, Phil advises “Do it if you want to and think it’s a fun project, not because you eventually want to charge. You have to have guts and stand up for your work. If you think the time and effort you spend is worth something, charge.”

Advice

• If you’re just getting started, offer free advertising for a few brands in industries you’d like to work with. It gives the impression that you already have contacts in the right places and companies want what you have to offer.

• Build a media kit–even if it’s as simple as a two-page presentation. Trawl Google and LinkedIn to find the right people to send it to.

• Form an ad network with 4-5 other bloggers so you can charge more money and attract larger advertisers.

• Treat your product or commodity as valuable–your pictures, your writing, your audience, and your time are worth something to brands. Make sure you’re fairly compensated.

Get Involved: Cultivate a passionate readership

Yuri Lee - LOOKBOOK.nu , @lookbookdotnu

According to Yuri, Lookbook sticks to two tenets: Do less and be good.

1. Do less. Do one thing, and do it the best. For Lookbook, it is important to showcase the best content, so they spend a lot of time on algorithms designed to filter out spam and celeb photos. They also focus on fresh new content, and try to make sure every post has something worth value.

2. Be good. Be good at what you do, and treat other people well. Leave meaningful comments, drive traffic to other’s sites, read and respond to feedback to engage with your readers. Create a relationship so readers know there’s a real person behind the site. Every contact or relationship is an opportunity.

Getting Traffic

When first starting, they tried several techniques to attract users: they printed fliers at Kinko’s (that didn’t work), they sent personal emails to target audience members, and relied on word of mouth to help grow their audience. All in all, Lee says Lookbook grew organically.

“People notice when you put love into your work. Press is overrated.”

Making money

The current business model is simple monetization through advertising. “The first year, we were very poor,” notes Lee. As the site grew, they included more ads, and took time to make sure those ads were relevant to readers.

Fun fact

The site is Lookbook.nu because they couldn’t get .com, and were too late for .us. .Nu is the domain for island nation Niue, but they thought it sounded cool and went with it anyway!

Advice

• Keep it lighthearted and strive to have fun. Invite people who embody the spirit of your site to be a part of your community.

• Keep in touch with your most enthusiastic users. Make personal contact, ask their opinion, and encourage them to be a part of the process.

• Focus on one or two things and do them to the best of your ability.

Gala Darling - Gala Darling, @galadarling

Gala opened with the importance of defining what a passionate audience is for you. Work that out first, then it’s easier to find. She pointed out that not everyone is going to like you, and you just have to get over it. “You’re being judged no matter what, so just be yourself.” Needing to be liked all the time can dilute your voice–if you’re going to do something and have it resonate with people, you have to be passionate about it.

Authenticity is a must. “You need to be honest and truthful, brave and bold. Online, everything is recorded so you can’t get away with any bullshit.” Even vulnerability can work in your favor. “It makes people feel like you’re real.”

Encouraging interaction

The best way to get people interacting depends on what you’re doing with your blog. Encouraging conversation in multiple places is good for building Google juice. “I do most interaction with readers on Twitter, Facebook and email.” Doing that helps the audience grow organically.

Truly successful communities

The true measure of a successful community? When you get people talking and thinking about what you’ve said in their own space, that’s an engaged audience. Encourage people to draw their own conclusions and run with their own ideas.

“Making people think is a good way to start a dialogue.”

The downside to comments

She noted that the downside to having a large volume of comments is that it can feel like voices in your head all the time. If you’re constantly thinking about your audience, that can be counterproductive. “Writing in anticipation of a response is dangerous.” On the subject of negative comments, Gala says “I ban people who are rude to me. Why should you put up with that? People can say whatever they want on their own site, but not on mine.”

Making money

As far as monetization, Gala notes that her podcast makes the most money. “I could cut ads, etc. and still make a good living.” She uses e-junkie to sell podcast, and records in Garage Band or QuickTime Pro. She recommends establishing an audience before starting your own podcast.

Advice

• Offer something of value to your readers. Help them with something.

• Practice facilitating discussion.  “The more you do it, the more you learn.”

