New York Field Experience by Tania Hakopian

First

! y t i C e h t Time in

Tania Sorlis Yaghoob New York Field Experience 2014 Professor Wendy Bendoni

Table Of Contents I’ve Arrived!

Landmarks

4-9

Museums

10-13

Dining

14-15

Entertainment

Kenneth Cole

DKNY

Canvas

Digital Stylist Network

Bloomsbury

Burberry

Swarovski

Nanette Lepore

Until Next Time!

I’ve Arrived!

Finally! Todays the day I’ve been waiting for since forever! I have always dreamed about going to New York ever since I was a little girl but never had the opportunity to do so. Ellen, Nita, and I flew in together from LAX and arrived in the city around 5 o’ clock. Our cab ride was so surreal. Looking out of the window seeing the city in action was just how I imagined it would be but more. The crowded streets, people walking, the cold weather, and the city lights all in action in front of me. I felt as if I was in movie. We finally arrived to the Edison hotel where we were staying. Us three were roommates and we could not wait to experience this fabulous opportunity that was given to us. We went to our room, unpacked, and rested for a few hours. We got ready at night and went to grab dinner at the Bathtub Gin. We had such a great first night. I could not wait to see what the city had in store for me!

Landmarks I have seen all of the gorgeous landmarks of New York on TV and magazines but never in person! I was so excited to visit all of the beautiful places New York had to offer. Although I did not get to visit all of the places I had hoped to, I did get to visit most of them.

Times Square

Lucky for me, our hotel was right on the corner of Times Square. I drove passed it everyday but finally went on a walk. I was such a tourist! Everyone was wearing comfortable shoes but obviously I was one of the few who were wearing extra high wedges. Every body could tell I was an LA girl. It was so amazing walking on the street of Times Square and seeing all of the digital advertisements, lights, and even the ball that drops on New Years. I watch that ball drop on TV every year with my family so I had to take a picture and text it to them! I

will never forget this moment!

Before coming on this trip, I had told Ellen that we have to go to The Empire State Building. I wanted to see the view of the entire city and go all the way to the top. Before going to our meeting on Wednesday March 19th, Ellen and I went to the 86th floor and experienced the view of the entire city. It was so unreal! I was at loss of words. We just kept singing “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys. We starred at the view in different angels for about forty-‐ five minutes and took so many pictures! After we headed out to start the day off with meetings.

Empire State Building

Subway It was my first time on the subway! Such a great experience!

Grand Central Station

On Thursday March 20th, Ellen, Nita, Kallie, Val, Mallory, and I decided to go and explore the rest of New York after having our meeting with Fairchild/ Bloomsburg Publishing. Our first stop was to go and visit Grand Central Station. The second I walked in I remembered the first episode of Gossip Girl where Serena was back and Dan laid eyes on her. You could feel the love. That scene just flashed right before my eyes. Thanks to Val, was such a great tour guide! We had such a great time together.

Ground Zero

This landmark was so touching to visit. I remembered the day when 9/11 occurred and the tragedy it brought to our country. I was so devastated. My mood automatically changed when I actually saw the place and read the memoir. Seeing the pictures of the firefighters who took their own lives to save the innocent people really made an impact to me. I love how we prevailed through the tragedy and came out stronger than ever. Rebuilding the tower and making it taller than before was such an inspiration. I will never forget this day!

Wall Street Wall Street was on the way back to the hotel. It was so spectacular. We even saw the Bull of Wall Street. There were so many people walking on the street and taking pictures of the bull. The architecture in some part looked like it was in Rome! I still haven’t seen the movie Wolf of Wall Street but I will once I get some free time in LA!

Central Park

Central Park was the most beautiful park I have ever encountered. It was even more gorgeous in person! I took a stroll with Ellen on Friday March 21st. After our last meeting we decided to visit Central park as our last piece of New York landmark. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We saw so many couples in love walking. Such a romantic place! Once I find my prince charming I’ll make sure he brings me here! So grateful I got to experience it with one of my best friends!

Mu seum s On Monday March 17th we went to The Metropolitan Museum had so many extraordinary art pieces. They were all so beautiful in their own way. I loved how we got to experience this with the entire class. I saw so many painting and sculptures that I had seen online and this was such a great opportunity to see them in real life!

