Last Wednesday (October 3rd), the ladies of LLL were invited to California State University, Long Beach (where Hazzle and I graduated, and where Sheri is a current Senior) to speak to the “Students In Fashion” Club. We were contacted by the group’s president, Alison Eriguel, a Fashion Design and Merchandising major, to come and share our  fashion experiences and inspiration for starting a blog, as well as give advice to those interested in starting. Naturally, we accepted. After all, it was just a short while ago (almost a year) that Hazzle and I were students ourselves, and I still remember very vividly trying to decide how to best incorporate my experience in Entertainment into pursuing a career path and how I could somehow merge my love for fashion.

Bella and Sheri speaking to “Students In Fashion” at CSULB

Although all of the ladies weren’t able to attend, Sheri and I did go and represent on behalf of the group. Some of club’s main questions revolved around whether we had regular jobs (yes, we do) and how we balance that with blogging, and how we got our start in regards to being invited to events.

Well, to address the first question, most of the ladies of LLL blog because its a passion of ours and we love fashion. I (Bella) have been fortunate enough to have a career that allows me to do things that often don’t seem like work (interview celebrities, review movies, and do Creative Direction), and so I think that having the freedom to make my own schedule has allowed me the extra time to cover events and blog on behalf on LLL. The same goes for Hazzle. Since she is in Public Relations, she tends to also be able to make her own schedule, which really helps out when it comes to actually having extra time to contribute to the blog. Lisa is a professional buyer (and burgeoning photographer), Sheri is a professional bartender and Kris is a current student at FIDM. What binds us all together is the overall vision that we have for LLL. Although it is not our primary source of income at the moment, we have made very exciting steps and advancements over the past couple of months and so it is highly possible that by next year, LLL could become a full time job. My personal advice to those interested in fashion blogging is to find a job in a similar industry where you can have control of your own schedule. Sometimes we get invited to events weeks in advance, and other times we only have 24 hours so it really helps to have flexibility.

Tip: Find out more about each LLL member on the “About” page or by clicking on their individual drop-down tabs underneath.

“Students in Fashion” Club President, Alison Eriguel

As far as getting invited to events, that just comes with networking. Everywhere you go, you should try to make a positive impression on everyone you meet. Be approachable. Smile. Let people feel as if they can come up to you and be open and accepting. The blogging world is still VERY, VERY small. Chances are, you’ll see or work with the same people again and again. Never burn any bridges!

I hope my bit of advice was helpful and to the “Students in Fashion,” thank you so much for inviting us out! We had a blast! If you have any more questions or comments, feel free to address them in the comments section below.

P.S. Sheri had a great idea to feature one of the “Student in Fashion” members that we thought had a particularly great style! Congrats to Jasmin Garcia! Check out her winning “Best Dressed” outfit below.

Jasmin Garcia, CSULB student & winner of LLL’s “Student in Fashion” Best Dressed Contest!

Also stay tuned for Sheri’s “Outfit” post! Coming soon!

Follow Bella on Twitter! @MsBellaGraham

Follow Sheri on Twitter! @DontMsStreetMe