This weekend was quiet an adventure! College Fashion Week in Chicago with Her Campus was an exciting, engaging and an amazing learning experience. I find myself still reminiscing about it. With this being my first real blogging gig, I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised and stoked to report back to you about my findings! Sounds extremely nerdy, but I took this as a education experience… hehe.
It sure was a night to remember full of style, beauty, blogging, networking, great music and even some pampering. Yes I said pampering. It’s not everyday you get your name on a VIP chair in the front row of a fashion show. Not going to lie, that still kind of blows my mind. As a member of the press, my guest and I were allowed early access to the show and received the full treatment! As the face behind the camera and birthday girl of the trip, I was so excited to celebrate this weekend with my mom. From companies such as KIND, Sparking ICE, and Boxed Water offering us freebies, to makeup artists providing us with a pop of color, I was blown away by the VIP experience.
Once the event started, four different collections were showcased. The first show consisted of an exclusive line of Her Campus + My Social Canvas collegiate apparel that was catered to help surviving college and to always remain chic and comfortable, even while studying.
The second show, was my personal favorite. As an avid music fanatic, Show Me Your Mumu + Foray Collective partnered up to create the perfect Coachella collection. The third show, consisted of all things regarding greek life. Ali & Ariel + Frill Clothing collaborated to present the perfect outfits for rush seasons.
Last but certainly not least, the event closed out with Bow & Drape. With fun sequined emoji shirts and cheeky phrased graphic tees, they provided the perfect causal statement for a spontaneous night out with your friends. The entire collection was even accessorized from our sponsors with Rebecca Minkoff bags and Vince Camuto shoes.
After the event there was an afterparty where we could go socialize with the other attendees. I decided last minute to take an uber to the loaction with my new friend, Jessica, from The Petite Diaries. So glad I met her and definitely go check out her blog! Once we got there, we socialized with a couple of other girls and even crashed a release party! Allchokedup just released a bunch of their new chokers and were looking for some feedback. I’m a sucker for Girboss entrepreneurs, so I was all in for allchokedup. I fell in love with one choker in particular, so stay tuned for its debut in an upcoming post!
All in all, this experience wasn’t about free goodies and the special treatment. As I said before, I was a learning experience for me in the blogging world. You always have to brand yourself to the world, but I had never had to brand myself through my blog in a social setting. I also learned different point of views on blogging for other bloggers. This only fueled my motivation for the future of CIC.
Once I got back to the hotel, I really dug into my swag bags. Not only did I receive a full-sized bottle of RiRi by Rihanna from Perfumania and samples from KIND, but I also collected a bunch of hosiery, coupons from Bertha Watches, an Essie nail polish and a couple of full-sized Dry Bar products. The icing on the cake though, was a golden Rebecca Minkoff clutch and a Fitbit Flex 2… so stoked!
Blogging has become this huge idea of fandom and some people take it a bit too far, honestly. Her Campus created College Fashion Week to celebrate women, fashion, and empowerment. Out of this experience, the biggest takeaway for me is to always help and support fellow bloggers. With that, if you are a blogger, comment down below and say hello! I would love to connect with you and check out your incredible content. And remember….
