FashionSpeak 2018: Interview with Phoenix Mellow

This year I was asked to be on the blogging team for Detroit Garment Group’s annual FashionSpeak conference. If you’ve never been before, FashionSpeak is a one-day event hosted at the One Woodward building downtown that focuses on the business of fashion. There are panel discussions, keynote speakers, live demonstrations (I got to see two students make shoes this time), and a “Meijer Merch Search,” where three small business owners get to pitch their product to Meijer executives. Instead of being a regular conference-goer, I was asked to interview costume designer Phoenix Mellow, the keynote speaker for the event, and write a blog post about my experience at this year’s conference. How cool! Thank you to the Detroit Garment Group team for thinking of me and allowing me the opportunity!

#ProjectYouToday

#ProjectYouToday is Liz Louize's body positivity campaign that encourages women to celebrate who they are in this exact moment. Far too often, women hold themselves back from things out of fear of not being "thin enough," "pretty enough," "smart enough," the list goes on and on. We set these unattainable expectations for ourselves, knowing that they are unreasonable and farfetched, and then tear down our self-esteem when those "goals" are not reached. Maya Angelou once said, "You alone are enough, you have nothing to prove to anybody." As women, we need to remember and understand this. We are all on this earth to serve a purpose. We are beautiful, inside and out, and we should not wait until that "perfect moment" to start enjoying our lives.

It's My Workaversary!

It's been a full 365 days since I took on the role of the Digital & Social Media Associate for the City of Detroit. This calls for cupcakes! (Chocolate, please.) I know I've been saying this a lot lately, but time really does fly! I remember how anxious and excited I was when I first started. I was just so happy to finally be working in a field where I could utilize my journalism degree!

$60 Well Spent

As a self-proclaimed bargain shopper, I always try to take advantage of a good sale. A few weeks back, Zara had a really good one, and I got some great pieces that I am so pleased with!

I ended up ordering a pair of pants, two tops, and most favorite piece: an oatmeal-colored suede coat with a pastel pink lining.

Hair

Hair is such a fickle thing. It can break off, tangle, grow longer, fall out, change colors...it's not always consistent. Why do we put so much emphasis on something that is just going to do what it wants to do when it's all said and done? Taking care of your hair is extremely important, and I believe that healthy hair should always be the ultimate goal, but hair should not be the be-all and end-all for you.

18 Things I Plan to Do in 2018

Resolution lists can be so cliché. You write out a bunch of stuff that sounds cute to do, but in the back of your mind, you know you'll already have forgotten about them before February rolls around. As I started thinking about 2018 and all that I hope it brings to me, I had a revelation: Do resolution lists fail because we're not disciplined enough to work through them?

#EvieTakesNOLA

I turned 24 on July 1. As I stated in my last post, I usually host a birthday dinner with my friends to celebrate me turning a year older. But this year I wanted to switch things up. Not only did I have afternoon tea with my girls to celebrate my big day, but I also took a trip to New Orleans for the Essence Festival with one of my besties, Bailey.

In Case You Were Wondering

I've been working for the City of Detroit for about four months now, and I still get the question from friends and family about what exactly it is that I do.

www.damselindetroit.com