First Sight moments at the Museum: While I was browsing through the museum this Any Warhol picture called “Before and After” really caught my eye. It is so amazing how a woman’s entire face can change instantly with just a nose job. Plastic surgery is so common in today’s time. We all look in the mirror and see things we do not like and would want to change about our selves. I believe that the media, models, celebrities, all have a huge impact on it. When we see all these beautiful supermodels, we compare ourselves to them and want to copy that image. I am not personally against plastic surgery. If someone wants to change something about themselves its on them. It is their body not ours. No need to judge.

This gorgeous painting was by Vincent van Gogh. I have seen this painting on the internet but never in person. It was so surreal and made me feel so at peace with in myself. This scenery made me want to get away from reality and escape into this safe haven where I would have the opportunity to admire the beauty that nature has to offer. I could almost just close my eyes and envision myself being inside of this portrait. The serenity portrayed in photo made me yearn for an opportunity to this escapes all of my problems I have been facing this past year. This is definitely my favorite painting I have ever encountered Lastly, This third masterpiece had to be Spectrum V by Ellsworth Kelly. When I went to look at the description of the painting, I had realized it did not have anything written. I was so fascinated by the fact that it was just the colors of the rainbow just waited on different boards. It was interesting to me how it started with yellow and also ended with yellow. I just stopped for a second and started at this. It took an entire wall up. It is so beautiful how we have so many vivid colors in our world and we take advantage of it. We don’t realize how lucky we are to see these lively colors everyday. It really made me think about it, we are blessed.

The Guggenheim was the second museum we visited that day. After the Met, the girls and I went to grab a quick lunch at The Three Guys Restaurant and walked to the Guggenheim. It was so different from the one we just attended. The architecture of the entire place and design had me mesmerized. It was so beautiful. The spiral walkway leading you to the top of the museum was so amazing. Their art display was a lot different than The Met. If you ever get a chance to visit the city, you must visit the Guggenheim. Be careful though, no photos are allowed. I tried my best to sneak in a few!

13 I risked my life taking this picture! I got caught so many times that if any one saw me I would have probably gotten kicked out! These photos made ma feel so happy and alive. Seeing the expression on these two people and how cheerful they looked changed my mood. Their smiles lit up the whole place and I loved that. Usually when I think of museums, I think of depressing and unhappy objects. It was such a nice change to see such how a black and white photo can look so bright!

Walking through the museum I encountered this piece of photography. This picture was taken by Josef Albers. This reminded me of home and the California weather. It was our spring break when we had arrived in New York and the weather made me feel like it was winter break. I thought of all my friends who were in Los Angeles enjoying the beautiful weather, having a nice BBQ, and lying out in the sun. The beach is one of my favorite places to go. Starring at this picture made me imagine walking on the wet sand and having the cold wave splash into my feet. This feeling made me feel right at home

Italian Futurism: Reconstructing the Universe This exhibit was such an exquisite piece. It was the first one to be presented in the United States. It portrays the historical sweep from the movement through the demise at the end of World War II. This exhibition portrays not only a beautiful painting but it also portrays architecture, fashion, design, advertising, music, theater, ceramics, performance, and film. I have never seen such an incredible work of art nor have I ever heard of all of these different aspects come together to create such a master piece. The vibrating colors and different shapes that were collaborated together really caught my attention. When you first take a look at this work of art you don’t know which part of it to look at first. My attention first went to the circle in the middle of the painting. For some reason my eyes were drawn in the swirl with the different colors intertwining with one another.

14 Some of my favorite places I dined…

Dining I had so many amazing meals during my stay in New York! My first favorite meal was on Monday morning. Before we headed out to the museums we all met at Le Pain Quotidien. It was such a delicious breakfast! I had yogurt with berries and also bread with jam. It was so nice to finally see my class and start our journey here in the city!

Carrabas After watching the musical Kinky Boots, Ellen and I decided to try Carrabas. It was a Sicilian restaurant. The food was so delicious I cannot get over it. The portions fed up to 2-‐4 people so we obviously shared one plate. We ordered pasta with chicken. We got full after almost two bites. I had never heard of the place before. Thanks to Val I had my first time Sicilian meal!

You know I definitely had to try what New York is known for. Pizza! Ellen and I were told to try out one of the most famous Pizzerias in New York called Lombardi’s. It was so delicious that the two of us finished the whole thing. If you ever visit the city this is one place you should definitely check out!