• Have conversations using multiple platforms: Facebook, Twitter, email, message boards.

Check back tomorrow for the remaining sessions with Style Bubble, Bryanboy, Amy Odell of  The Cut , Cupcakes & Cashmere , and Fashion Toast!

This is a guest post by Michelle Chai of Daisybutter. If you’d like to write a guest post for Style Sample, check out the guidelines and submit your idea.

“Oh, don’t be silly. Everyone wants this. Everyone wants to be ‘us’.”

With the lines between fashion and journalism becoming increasingly blurred in one of the fastest growing industries today, fashion internships have become the ‘job a million girls would kill for’. An internship is one of the only ways to get noticed at the moment–crucial to getting your foot in the door of the fashion world. Finding an internship can be a scary and daunting experience, and so many people are simply terrified of being in a Devil Wears Prada-esque situation.

My first interning experience was with more! magazine, a fast-growing, young women’s fashion weekly, and it was just as rewarding, hectic and exhausting as I had expected, if not more. There aren’t words to describe the whole experience as it really is something you have to try first-hand, but I learnt quickly about being independent, fast-thinking, organised and innovative in the industry.

Embrace every task with enthusiasm, even post collections and return duty; some interns that I worked with would outspokenly refuse to do these! Not cool. Although nothing is as glamorous as they make it look in movies, no two days are the same, and it is definitely not a typical 9-to-5 job. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Finding an Internship

Perfect your resume/CV.

Sending your CV online can be tricky. Convert it to PDF format so it can be easily read–many editors won’t bother struggling to open a CV when others are readily available. Put a sharp profile statement at the top under your personal details to catch the employer’s attention.

Prepare for initial disappointment.

Not every magazine or company you apply to will take you on. Many companies are booked up about six months in advance.

Be determined.

Think of ways that you stand out from all the hundreds of other people looking for the same thing as you. Write specific cover letters to each publication, perhaps congratulating them on features in recent issues.

Think outside the box.

So what if your dream career is to be Anna Wintour’s assistant? Think outside the box and apply to smaller publications, or even your local newspaper! Newspapers are an excellent way to gain experience, and you are much more likely to be taken out on a ‘job’ – perfect for your CV!

Address it to the right person.

Nothing puts off a potential employer like having emails addressed or spelled incorrectly. Take the time to check the magazine’s masthead (the page with all the names on!) and look for the appropriate recipient; if none is readily available, address your communication to the Managing Editor.

If you’re in the market for a fashion magazine internship, make sure you check out the following resources:

• Ed2010
• Free Fashion Internships.com
• Daily Fashion Jobs.com
• The Fashion Intern.com
• US Fashion Internships on Facebook
• Fashionista.com internships
• Global Experiences International Fashion Internships

Have you ever interned at a fashion magazine? Share your experience!

Many social media gurus say that a blog also serves as an online resume of sorts–and that’s pretty accurate. If you’re into visual arts like photography, illustration, styling, modeling, graphic design, or anything else that shows off your creative skills, a blog gives readers and potential clients insight into your personality and work ethic, as well as the caliber and quality of your work.

However, if you’re dealing with agencies, educational institutions, or more traditional clients, they may want to see your work presented in a more traditional portfolio style–well, as traditional as it can be online. If you find yourself in need of an online portfolio, here are some of the best options:

Free

Carbonmade

Carbonmade‘s no-frills setup makes it easy to get started, though customization is limited. For busy creatives, the site features fast and easy batch uploading, video hosting, and web analytics. The free service (called “meh”) allows you to upload 5 projects and 35 images, while the paid (“whoo!”) service costs $12 per month and includes room for up to 50 projects, 500 images, 10 high quality videos, and your own custom domain name.

Behance

One of the best known online portfolio sites out there, Behance allows you to create a free portfolio that incorporates text, image, video, and audio as well as embedded media from sites like Flickr, YouTube, and more.

Deviant Art

The other well-loved and well known online portfolio creation tool, DeviantArt‘s basic service allows you to use their wizard to create and publish your work. You can host up to 100 images for free, or pay for the Premium portfolio service for more benefits.

