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| Leah Freeman - Marketing Manager of Boston Magazine |
I invited my friend Leah into my home where we chatted about her awesome new blog, her career, and of course, Boston Fashion Week! When I found out there would be a centralized location this year - a tent to be exact - I knew just who to call! She gave me the inside scoop on Boston Fashion Week. Turns out this is one exclusive event!
We traded places after a while and she snapped pics of my home and some of my favorite things. It's all featured on Plsknck.com (be sure to check it out). Talk about killing 2 birds with one stone!
Age: 27
Sign: Pisces
Style: "I like clean simple lines and classic silhouettes with just a touch of color or drama".
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Gilda: So, you were raised in Boston, you also went to school in Boston (s/o to BC!!!) - I'm curious as to what your thoughts were after reading the article in GQ about Boston Fashion being the worst dressed in the country.
Leah: I thought it was unfair because they focused on the worst of Boston. Every city has badly dressed people and there's a "worst" in every city. There's a lot of good in Boston and I think they should've focused more on that!
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| Let the Q&A begin! |
Gilda: What do you think of the style in Boston?
Leah: Umm, it's definitely more conservative and preppy than, let's say, Los Angeles - I just moved back a few months ago and I haven't been in Boston for at least 5 years but the thing about Boston is that there are seasons so it can be very different from a city like LA where it's beach weather year-round, it's hippy. People wear less clothing...you know, that's just what the vibe is like there. In Boston you have a Fall and a Winter, which sometimes make you look or feel more conservative.
Gilda: How did your career develop after Boston College?
Leah: Well, after BC, I moved to New York where I was a temp for Chanel for a little while and then when that ended I got a job at Maxim and Blender magazines and started out as an assistant. I was there for almost 3 years before I worked my way up into Sales....then I fell in love, decided to move to California, drove across the country and then got a job at E! Entertainment with the Executive Producer in Talent for the Daily Ten.
Gilda: Ooo...tell me about that Divo, Ryan Seacrest (lol).
Leah: I didn't work with him directly but I did see him on occasion. He was really nice. He was very outgoing...He's very short...always had a lil' entourage around him (haha) but he was very nice. Never had a 'Divo' moment. I had to get him a bottle of water once and when I handed it to him, he said Thank you.
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| Enter. |
Gilda: Tell me about your blog.
Leah: It's called Plsknck.com and it's a look inside people's closets and bedrooms but I don't want it to be focused just on fashion, I also want it to be about design. So it's about an individual's design esthetic; their furniture, how they design their homes or rooms and I want it be a look into their private spaces. There are some people you see in the street and you think, 'I wonder what their bedroom looks like or their house looks like?'. It's a chance to get a look inside.
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| Bracelets made of recycled material - Alex&Ani |
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| Top & skirt - Urban Outfitters |
Gilda: Okay!! Let's get into details on this year's fashion week. There's so much hype this year because of the tent (finally!!). I know you've been attending the meetings so you have all the exclusives! When is it and where is this large tent going to located?
Leah: Yea, we have bi-weekly meetings at the Mandarin. It's going to be from September 23rd through the 30th and it's going in the outdoor area between the Mandarin Hotel and the Prudential. It's going to house 250 people per show, there's going to be a 40ft runway then there's also going to be a wardrobe/Hair & makeup tent just off to the side. There'll be 3 shows a day for 7 days. We're looking at 20-21 shows right now.
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| Polka-Dot top from Jasmine Sola (before it was 244)...Miss u J.S. :( |
Gilda: We all know how important the 'front row' is. Will there be a chosen few for those coveted seats?
Leah: Yes, the first 2 rows will be VIP seating so those will most likely be tickets that we give to our sponsors and possibly any VIP tickets the deigners want to give out.
Gilda: How do the invitations work for us 'regular' folks? Will we be able to buy tickets?
Leah: ...Unfortunately, the ticketing is going to be mostly people that the designers invite. The designers have the majority of the tickets so they'll choose who they want to be at their shows and then the rest of the tickets are divvied up between the partners of the tent. There will be parties and events, however, that everyone can attend. Boston magazine is only affiliated with the Tent. The actual Fashion Week is much bigger in Boston. There's going to be stuff going on all week around the city that people can be apart of.
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| Necklaces - consignment store in Harvard Square |
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| My sisters cute little ring. It's great to have sisters, isn't it?!? |
Gilda: Well I'm sure everyone's going to want a peek inside this thing. How do we get a look?
Leah: We have a micro-site that will be dedicated to the BFW Tent and it's through Bostonmagazine.com/thetent and right now it has some of our press releases, all the designers' names/headshots/bios, a schedule of the shows, and some general information. Once the tent is up, we'll definitely have links to pictures for each day and a blog. Chronicle and Style Boston will also be covering it so it will get some on-air time.
Gilda: Will you be at every show?
Leah: I don't know! I hope I get to go to at least a couple of shows. The thing is, Boston Magazine has a set amount of tickets and we were the ones that brought in all of the sponsors so a lot of our tickets are going to our sponsors so it depends on how many of our sponsors want to bring people and how many tickets we have left over....But, I hope I get to go to a couple..haha.
Gilda: What will you wear? If you're shopping for it, where would you go?
Leah: Oh gosh, hmm...I don't know, I've never in my life been to a fashion show so I think I'd have to buy something new for this. I love Club Monaco - that's one of my favorite stores. Obviously I love Urban outfitters but I also love BCBG. I'll probably end up there (Copley). I mean, those are the stores I can afford! if I had more money...Probably Marc Jacobs and All Saints! It will most likely be a dress.
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| Watch by Rotary, Bag by Coach |
Gilda: Are all the designers BIG TIME, or are there some rookies? Is it possible for all of those aspiring designers out there to have a shot at showing off their collection in the tent...say, next year?
Leah: There are probably some names that are probably more familiar to people like Daniela Corte. She's doing the finale show. There are three levels: Retail, emerging designers, and then local designers (Boston area). The focus of Fashion Week is really to promote local, emerging designers and celebrate fashion in Boston so we don't have a lot of huge national retailors at this fashion week. They're mostly local. Now, there is a little bit of money that has to go into it and you'd have to be in touch with Jay Calderin and Lisa Baker (Lisa Baker Associates). They're pretty familiar with the emerging designers so they probably had a list in their head from the start. Boston Magazine only worked with the sponsors.
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| This was Leah's favorite pieces in my bedroom - an iron mannequin I begged a store clerk to sell me (it was a display). |
Gilda: What's one trend that you're loving right now?
Leah: Uh, let's see, it's not really a new-new trend but I love mixed patterns. I love it when people mix different fabrics in their clothing and in their design at home. You know, the bright pillows, different couches. I'm definitely into mixing patterns right now.
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| Thanks Leah! |
Gilda: And lastly, what personal fashion advice can you offer to all aspiring fashionistas out there?
Leah: I'm kind of all about comfort and feeling good, you know what I mean? You hear it all the time but I think it's 100% true. You've got to feel good and love what you have on. Doesn't matter what it is as long as you feel good in it.
Hey guys, thanks for checking out this interview with Leah! If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate. Have a fabulous Friday! xo