Since New York didn’t have any In n Out for us LA girls, we stopped at one of their famous burger fast food spots called Shake Shack. I heard so many great reviews on it so I had to try it. The burgers were better than I imagines, almost better than In n Out. Crazy I know! I enjoyed it with a size of cheese fries and their lemonade! YUM!

e Des

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Laduree had to have one of the best tasting macaroons I have ever devoured! It was such a cute little shop and the line was to the door! It was such a sweet way to end the day after walking through Central Park!

t! n e nm i a t ter

This Broadway show was so fabulous! I have never been to a real Broadway show so it was an amazing first time experience! After having two meetings that day this musical was much needed. I laughed so much and even shed a few tears. It was so touching and I did not see one person who did not enjoy the show. I loved every minute of it! The cast was so amazing and the meaning being the show related to almost every one in the audience! Plus the boots were by Kenneth Cole. How wonderful is that?!

Kenneth Cole is a famous shoe company that got its rise thirty years ago. He went to Europe, designed a collection of shoes, and returned to the states to sell them. He decided that he would get a 40 foot truck and sell his shoes from the back of his truck. Kenneth Cole needed a permit to sell his products but was not able to get one in Manhattan, New York. He transformed Kenneth Cole, Inc. to Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and applied for a permit to film The Birth of a Shoe Company. They parked at 1370 6th Avenue, across from the New York Hilton, the day of the shoe show and sold 40,000 pair of shoes in three and a half day. This is how the launch of their successful business started.

Kenneth Cole was the first meeting starting off our trip. I was a little nervous because I did not know what to expect. The marketing team gave us such great background on what they do for the company. It was great to hear what a day in their shoes was like. They were so kind and helpful when we were asking them our questions/I was more interested in the social media aspect. The two women in the meeting worked for the position. One use to intern for the company and got hired to do the job. I love everything about social media, so the fact there is a position for it in the fashion industry, I was all ears. Kenneth Cole is not a brand that I shop for but after seeing their shoe collection and doing some background information, I would totally check their stuff out!

DKNY PR GIRL Aliza Licht

She is the Senior Vice President of Global Communications at Donna Karan International. She did editorial for two years and made a change to PR where she joined the company in 1998. In 2009 Aliza Licht became “DKNY PR Girl” and took on the responsibility of the companies social media. She is known for engaging with her followers and being current and updating d aily. She currently has 435k Twitter followers.

DKNY is the energy and spirit of New York. It represents the international pulse of New York in the design, marketing and delivery of a complete lifestyle system to a global customer. The owner of Anne Klein Takihyo encouraged Donna Karan to go out on her own, investing $3 million in Donna Karan New York and giving the designer and her husband, Stephan Weiss, a 50 percent stake. They have been featured of 28 Vogue covers. In 1991 men’s ware was introduced. The company’s first fragrance was launched in 1992. In 2012 DKNY opened 48 stores worldwide.

Meeting Aliza Licht was such an incredible experience. She is so motived and driven. She started off studying neuro science with the intent to be a plastic surgeon but did a complete 360 and wanted to enter the fashion field. She got an internship in DC at a magazine and ad sales and worked hard to be at where she is today. I was very intimidated to ask her any questions but she was kind enough to give us great advice. She told us to research before walking into a company or interview and told us to take advantage of whatever environment we were in. She had told us that to be great we needed to take two steps ahead and really understand what the job at hand is. Aliza is known for working in PR and is so passionate about it. This is not the field I want to enter but it was great hearing about her experiences as DKNY PR girl.

Canvas is a New York City based digital agency devoted to constant collaboration and thoughtful creation. They create exceptional multi platform experiences for world-‐class companies. They won The Universal Award.

I use to always use Rate My Professor in community College. It was amazing to actually step into the Canvas Headquarters and have the designer of the website share with us his creation of it!

I cant believe they are re vamping the

March Jacobs website. Although it was unfinished it looked so fabulous! I was so excited that they gave us a sneak peak on what was going to launch!

To be honest I had never heard of Canvas before this class. After researching about them I had an idea but still was not clear. This meeting had to be my favorite one we attended. I learned more than I could imagine. John and Brian were so kind and helpful in helping us understand what they did as a company. They told us how they had to bring the brand to life. Sharing stories of past clients really gave us an idea of a day in their shoes. John told us how it is almost impossible to not meet with a client face to face because things don’t get done correctly. Digital marketing sounds like so much fun and I wish I had the ability to do so. I am not computer savvy so it would be really difficult for me to enter into this industry.

