I had the unique and very fun experience of attending a Meet the Founder event at Vogue headquarters in New York. I am part of a membership called Vogue Club, which for an annual fee allows you virtual insights and in-person experiences from Vogue. The first Vogue Club event I attended was last year when Vogue Club members had a night at The Met to ourselves to see the Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty exhibit.
For the Meet the Founder event, I took the train to New York for a day trip. It was a very busy day. I met up for lunch with a friend in the West Village, then headed to my friend’s place in Brooklyn to catch up and get ready. I wore a $13 Zara top I had gotten on sale, comfortable Express slacks, $30 Target low heels, and a matching Coach bag. I hopped in an Uber to the event and as I was in the Uber I received an email saying the editors loved my question and asking if I would ask my question live (we were able to submit questions a few days before the event). I was shocked, nervous, and excited all at once. I of course replied yes.
I arrived at the event and after taking it all in that this prosecutor from Maryland who decided to start a personal styling business was at Vogue headquarters, I went through security and up the elevator with several other attendees, including a sleekly dressed young man who I started chatting with who turned out to be from neighboring Virginia but had been in New York for a little over a year. We walked into the room where the event was taking place to Vogue bags on chairs and glass bottles of water on the floor for each of us. My new friend and I sat next to each other and took selfies.
I know you’re probably wondering…Ley, who was the founder?! Great question! It was Jenna Lyons, former president of J. Crew who is now the CEO of false eyelash brand, LoveSeen, and one of the latest Real Housewives of New York. If you watched the most recent season of the Real Housewives of New York, I can confirm that Jenna is in fact the same person as you see on the show… humble, slightly shy, and commands the room, and exudes power but not in an aggressive way. After two of the Vogue beauty editors, who were the moderators finished asking Jenna their questions, it was time for the live questions, and I was up first! I was handed the mic and I asked Jenna how she handled dealing with disappointment as a business owner, especially in the beginning stages of LoveSeen. Her answer was helpful and something I had actually been practicing, so it was refreshing that I was on the right track. Three other attendees got to ask Jenna questions live. Unfortunately, we did not get to actually meet her as they whisked her out a side door right at 6:30 p.m., but it was still a great and rare experience. Afterwards, us attendees continued to mingle and shoot content. I left meeting several new people/making new friends, which is one of the things I love most about the fashion world.
What was in the bags on our chairs? The March issue of Vogue and a pack of LoveSeen lashes! I booked it back to my friend in Brooklyn to change, grab my stuff, and made it to the train with 8 minutes to spare thanks to good ol’ NY traffic and made it back to MD minutes before midnight. A tiring but fantastic day. Until my next Vogue adventure!
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