Coroflot

Coroflot includes a personal URL, traffic reports to see how many hits your portfolio gets, and unlimited file uploads. Bonus: if you’re available for freelance work, you can sign up for job alerts.

Create a separate page on your blog

If you want to keep everything in one place and set up a portfolio on your current blog or site, it can be as simple as creating a new page and uploading images of your work. This method will likely require more design and formatting work to look professional, so it helps to know basic HTML and CSS. You may choose to organize by project, client, or skill.

Paid

Dripbook

Dripbook makes it easy to create your portfolio using their drag-and-drop organizer, saves countless hours of tedious work by automatically reformatting and resizing your images, instantly synch updates to external sites, blogs, and social networking sites. The service costs $10 per month for a standard portfolio, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

Viewbook

The Viewbook platform makes it easy to you to create unlimited portfolio pages and albums to target to different audiences. You can publish galleries on blogs, social networking sites, and other websites. A standard portfolio costs $9/month and gets you up to 2500 images. You can also sell prints of your work (as a hard copy or digital file) through the site.

Design Taxi

Design Taxi is a paid service (9.99 or 19.99 per month), but it is a service. The platform allows viewers to export your portfolio to PDF (much more efficient than emailing a large file), and the company conducts portfolio reviews, publishes interviews with users, and sponsors events that showcase subscriber portfolios.

A few additional tips:

• Your portfolio should be a representation of your best work, so choose carefully. It’s not necessary to include everything you’ve ever done, as long as the overall body of work presented is a clear depiction of your style and skill.

• When including photography, illustration, or other visual work, use high-quality images and scans. You want your creative to look as crisp and clear as possible on screen.

• Make sure your portfolio is accessible (all-Flash sites are more difficult to index) and easy to navigate.

• Include a way for people to contact you. Either a contact form or an email address will work– both is best. The easier you make it for potential clients to get in touch, the more likely they will.

In the personal styling feature in the current print issue (buy it here!), we spoke to Beth of B. Jones Style (she’s doing big things over at her blog–check it out), who wisely advises aspiring stylists to develop relationships with local boutiques.

Making the right connections and cultivating trust with area retailers can help you create a base of stores from which to pull clothing and accessories for photo shoots, fashion shows, and other opportunities that may arise.

So, what’s the best way to go about doing such a thing? Let’s go over some basic tactics:

Know the shops in your area

Do a good ol’ Google search, ask around, or–really, if you’re into fashion, you probably already know the local hotspots. Subscribe to store’s email list, set up a Google Alert for “(your city) boutique”, or subscribe to the feed of a publication that covers local retailers to stay up to date on sales and events.

Make contact

Plan a trip! If you have a blog, contact owner ahead of time and let them know you’re interested in writing about their store or covering their event. I ran into trouble at an event when there was a paid professional photographer there who felt threatened when I took photos (even though I’m not a photographer), so make sure it’s okay to take pictures.

This blogging thing is still pretty new for a lot of people, so you may need to explain what you do. Send a link to your site so they can check it out before you arrive.

Take a trip

Dress the part for your visit, and when you arrive be friendly and professional. Bring your camera (or your photographer if you’re lucky enough to have one) as well as plenty of business cards to distribute.

Take pictures of the shop, the merchandise, the owner and employees, or whatever images best fit your site content. When taking pictures of other people, make sure you have their permission to post their photo and be sure write down their names–with the correct spelling!

If they’re not too busy, chat with the people running the shop. Ask when they get shipments in, what services they offer, and if they have any special sales or events coming up. The more interested you are, the better!

Buy a little something if see something you like and you can afford it–people support people who support them.

Blog it

If you had a good experience, post a write-up on your site. Talk about your visit in first person, and make sure the post is attractive–use clear pictures and proper grammar and spelling. If you use a direct quote, make sure it’s accurate.

Easy things to write about include the location, store setup/atmosphere, clothing brands, your favorite finds, good deals, and how you’d style certain pieces. Always write in your own voice and keep it real–your readers are still your first priority.

