September 23, 2021
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On My Way

Today is my last day at Fashionista. After 20 crazy, amazing, exhausting months, it's time to move on. (I'm joining Lucky as the executive digital editor.) I can't even begin to explain how important this job has been to me. Not only have I met many of fashion's smartest, most creative, and kindest, I've also learned a ton about the business, about journalism, about blogging, and about myself. Including:
Author:

Today is my last day at Fashionista. After 20 crazy, amazing, exhausting months, it's time to move on. (I'm joining Lucky as the executive digital editor.)

I can't even begin to explain how important this job has been to me. Not only have I met many of fashion's smartest, most creative, and kindest, I've also learned a ton about the business, about journalism, about blogging, and about myself. Including:

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  • Nice commenters can teach you something. (Hat tip: Rachel Gilman, Ben aka @Bongenre, Kristen May Lee. I heart you guys.)

  • Mean commenters cannot hurt you unless you let them. You jerkfaces know who you are. (Just kidding! Not really.)

  • Always use three sources in a gossipy story, even if you know your first two sources aren't lying to you. Because nothing is worse than being wrong. And nothing is better than being right.

  • Be nice to PRs. Because we still don't know the identity of @NoBtotheS. Although I think I have a pretty good idea.

  • Cool, talented, successful people are usually nice, too. (See: Sally Lyndley, Chris Benz, Mickey Boardman, Rebecca Minkoff, Long Nguyen, Sasha Wilkins, Phil Oh, the entire staff of J.Crew/Madewell...for proof.)

  • Fashion Week is not fun. But it is a privilege. I got to see Karl walk Ines down the runway as "Bitter Sweet Symphony" played in the background. All the schlepping around is worthwhile because of moments like that.

  • Fashion IS fun! Especially when it means jetting to Florence to watch models perform a scene from West Side Story at the Band of Outsiders runway show. What a spectacular night.

I love fashion. I love Fashionista. I love the readers. I love Leah, Dhani, Cheryl, Steff, and all the amazing interns and freelancers who have made this experience so worthwhile. (And of course Britt, who showed me the ropes.) I wish Leah and her team the best of luck--I know I'll be reading.

Love, Lauren

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So yesterday was my last day at Fashionista. On Monday I start my new job as editor of Elle.com. Though I'm excited to take on this new challenge with a brand I've always loved, it's really hard and sad for me to leave this place. The majority of my three years here have been spent with Lauren Sherman. She hired me, left, and then came back as my editor at large. So it seemed fitting to reminisce about all the good times with her.

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MILAN--Before I get into my morning adventure, let me explain the fashion bus. At pretty much every fashion week other than New York, there is a bus that those who don't hire a private car can take from show to show. In general you need to have registered with whomever runs the fashion week to be able to use this service, but it's common knowledge that they're pretty loose with this rule. In London, I use the fashion bus now and again. In Paris and Milan I rarely take it, mostly because every time I have I've been late to the next show. But this morning after leaving Bottega Veneta, I was in a bind. We were in the middle of nowhere, without an available taxi in site. I saw a sign for the bus and decided to wait in line. Soon enough it pulled up, with several empty buses behind it. Unfortunately, only about five people were allowed to board. Why? Because the rest of us--I'd say about 10 people in total--didn't have our Milan Fashion Week passes. (Some claimed that they had forgotten theirs--I simply kept silent, because I hadn't registered officially.) But the Camera Moda attendants wouldn't budge. No one was going to be allowed access without a badge. (Camera Moda is the organization that puts together MFW.) Usually at this point I would have scooted off, but then things started to get good, so I decided to stick around to see what would happen.

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Getting married is really fun! I know it's stressful for a lot of brides, but I'm lucky. My parents/fiance's parents are totally hands-off when it comes to planning, and I've nailed down so many specifics already that as of late, my main focus has been The Dress. I'm 99% percent sure I'm going to go custom, but I thought it would still be smart to check out J.Crew's new wedding boutique on Madison Ave. more I brought along my friend Ali, who is also getting married next year, and who also happens to be obsessed with J.Crew, to try on dresses as well. I'm so glad I did--Not only did we learn a lot about this sector of the brand, but we also modeled some incredible dresses, as well as gobs of stunning accessories. First, I was greeted by Kate M., my personal sales associate for the appointment. (She was accompanied by the lovely Candy.) These girls were amazing. They were so excited about everything, from the La Perla robes in the changing rooms to the array of sashes to the shoes. Their enthusiasm was infectious. But more on that later.

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