From July 8th-14th, I spent a week away in New York City for a summer fashion program at LIM college (www.limcollege.edu). It was my first week away on my own and it taught me a tremendous amount about living on my own. I’ve always been interested in fashion and was excited to learn more about the business end of the fashion industry. I took two classes: Fashion Magazines and Fashion Buying. There, I had many memorable experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.
While in New York, I took advantage of all that it had to offer. We left the dorms around 7 each day and rarely came home before 10. During my classes, I met great people from all over the world. However, I also met my fair share of snobby girls from prep schools who wanted little to do with actually working on the projects. Meeting a group of strangers and being forced to work with them was a challenge. I am the type of person who wants to do the project on my own with little input from others. There, this was not the case. We all had to be outspoken and friendly in order to get our task done. In addition, we presented numerous assignments in front of college professors and strangers. This experience was nerve-wracking, but I realized I am fairly confident in myself and can communicate effectively with others.
My classes helped me learn more about the fashion industry. My first professor, Amanda Hallay, grew up in the industry, as her father was a leading fashion forecaster in London in the 60s. She was very knowledgable about trends, fashion history and really encouraged living “outside of fashion”. I really enjoyed going to the Vogue Archives to see fashion change throughout history. My other professor, Charles Goldfine, worked as a buyer for numerous companies, most notably Saks Fifth Avenue. He took us on field trips to Macy’s, Saks, Build-a-Bear in order to evaluate their merchandise and learn about customer experiences. He also encouraged being observant and learning as much as you can about the world.
While not in class, I roamed around the city with new friends I made. We frequently went shopping, as we all are interested in fashion. We visited many great stores in Midtown, Soho, The Village, and on the Upper East Side. Some of our favorites included H&M, J.Crew, Urban Outfitters, and Topshop. We also loved trying different restaurants, our favorites being Rickshaw’s Dumpling Bar and Europa Cafe. Sprinkles Cupcakes was one place we knew we must try, and the $3.50 cupcakes were absolutely heavenly. Of course, we spent our breaks and the nearest Starbucks refueling for the rest of the day. I also loved just sitting in central park reading and enjoying the fresh air. In order to learn even more about fashion, I visited the Prada and Schiaparelli exhibit at the Met (http://www.metmuseum.org/impossibleconversations/) which was incredibly beautiful. I could have stayed looking at their clothes for days. The Museum at FIT (http://fitnyc.edu/3662.asp) also had a great collection of fashion from A-Z. Lastly, I went to an international magazine store and read up on fashion from around the world. Throughout all of this, we got lost quite a bit and argued over where to go, but ultimately I feel I saw a lot of what NYC has to offer. This experience will stay with me forever and I’m so glad I was a part of this program.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