Follow up

Send a follow-up “great meeting you” email with a link to the published post to the shop owner. It also helps to attach a few pictures if you got any good ones–people love to receive pictures of themselves. I usually email one or two images of the store owner and employees, along with a link to a Flickr set with the pictures taken. If you’re open to it, let them know they’re welcome to use the photos as long as they’re credited to you.

Keep in touch

If the boutique has social media accounts, follow them on Twitter or Like them on Facebook. Send a quick request to link to the shop owner on LinkedIn. If you’re forgetful (welcome to the club!), set up an email group list of all the shops you’ve contacted, and set a reminder on your calendar to contact the list every 4-6 weeks. Sending a quick email to ask if they received anything new or interesting is a simple way to stay in the loop!

It takes a lot of work to open an online shop, so what must it be like to open a brick-and-mortar clothing store in a less-than-perfect economy? We headed over to the opening of 4U Urban Fashion Boutique and spoke to freshly minted shop owners Andy and Gio for advice, pictures, and a bit of style inspiration.

Setting up shop

We talked to Andy how they went about getting the store up and running in what seemed like a record amount of time–they were painting and putting together furnishing as recently as Mother’s Day!

“For us, it was a magical experience. When we found the space, everything else seemed to fall into place very quickly.”

Got it: For a retail store, location is a top priority. However, not everything is candy and roses all the time, is it? We asked for advice regarding the top three things entrepreneurs opening their own clothing boutique should know:

1. Know the permits, procedures, and processes related to opening a retail store.

This includes setting up a corporation, obtaining a tax ID number and business license, understanding zoning regulations, and a bunch of other legalese. “It can be a bit frustrating, because you need certain permits and documents to get started, but you have to have some things in place in order to obtain those pemits!” Educate yourself as much as possible before and during the process.

Some good resources for those located in the US:

• SBA.gov
• Findlaw.com
• Business.gov

You may also want to check in with your local chamber of commerce for contacts and information.

2. Have a clear vision.

As someone heavily involved in theater, Andy notes that he always took notice of scenery and decor both onstage and in restaurants, retail establishments, and other public spaces. A well-developed eye helped them determine the vision for the shop before everything was up and running–essential during the planning and execution phases.

“If you don’t have a vision, find someone to create one.”

3. Take a lot of deep breaths!

Some things will be difficult–you will get frustrated, you will work hard, and you will get tired. Be sure to remember to breathe and relax as you go through the process–after all, it’s all part of the fun!

Says Andy, “Now we get to focus on the fun part–sourcing clothing and accessories. We have great relationships with some really amazing vendors.”

With most of the heavy lifting done, it sounds like Fall will be a breeze.

CJ Johnson, the Executive Director of Fashion Benefiting Youth Artists, walks us through the stages of setting up a photo shoot. Here’s their Secret Garden story:

When I first had the brainchild of an intern-produced monthly photo shoot, the people I initially shared this idea with just nodded their heads and said “Hmmm” with a smile and quickly moved onto the next subject, or asked,“Well, where are you going to post these pics?,” in a very “duh” manner. However, I knew that it would be a viable idea and give young creatives the opportunity to perfect their craft. If anything, we’d just post it on our blog. Heck, that’s publishing isn’t it?

Here’s how everything was put together:
Early September 2009: Post on our website that we are seeking a Fashion Editor Intern, responsible for creating and executing a monthly photo shoot for organization’s blog.

Late September 2009: Haley Githens is selected to be our Fashion Editor Intern. She comes to her interview with a story board that painted a vivid picture of her ideal photo shoot and the aesthetic. I was stoked and equally impressed!

Late September 2009: Begin marketing a model casting call.

Late September 2009: Began pitching this endeavor to local boutiques to agree for them to loan clothes from the shoot. We got many “Are you nuts?” facial expressions, fake smiles, and “Who are you again?” responses.

October 10, 2009: Casting Call held at my dear friend’s vintage boutique, Parkerhawn Vintage. The casting call was attended by Haley, our marketing interns, and student make-up artist. We had over 15 real models attend and we were only looking for two! After the casting call, Haley selected her top three.

