Boston Globe Interview!
This morning I got out of bed, showered & instead of throwing on jeans or leggings, I put on my suit for my last first co-op interview. I know, that wording was confusing. I’ll back track. Here at Northeastern, we alternate periods of 6 month internship and regular semesters. I’ve already completed two co-ops, and I will be doing a third, and final, co-op starting in July. Today I had my first interview with the Boston Globe – a position that you could easily say is a dream job.
I’d be working in one of the Globe’s bi-weekly regional sections, either South, North or West of Boston, as a full time writer – pitching pieces, covering meetings, helping other reporters and editors in the office. The position is absolutely ideal for me – I’d be writing for a huge corporation, but I’d be able to publish content online and utilize my technology skills from Tech Target (my last co-op) and at the same time be able to work in a small newsroom that focuses on a smaller community, which is what I really loved about my first co-op at Bay Windows & South End News.
Dressed up & ready to go for my Boston Globe Interview!
So why am I telling you all this? Well of course, it ties into fashion. I wanted to share my outfit this morning with you, so I snapped a quick photo in my mirror. The quality isn’t fabulous, unfortunately my roommate was already at class otherwise I would have had her do it.
I bought this pencil suit skirt from Express for $24 on sale, and the red button down also at Express for $12, also on sale. The suit jacket is from Ann Taylor, which I scored at the outlet for just $50. All in all, not a bad look for less than $100!
I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the process, but for now I think the interview went really well! The woman I spoke with assured me that I’d definitely be pushed through for a second round interview at the beginning of April, so until then it’s just a waiting game. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
the cropped jacket
This is a trend I have been noticing more and more as the days get ever so slighty warmer, and I have to admit, I dont really get it. There are some trenches with short sleeves that are definitely great, but the trench would look just as good with regular long sleeves, and would make it way more practical, especially on the east coast!
This trench from Burberry is a perfect example:
For $700, couldnt you just give me a little bit more fabric?
This Anne Klein short sleeve trench is what I really do not get. For $200, all I’m getting is “huh?”
The fad has also transfered over to sweaters, which I think I understand a little bit more.
I do like the concept of this, but the sleeves are just so big and baggy, and for somebody like me, who has such a tiny frame, the idea just doesnt seem flattering. I do like the belt paired with this one though, which I found on Express’s website for $40.
I think the buttons on this one are better for me – and my friend Jen has it in a bright purple color and its great on her. I just dont really know if I like it for me, or how much I really like the look in general. This one is only $30 at express, so if anything, I’d probably go for this piece, which wouldnt hurt my wallet too badly.
This jacket just doesnt make sense to me. It’s $98, also from express – why would I fork over $100 for a jacket that wont even keep me warm? Maybe I sound like a grouchy old lady, but I truly just dont get it. Cute, I guess. But even in the spring when you dont need to stay warm, I still just think it looks silly. Maybe its just me.
‘were practically bribing our customers’
As I mentioned in my initial post, I work at Express. My store is a brand new location that opened just before thanksgiving. The store is enormous, with large mens and womens sections. For the last few weeks, Express has had their annual ‘shop the bins’ sale – the madness that ensues when obnoxious ladies come in to the store to dig through bin upon bin of marked down clearance items that should be organized by size, but by the end of the day theres absolutely no way you can even make out where one bin begins and the other ends. As you can imagine, it’s obnoxious to shop but even more obnoxious to work.
This sale is nothing new, and I’ve seen from working at the store for just a few months that Express is known for their great coupons and their incredible sales. Items that were once $80 get marked down to just $20 or $30 – it makes you wonder why people even bother to pay full price. Well wait. With this economy? They dont.
As my manager put it the other night as we were closing the store – our company is practically bribing customers to come in and shop. The latest twist on the bin sale? Every red-line item is marked down an additional 40% when you get to the register. I bought a gorgeous red satin cinched tube dress that was originally $98 for $17.99 yesterday [and that is without my employee discount, which we sadly don’t get on sale items].
Because of the drastically lowered prices, the sales plans that my managers set out at the start of the week are being missed by thousands of dollars per segment, our numbers are much much lower than then ever were. For a new store, that isn’t so great.
The state of the economy is effecting more than just Express. I have never seen such huge sales in my entire life – it really does seem like the stores are begging shoppers to come through their doors. Everywhere you look, signs are offering 40, 50, even 60% off of once full priced merchandise. The Buy One Get One sales are everywhere. When I worked at American Eagle we were giving BOGO 1/2 off on every single item in the store. Even 344 [the latest jasmine sola store that sells a variety of designer jeans and tops] is offering 30% off of true religion, citizens of humanity and joes jeans [& I am not ashamed to admit that I already went in to find my size and was out of luck, of course]. It’s true insanity. Or, as my friend put it, a girls shopping heaven. The reality is, how much are teenagers and young adults affected by the economy? I hear my parents yell at me over the phone every other day about how I need to stop my spending because times are tough, but I am still working and getting a regular pay check. And when clothes are half as much as they normally are, why wouldn’t I take advantage? A friend was telling me that one of her friends is normally stingy with spending money, that she hates going shopping and buying clothing. But they went to their mall over break and her friend splurged because of all the sales. So does that mean that young adults are ignorant to the downfall of the economy? Are we just unaffected? Do we not care? Or are the sale ploys just really working on us?
Well clearly, I bought my dress. Granted I had an occasion and I already have the heels and jewelry to go with, but still. I have a perfectly good tube-top dress from Zara sitting in my closet that I could have simply reworn. Maybe I just have a shopping problem, maybe the temptation of working in retail is part of that problem, but something tells me I’m not so far off from the average young woman’s shopping pattern.
xoxo; rachel sarah
passion for fashion 