DSN is a new fashion site dedicated to showcasing the insights, advice and unique perspective of wardrobe and editorial stylists from across the US. It talks about emerging designers and top brands. The DSN stylists provide reviews, trends to watch, must-‐haves items, inspiration boards, and their favorite fashion editorial from around the world. Meghan Butler was kind enough to inform us of what DSN really is. I have heard about it but never really took the time to look into the company. She loves working for the company and is such a hard worker. She is extremely social and has a great attitude, which gives her amazing business relationships. She started off as a marketing director then went into PR. She uses LinkedIn as her main form of business communication. Meghan gave us great advice by telling us that we should be more personable rather than business when engaging with people in the fashion industry. We must follow up on everything we do. If you think you are being annoying then you are doing the right thing!

Instagram is their main social media outlet.

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house that established in 1986. It has companies in London, New York, Sydney and New Delhi. Its four divisions include Bloomsbury Academic and Professional, Bloomsbury Information, Bloomsbury Adult Publishing and Bloomsbury Children's Publishing.

This meeting was a lot different than all the others we had attended. This was a group interaction and every one was participating. They were asking us personal opinions on what we, as students would like and benefit when it comes to using a portal for school. Also they asked us how we personally feel about e-‐ textbooks and hard covered textbooks. We all agreed that we love having a physical form of the book in front of us but liked taking quizzes online. They were kind enough to listen and make us feel comfortable when we were giving our feedback. It was a pleasure to see how each woman had a specific role in the company and how at the end of the day everyone’s position meshes together and they work as a team. I loved hearing about each of their positions and the advice they gave to all of us. It was so nice to have our voices heard and that our insight and opinions actually mattered!

A 21-‐year-‐old dressmaker 22 named Thomas Burberry founded the brand in 1856. One of his first creations was gabardine, which is a waterproof, tightly woven cotton. In 1891 the company opened their first store in London, which is now the corporate headquarters for the entire company. In 1901 the Equestrian Knight logo was trademarked. One of the main products they are known for today is the trench coat, which came out in 1912. In 1999 Burberry participated in London’s Fashion Week for the first time. Today they are one of the leading companies in fashion and continue to thrive with class.

I am so thankful that Burberry was able to squeeze us in in such short notice! This meeting was definitely a dream come true. The marketing team was so generous and helpful with their words and guidance. Burberry has partnered up with such vast companies such as Vogue Magazine, W magazine, Google, and Apple. Burberry is known for their live stream fashion show, which has made such a huge hit on today’s technological world. They are the only true luxury British brand. This is where the PR team comes in handy because they strategize and secure all of their media, events, partnerships, and commercial events.

Reopening the LA store on` Rodeo!

The Marketing Team: -‐Paul: Head of media buying and planning -‐Whitney-‐ PR for men. -‐Natalie: PR for women. -‐Allison: Director of events for both commercial and brand. -‐Sarah: Events Manager and partnerships of the Americas. -‐Natalie Rawling: The VIP and entertainment Relations. -‐Mark: Partner marketing beauty.

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Swarovski was such a magical experience. I have grown up knowing and admiring this brand. I had the pleasure of meeting with Heather Klurfeld who was the head of marketing for Atelier Swarovski and Dara Bu who was the digital and social media communication specialist. They both provided us with such great knowledge of the brand and told us some of the most successful collaborations they have worked with. An example of these collaborations would be with Alexander McQueen and Rodarte. The showcase room was to die for! All off the exquisite p ieces were on display for us to see. A fun fact that I learned during the meeting was that Crystal is created with water!

Nanette Lepore has become one of the leading names in contemporary American fashion. With only a $5,000 loan from his father, she started her label n New York City’s Garment Center. She was inspired by her artsy bohemian childhood and has always had passion to dress up for a good party. She has helped raise awareness and demand for American-made clothing. Today she has grown into an international brand, which offers women’s apparel, swimwear, accessories and fragrance.

Even though we did not have time to have an actual meeting, this had to be one of my favorite companies we had visited! We had the amazing opportunity to walk around the office and see everyone in action! I got to see first hand on what goes behind the scene in the creation of a Nanette Lepore design. I have never sees what goes on behind closed doors! Everyone there was so sweet and hardworking. It was such a fabulous sight to see. Also the show room was so beautiful! This was definitely one meeting I would never forget!

Nanette Lepore has shops across the United States, Europe, and Asia. This is also including boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, Bal Harbour, Chicago, Las Vegas, Boston, London and Tokyo. She is planning on in Shanghai and Hong Kong in the near future.

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