October 13, 2009: Selected models were notified. They were thrilled, to say the least!

Mid October 2009: Began mini-marketing campaign to announce the upcoming “The Secret Garden” intern produced photo shoot on Facebook, Twitter, and in our monthly newsletter.
Mid October 2009: After more explanation, several gracious boutiques agreed to provide clothes on loan for the shoot!

Mid October 2009: I visited and scouted a wonderful area of our local nature park for the site. An awesome photographer agrees to shoot “The Secret Garden” for free!

October 22, 2009: Starting early, I drove all over town to pick up the loaned apparel from participating boutiques. Then Haley, the models, our student make-up artist, myself, and my PR firm’s staff met at Parkerhawn Vintage for a styling session to curate the “looks” for the models and do fittings.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved fashion. When I was younger, I used to change three to four times a day into different outfits and would always raid my mom’s closet for her shoes. As I got older, my interest in fashion grew, along with a newfound love for writing, which led to the realization that I wanted to pursue a career in journalism (preferably fashion journalism).

Currently, I’m a L.A.-based writer who works at a national magazine and freelances on the side. I’ve also recently started my own fashion blog, The Society of Style, and am slowly embracing/transitioning to digital journalism (I’m more of an old-school print journalist). Trying to your foot in the door can be a tiresome and discouraging thing, but I’ve learned through the years to be patient and never give up no matter how many doors close on your face.

I didn’t get my degree in Journalism (I was an English major at UCLA), but I learned the basics by writing for my school’s daily newspaper. As soon as I acquired enough clips, I started pitching stories to local magazines during my senior year, which is how I started freelancing.

I mostly wrote music and entertainment features, with fashion pieces here and there. My big break came when I started freelancing for a national men’s automotive lifestyle magazine, which eventually led to my current position as their features editor.

Here’s what I’ve learned in the process:

• To become a professional or freelance writer, it really doesn’t matter what your degree is, as long as you have a knack for writing. Sure it helps to have been involved in student journalism in high school or college, but now blogging can definitely be your point of entry.

• If you want to learn journalism basics, courses at Mediabistro.com or your local community college’s extension program in writing will suffice. I’ve even taken fashion and beauty writing courses through Mediabistro.

• Once you have some writing experience, the next step is pitching a story idea to the publication or website you’d like to write for. It helps to know the publication really well so you’re familiar with the type of stories they might be interested in. Try and spin your idea to be as unique as possible, even if it has been written about many times in the past. Editors have seen it all, so it takes a really special idea to spark their interest!

You’ve seen her nails, now find out what we discovered when we picked the brain of one of the best celebrity stylists in the industry today, Mariel Haenn. She was gracious enough to dish on everything from how to get started as a stylist to working with high profile clients like Rihanna and Ciara. Keep reading for the scoop…

Starting Out
The fabulous Mariel Haenn officially began her journey in fashion at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Despite her interest in fashion design, she knew she wanted to be in styling before she even knew that that could be a legitimate career option. She knew she wanted to be the person who picked out clothing for music videos, but kept being told it was costume design, even though she knew that wasn’t quite it.

“I had no idea what I was doing.”

• Constantly keep building your portfolio with updated work.

Resources
Online lookbooks like Style.com are great tools for marrying what you want to do with how you are going to do it. This is a way of simplifying your final creation so that looks from the runway correspond to looks in the showroom, ie. jacket from Look #1, shoes from Look #4, etc.

Tabloids and celebrity gossip websites almost instantly post photos, so you can see who wore what immediately. This is vital when pulling pieces for celebrity clients, though the designer’s showroom/PR should also know (and inform the stylist) when pieces have been worn by other celebs.

Insider info
As a celebrity stylist in a competitive market, Mariel’s design background gives her an edge because of her ability to alter pieces and create truly one-of-a-kind looks for her clients. Everyone has instant access to what’s out there, so it’s her job to make it original for “her girls.”

The Process: Creating the “a-ha!” moment

The absolute best part of the job? Mariel loves the instant response from the world, but even more so when the client really loves their outfit and feels like it’s them.

Now that’s what we call a dream job.